Police have arrested a 62-year-old man in a case filed over raping a class five student in Naragati thana of Narail. The arrestee is Mahbubur Rahman alias Mahbub Sheikh of Chorkhali village of Naragati Police Station. Man gets life term in drugs case in Narail He was arrested from Shuktail village in Gopalganj Sadar on Wednesday afternoon, said Naragati Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Mostafizur Rahman. The victim's mother filed a rape case at Naragati Police Station on February 6. Mashrafe secures victory from Narail-2 again According to police, on February 4, Mahbubur forcibly took the victim to his son-in-law Rana Sheikh's house and raped her. As the victim started screaming, locals rushed to the spot while the accused fled the spot. The victim was later taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment. ‘Will reveal plans about development of Narail if I win the election’, says Mashrafe During primary interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, said police. The victim gave a statement to the court under section 22 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 (Amendment 2003), added the OC.

Former Bangladesh cricket team captain and Narail-2 Awami League candidate for the 12th parliamentary election Mashrafe Bin Mortaza bagged the seat for the second time consecutively by a huge margin. Barrister Sumon crushes incumbent state minister for civil aviation and tourism He bagged 1,89,102 votes, while his nearest rival Hafizur Rahman from Bangladesh Workers Party secured 4,041 votes in Sunday's polls. The polling that began at 8:00 am concluded at 4pm without any break amid tight security in 299 out of the country’s 300 constituencies. The counting of votes started immediately after the end of voting. Shahriar Alam wins Rajshahi-6 Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College in the capital this morning. Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Sunday said 27.15 % votes were cast till 3 pm on Sunday. BNP holds protest rally rejecting polls in Kishoreganj

Former cricketer and Narail-2 Awami League candidate for the 12th Parliamentary Election Mashrafe Bin Mortaza on Sunday he will disclose his plans for the development of Narail if he wins the national election. Read: Election 2024: Voting underway amid low turnout, 1 death reported in Munshiganj “Voting has been going well since morning. Women have come to vote, including elderly voters, even in the winter,” Mashrafe told reporters after casting his vote at Narail Technical School and College centre at 10:50 am. Seven candidates, including Mashrafe are contesting the polls from Narail-2 constituency. The number of voters here is 365,729. Of these, 183,739 voters are female and 181,990 are male.

Narail-2 Awami League candidate for the 12th Parliamentary Election, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, said that megaprojects have been coming to his constituency as he can run from one place to another and get things done. "I can stick to a job. I can endure hardship. I can go to ministries. Mega projects have been coming to Narail today because I ran from one place to another,” he said at a street rally in Gilatala Primary School grounds in Kashipur Union of Lohagara Upazila on Monday. Faridpur-1 constituency: Mashrafe campaigns for Awami League candidate "IT parks, engineering colleges—all of these are right beside your homes. If these don't come, where will your sons and daughters study, and where will they get trained? When the children grow up, they will support their families; they will be able to live well. However, we need to create that place. On January 7, please go to the polling centre and cast your valuable vote. I have come with the boat symbol. I believe you will provide an opportunity for your children to work by casting your votes for them," said the candidate. 4 supporters of Mashrafe fined for breaching electoral code Narail District Awami League Vice-President Adv. Syed Ayub Ali, Lohagara Upazila Parishad Chairman, SMA Hannan Runu, and Lohagara Upazila Awami League President Munshi Alauddin were present at the time, among others. According to information from the Election Commission, in the parliamentary elections, Narail-2 constituency has a total of 365,729 voters in two municipalities and 20 unions. Among them, 181,990 are male voters, and 183,736 are female voters. Mashrafe urges voters to cast vote on January 7

Awami League leader Syed Faizul Amir Litu, an independent candidate for Narail-2 constituency, has regained his candidacy to contest in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls. The High Court bench of Justice MD Iqbal Kabir and Bishjit Debnath delivered the order after reviewing his appeal on Thursday (December 28). Despite HC order Sylhet-2 independent candidate yet to get symbol Confirming the matter, Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer Mohammad Ashfaqul Haque Chowdhury said that Syed Faizul Amir Litu has been allotted "truck" symbol. Earlier on Dec 4, the returning officer cancelled Litu's candidacy due to some complications including the signature of one percent of the voters. Govt declares Jan 7 as general holiday for 12th national election Faizul Amir was called several times for his comments, but he did not respond. A total of eight candidates are vying in the upcoming election from Narail-2 constituency. BNP-Jamaat ask people not to vote as they believe in elections without voting: Law Minister The candidates are AL-backed candidate Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Workers Party's Adv. Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, Jatiya Party’s Adv Faekuzzaman Feroz, Islami Oikya Jote's Mahabubur Rahman, National People's Party (NPP) Monirul Islam, Gono Front's  Md Latifur Rahman and two independent candidates Md Noor Islam and Syed Faizul Amir Litu.

A mobile court has fined four supporters of Narail-2 constituency Awami League candidate Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for violating the election code of conduct during the campaign.  Md Anisur Rahman, executive magistrate of the mobile court, slapped the penalty on Wednesday night. 11 BNP leaders-activists arrested in Narail He said that they conducted a drive in Hatir Bagan area of the town on Wednesday night as part of a regular duty in the two constituencies of Narail. 2 dead in motorbike-three wheeler collision in Narail Four supporters of Mashrafe  were fined Tk5,200 for putting stickers of his electoral symbol  “boat” on the vehicles, Anisur said. He said he had also warned them against repeating the offence. Narail farmer beaten to death in barbaric attack

Farmers in Narail district are seeing profits multiplied up to six times by growing off-season watermelons in Kalia upazila, thanks to the local agricultural department officials for introducing hybrid variants of watermelons in the area. Normally, February to April is the season of the mouth-watering summer fruit but officials of the local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) introduced hybrid variants in Kalia upazila during monsoon. A total of eight hectares of land in Kalia upazila are being used to grow the off-season watermelons, with a target to produce 15 tonnes of the fruit per hectare. The DAE officials provided fertilizers, seeds and cash to the farmers and with their help, watermelons are being cultivated along the bank of the fish enclosures and waterbodies in Gobindanagar, Salamabad, and Bhaktadanga areas. On a remote char in country's poorest district, watermelon cultivation transforms lives Farmers are growing Asian-2, Tripti and Black Baby hybrid variants of watermelon. These variants taste sweet and delicious, they say. Farmers say they spent Tk 15,000-20,000 per hectare and sold watermelons worth Tk 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh per hectare. Sheikh Kamal Hossain, a resident of Bhaurir Char in the upazila and assistant professor at Nabadanga Degree College, said, “I took training from Dumuria upazila of Khulna district and after that, I have planted 1000 saplings of watermelon on seven acres of land along the fish enclosures on an experimental basis last year. I have earned Tk 2 lakh from this.” This year, he planted 2000 saplings on the same land after spending Tk 70,000. He expects to earn Tk 4 lakh from watermelon production this year. Rain, hailstorm worry Khulna watermelon growers Pradeep Kumar Barman, councilor of ward-6 under Kalia municipality, said this year he planted 12,000 saplings along the bank of 150 bigha of fish enclosures during monsoon. “So far I have spent Tk 10 lakh. Within 35 days, flowers started to bloom and I started harvesting watermelon within 60-65 days of planting. Each watermelon weighs almost 4 kg.” He also expected to produce 2 lakh kgs of watermelon this year and if the market prices remain favorable, he could be able to earn Tk 40 lakh. Low price dims the joy of watermelon growers in Khulna despite bumper harvest Depak Kumar Roy, deputy director of Narail DAE, said the farmers are earning profits up to six times considering their expenditure, within 60-65 days of cultivation. “We are providing all-out support through using smart technology and providing fertilizer and pesticides for good production of watermelon.” Eva Mallik, Kalia Upazila Agriculture Officer, said “Watermelon is no longer a seasonal fruit now, and it can be produced throughout the year. Flowers start to bloom within 40-50 days of planting saplings and 70-80 days are needed for harvesting.” Most of the farmers in the district are showing interest in cultivating the off-season hybrid watermelon on their lands as it has proven to be profitable, he said. Read more: Bangladesh can go for Chinese perennial rice farming to reduce cost and labour

Police have arrested a man allegedly for torturing his 8-month-old son hanging from a tree for not getting dowry from his wife at Raghunathpur village in Lohagara upazila of the district. The arrestee is Mamun Sheikh, 33, of the village. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lohagara police station Nasir Uddin said victim Al Habib’s mother filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at the police station on Monday evening. The accused was produced before the court which sent him to jail on Tuesday, added the OC. According to the case statement, Mamun married Kulsum Begum 13 years ago. The couple has been blessed with three children. Mamun used to demand money as dowry from Kulsum since their marriage. Mamun married again without the permission of his first wife Kulsum one year ago. On Monday afternoon, he started torturing Kulsum again for money. As she refused to give money, Mamun hanged his 8-month-old son from a tree and tortured him inhumanly.  Later the photo of the torture went viral on social media Facebook.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (February 15, 2023) handed over the keys of ‘Bir Nibash’ to valiant freedom fighters, who are financially marginalized. The Prime Minister handed over keys to 5000 houses at a programme – held in Dhaka’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium – organized by the Liberation War Affairs Ministry with the Minister AKM Mozammel Huq in the chair. The PM joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. The houses are being given away to freedom fighters as gifts from the Prime Minister, on the occasion of Mujib Borsho and 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence. Read more: President-elect, PM call on incumbent at Bangabhaban The project, ‘House construction for insolvent freedom fighters’ – approved by the ECNEC on March 21 last year – is being implemented at the cost of Tk 4,122 crore which will come from government funds. The main objective of the project is to construct 30,000 ‘Bir Nibash’ (houses) for insolvent freedom fighters, Birangana (women freedom fighters), widows and children of martyred and late freedom fighters. Named ‘Bir Nibash’ (Home for Heroes), each 635sqft house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. This project is an initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to uplift the socio-economic status of financially marginalized freedom fighters, as well as widows and children of late freedom fighters. Read More: BALID honours six freedom fighters in the month of victory The cost of building each house is Tk 14,10,382, as per the official source. Deputy Commissioners of Narail, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Gazipur and Kishoreganj, on behalf of the Prime Minister handed over the keys in their respective areas.

An assistant teacher of a secondary high school in Sadar upazila of the district has been temporarily suspended for physically harassing a female student. Locals, guardians and civil society formed a human chain and staged a broom procession in front of the school on Tularam-Sheikhhati road demanding the suspension, as well as exemplary punishment for the accused teacher, forcing the authorities to act on Tuesday. Read more: Number of complaints over sexual harassment at workplaces very poor: Speakers Speakers included Assistant Prof Ramesh Chandra Adhikary, Awami League leaders Asim Kumar Pal and Biproda Proshanna Mallick, and former health officer Sudir Kumar Pal. They alleged that the accused teacher, Sukanta Kumar Goswami, had been physically harassing and teasing female students in the name of teaching. In the afternoon of January 18, the teacher called a female student to an isolated room on the first floor of the school and harassed her physically. Later, the victim shared the matter with her friends and mother. Goswami again harassed her on the pretext of dropping her home when she was returning after getting vaccinated for Covid-19.   The now disgraced teacher even threatened to make her fail in her exams when she raised her voice against the incidents. Rabindranath Mandal, headmaster of the school, said her mother filed a complaint in writing against the teacher on January 22. Later, the issue was informed to Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Upazila Education officer, he said. Headmaster Mandal said a five-member committee headed by the School Managing Committee’s Member Ratan Bhowmick was formed and asked to submit its report within seven working days. Read more: Ctg headmaster suspended over ‘sexual harassment’ of female students Necessary measures will be taken in this connection after getting the report, he said, adding that Goswami was temporarily suspended. UNB managed to reach Goswami, who defended himself by saying that his opponents had hatched a conspiracy to disgrace him socially. He denied any involvement in the alleged incidents.