Munshiganj
Hriday Mandal walks out of jail
School teacher Hriday Mandal was released from Munshiganj jail after securing bail in a case over ‘hurting religious sentiment’ on Sunday.
Hriday was freed from Munshiganj jail around 5pm, said Jailer Abul Bashar.
“We received the bail papers of Hriday Mandal at around 4pm,” the jailer added.
His arrest sparked protests from rights group from home and abroad calling for his immediate release.
Also read: Hriday Mandal gets bail after 19 days in jail
The rights groups denounced his arrest as an attempt to curtail freedom of expression and science education in the country
After his release, Hriday said the allegations brought against him are false.
He said, “I was teaching science in class that day. They were purposely questioning me about religious feelings. I didn't say anything that could be an issue. I didn't even notice that they were recording on mobile.”
He said, “Some misguided students who do not study have done it together with misguided teachers. I can't name anyone at the moment. They might have done this with me over private tutoring.”
Besides, he sought security from the state.
Earlier in the day, Additional District and Sessions Judge Motahar Akter Bhuiya granted the teacher bail after 19 days of his arrest in the case.
Hriday Mandal, a Science teacher of Binodpur Ramkumar High School, was arrested on March 22 after Asad Mia, an electrician of the school, lodged a complaint with Sadar Police on charge of hurting religious sentiment.
However, Babita Haldar, wife of Hriday, claimed that the false allegation was brought against him to oust him from the school due to enmity with some colleagues.
Also read: Amnesty demands immediate release of school teacher Hriday
Earlier on March 20, some tenth-grade students of Binodpur Ramkumar High School (science section), recorded a class conversation of Hriday on science and religion where.
On March 22, some students staged demonstrations outside the school calling for punishment for Hriday.
Later that day, an office assistant (electrician) of the high school filed a case with police against the teacher, who was subsequently arrested.
Youth stabbed to death in Munshiganj
Two friends guarding a potato farm in Munshiganj Sadar upazila were stabbed in their sleep allegedly by assailants in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving one dead on the spot.
The deceased was identified as 21-year-old Mizan Khan, son of Akbar Khan of the Sumar Dhalikandi area. His friend, Abdur Rahman, 22, is being treated at Munshiganj General Hospital.
The alleged crime occurred around 1.30am in the farm owned by Mizan’s cousin Sumon Dhali when the two victims fell asleep on harvested potatoes while guarding the produce.
Mizan’s cousin Sumon claimed the murder was planned by another local land owner, named Mizi.
Read: Madrasah teacher killed, 50 injured in clash between villagers in Sylhet
“Some two months ago, Mizan had an altercation with Mizi over watering land. That day, Mizi threatened to take revenge. We demand exemplary punishment for the murderers," he said.
Sumon Deb, additional superintendent of Munshiganj Police, said, "We got a clue that at least five people attacked the two youths. Efforts are on to arrest the accused.”
Cops have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident, he added.
Man shot dead in Munshiganj clash
Tension prevailed in Sadar upazila's Fakirhandi area on Thursday after a 28-year-old man was allegedly shot dead in a clash between two rival groups.
The deceased was identified as Jewel Fakir, a fuchka vendor and son of Hafiz Uddin Fakir. He was also involved in transporting potatoes during potato harvesting season.
Read: 8 held over clash at Benapole port, trade resumes
Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Deb said two groups at Fakirkandi village-one led by Harun and another by Mantu- had been at loggerheads over controlling the business of transporting potatoes.
As a sequel to the enmity, a clash broke out between the supporters of the two groups around 4:15 am.
At one stage, the supporters of Mantu also beat up Jewel, a supporter of Harun group, mercilessly and opened fire on him, leaving him dead.
Read: 25 injured in clash between factions at AL conference in Rajshahi
On information, police recovered the body and arrested Nannu Haji in this connection.
Additional police force have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble.
A tense situation is prevailing in the area following the clash.
Munshiganj: Bodies of woman and baby found in village pond
Police have initiated a probe after the bodies of a 22-year-old woman and a one-year-old girl were found floating in a village pond in Munshiganj on Tuesday.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been established.
Local people spotted the bodies wrapped in a quilt in the pond near the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in Brahman Paiksha village of Srinagar upazila on Tuesday afternoon and alerted the cops, said Abdul Momen, superintendent of Munshiganj Police.
Read: Habiganj: Drug peddler escapes from custody, 3 cops suspended
On information, a police team rushed to the spot, fished out the bodies and sent them to the local hospital morgue for an autopsy. Cops suspect the two were killed and then dumped in the pond.
“Efforts are on to identify the killers,” said SP Momen.
Mother, daughter killed in Munshiganj truck-auto-rickshaw collision
A woman and her daughter were killed on Tuesday as a truck and auto-rickshaw collided in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj.
The deceased were identified as Sheuli Begum,40, and her daughter Putul Aktar,20, from Vadrasan village in Madaripur district.
Read:Cox's Bazar road tragedy: Another brother dies of injuries at Ctg hospital
Putul’s two-year old daughter Anisa Aktar survived the accident and received primary medications.
The accident occurred around 10:30 am near Tulakai area on Baligaon-Tongibari-Dhaka road when they were heading towards their village home in Madaripur from Naryanganj by the auto-rickshaw, said Molla Ali Soeb, Officer-in-Charge of Tongibari police station.
Locals caught truck driver Bablu Mia, 38 and handed him over to police but the auto-rickshaw driver managed to flee, he said.
Read: 2 killed in Bagerhat road crash
The accident disrupted vehicular movement on the road for half an hour which returned to normalcy when police came.
The bodies were sent for autopsy after recovery from the spot, said OC Molla Ali.
8 proposals including 10-km road in Munshiganj get cabinet body nod
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase (CCPP) in a meeting on Thursday approved a total of eight procurement proposals including construction of 10-km bi-level road in Munshiganj.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the virtual meeting while members of the committee attended it.
While briefing reporters on the outcomes of the meeting Additional secretary of the Cabinet Division Shamsul Arefin said the committee has approved a proposal of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) to award a contract for construction of the bi-road from Narayanganj's Panchabati to Munshiganj's Muktarpur Bridge.
Chinese joint-venture of (1) Shandong Iuqiao Group Co. Ltd and (2) China Shandong International Economic and Technical Cooperation group Ltd., obtained the project at a cost of Tk 1206.06 crore.
The widening of the existing road over which the bi-level will be built was also included in the project.
He said the bi-level road is not a new one in Bangladesh as the existing Dhaka Elevated Expressway is a similar kind of project.
He said that toll-plaza and other facilities are also included in the project.
Another Chinese firm - Joint Venture of (1) National Development Engineers Ltd and (2) China Gezhouba Group Company Ltd obtained a contract for construction of new diagnostic imaging centres at medical colleges in 7 divisions at Tk 401.78 crore.
Two proposals of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) received the clearance of the cabinet body to award contracts for supplying suction dredgers.
Of these, the BIWTA will procure two 24-inch cutter suction dredgers and associated equipment from Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd at a cost of Tk 212.63 crore while it will procure two similar kinds of dredgers and associated equipment from Karnafuly Shipbuilders Ltd at Tk 213.61 crore.
The Cabinet body approved a proposal of the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to import 30,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid at a cost of Tk 231.68 crore.
Two proposals of the Bangladesh Computer Council under the ICT Division received nod for raising costs of its two projects for construction of computer infrastructure at 2600 unions across the country.
For this, Tk 42.83 crore will be raised for a project being implemented at 1293 unions while Tk 32,96 crore for another projects covering 1307 unions.
Hasina visits a bridge that sets a milestone for Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana on Friday made a surprise visit to the Padma Bridge that has set a milestone in the country’s development trajectory.
The prime minister reached the Padma Bridge in a convoy around 7:23am and walked about 2 kilometres from pillar-7 to pillar-18 with her sister during the visit, reports UNB Munshiganj correspondent.
Later, they had breakfast at Service Area-2 at Jazira Point. The prime minister left for Dhaka around 10am.
Dewan Abdul Quader, executive engineer of the Padma Bridge project, said the prime minister was very happy seeing the progress of the bridge, the much-awaited dream project of the nation.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj Kazi Nahid Rasul and Shariatpur Deputy Commissioner Md Parvez Hasan were also present during Sheikh Hasina's visit.
Munshiganj fire: 28-yr-old woman dies of burn injuries
Another Munshiganj cylinder explosion victim has succumbed to her injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), officials said on Thursday.
Shanta Begum, 28, wife of Kawsar Khan of Char Muktarpur in Sadar upazila, passed away at the hospital's Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 2 30 am, after battling for her life for a week, Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost, said.
Read:Munshiganj: 4 of family injured in cylinder blast
Shanta’s husband Kawsar died on December 4 while their two children -- Yeasmin, 6, and Fatema, 3 -- passed away on December 2 at a local hospital.
All the four family members and another person -- a neighbour -- sustained burn injuries in a fire triggered by the cooking gas cylinder blast in their house in the Char Muktarpur area of Munshiganj's Sadar upazila in the early hours of December 2.
The neighbour, Hritika Pal, is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Read: 4 burned in N’ganj as gas cylinder leak causes fire
For over eight years, Kawsar, a welder by profession, had been staying in Munshiganj with his family.
Sadar Police Station OC Rajib Khan had said, "Prima facie, it seemed to be a cooking gas cylinder explosion. But a CID team is investigating the case."
Munshiganj fire: 36-yr-old father of deceased sisters dies
Another Munshiganj cylinder explosion victim has succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, officials said.
Kawsar, 36, died at the hospital's Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Saturday morning, taking the total number of deaths in the explosion to three.
Kawsar, 36, his wife Shanta, 27, and their two children -- Yeasmin, 6, and Fatema, 3 -- sustained burn injuries in a fire triggered by the cooking gas cylinder blast in their house in the Char Muktarpur area of Munshiganj's Sadar upazila in early on Thursday morning.
READ: Munshiganj Building Fire: Siblings succumb to burns at SHBU
The two sisters died of their injuries that night only. Their mother and a neighbour are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
For over eight years, Kawsar, a welder by profession, had been staying in Munshiganj with his family.
Sadar Police Station OC Rajib Khan said, "Prima facie, it seemed to be a cooking gas cylinder explosion. But a CID team is investigating the case," he said.
Munshiganj: 4 of family injured in cylinder blast
Four members of a family sustained burn injuries in a fire triggered by a cooking gas cylinder blast in their house in the Char Muktarpur area of Munshiganj's Sadar upazila on Thursday.
The victims have been identified as Kawsar, 42, his wife Shanta, 38, and their children -- Yeasin, 6, and Fatema, 3. They lived on the first floor of a two-storey house.
Read: Jatrabari gas cylinder blast: Another victim dies, death toll now five
Dewan Azad Hossain, duty officer of Dhaka Fire Service and Civil Defense control room, said the fire broke out at the first floor of the building following the cylinder blast around 4.30 am, leaving all the four members of the family injured.
On information, a fire tender rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze.
The injured were immediately rushed to Munshiganj General Hospital from where they were shifted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.