Gaibandha
Gaibandha child murder: HC upholds death sentence of one
The High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of a man in connection with the killing of a child after abduction in 2010 in Gaibandha district.
The HC bench of Justice ANM Bashir Ullah and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam upheld death sentence of Zahid, son of Siddique Mia of Gaibandha district, after hearing the appeal petition.
The HC also acquitted two more accused—Pavel, son of Majibur Rahman and Rubel, son of Biltu Mia of Pirgachha village—of the charges.
Advocate SM Shahjahan and AK Khan Ujjal stood for the accused while deputy attorney general Sujit Chatarji Bappi represented the state.
According to the prosecution, the three accused abducted Tasin Mia alias Arnab, 5, grandson of Nazrul Islam Madhu of Pirgachha village in Sadar upazila on July 27, 2010.
Later, they made a phone call to Tasin’s mother and demanded Tk 10 lakh as ransom for his release.
Failing to realise the ransom money, the accused strangulated Tasin to death and dumped the body into a pond.
Father of Tasin lodged a complaint against ten people with Sadar Police the following day.
On January 26, 2017, Gaibandha Woman and Child Repression Tribunal Judge Ratneshwar Bhattacharya sentenced three people to death in the case and acquitted seven others as allegations brought against them could not be proved.
The accused filed petitions against the lower court judgment.
Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi laid to rest in Gaibandha
Deputy Speaker Md Fazle Rabbi Miah was laid to rest at his family graveyard in Gaibandha Monday afternoon.
He was buried at 6pm at Gotia village of Saghata upazila in Gaibandha after his third namaz-e-janaza.
His mortal remains were brought to Bonarpara Kazi Azahar Ali High School premises around 2pm by a helicopter from Dhaka airport.
A flight of Emirates Airlines carrying Fazle Rabbi's body from New York reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 8:40am today.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at the National Eidgah in Dhaka around 10:30am.
Before that, he was given a guard of honour by the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's office.
Later, floral wreaths were placed at his coffin on behalf of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury also laid a wreath over his coffin.
People from all walks of life paid their last respects to the freedom fighter and seven-time lawmaker.
Flood Water receding, but not the diseases, food, and water crisis
Kariman Begum in flood-hit Kharjanir Char in Gaibandha was sitting on a banana tree raft in front of her house hoping to get some relief.
“No one has come yet to see how we are surviving or what we are eating”, she told UNB about her ordeal.
Skin diseases caused by flood water is adding to the miseries of flood-affected people in char upazilas of Gaibandha. Water-borne diseases like diarrhoea are also a concern.
Read: Receding flood waters reveal disastrous damage in Sylhet
Finding no other solution Kariman and her neighbours Halima, Motin Kobazzaman, Mithu Mia from the area said they are applying turmeric mixed with kerosene oil for a little relief from the constant itching.
“I can’t find a moment of sleep due to the painful itching and fear that my seven-year old son can get washed away by flood water any moment. As it happened to many other families,” said kariman.
The authorities have claimed an adequate number of medical teams has been sent to the flood-hit region but none has yet shown up in the neighborhood of Kariman yet
The drinking water crisis in this region is immense. “Even amid this situation of extreme crisis we have to pay boat fare to just bring drinkable water from across the river during daytime,” said Kariman.
The Brahmaputra and Ghaghat River in Gaibandha were flowing a bit below the danger level though some others were receding on Sunday.
Read: Improvement in Kurigram’s flood does little to mitigate sufferings
“Residents of 25 char unions including Kamarjani, Mollar Char, kapasia, Haripur, Fazlupur, Uria, Ratanpur, Fulchari of Sundarganj, Saghata, Fulchari, and Gaibandha sadai upazilas remained stranded by flood water till Thursday,” said Motiar Rahman, Chairman of Kamarjani union.
“Many houses have little dry place to cook food. They are shifting their stoves to rafts and they can't afford cooked meals three times a day. They don't even have any toilets,” he said.
According to the authority, a total of 60 flood shelters have been opened in the district but people could take refuge in only 12 of them. For most of the centres are under water or threatened by river erosion.
“Many people are struggling with their only income source, cattle that could not be sheltered at the centers. Many have crossed the river with their cattle to save them,” said the locals.
“So far only 135 people including men, women, and children have taken shelter in the centres. However, 125 MT of rice, Tk 6 lakh, and another 15 lakhs for buying baby food have been allocated for the assistance of flood-affected people in Gaibandha,” said SM Foyez Uddin, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (in-charge).
Brahmaputra, Dharla keep swelling; More areas submerged in Kurigram, Gaibandha
The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at different points in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, inundating different low-lying and char areas Monday morning.
The Brahmaputra was flowing 51 cm above the danger level at Chilmari point of Kurigram and 4 cm above the danger level in Gaibandha town in the morning, said Water Development Board.
Also read: Lakhs marooned in 3 districts as rivers flow above danger mark
Besides, the Dharla River at the bridge point in Kurigram was flowing at 44 cm above the danger level.
In Kurigram, about 2,50,000 people of more than 200 chars in 49 unions have been marooned. Rowmari upazila is the worst-hit area as one lakh people have been stranded there in floodwater.
National Football: Bangladesh Navy beat Gaibandha 2-0
Bangladesh Navy made a good start to the Bangabandhu National Football Championship, beating Gaibandha 2-0 at the Achmat Ali Khan Stadium in Madaripur Sunday.
Arman and Ashraf scored one each for Navy in the 11th and 25th minutes. The team's Enamul received a red card and was sent off.
The day's other match between Barishal and Mymensingh ended in a 1-1 draw at the same venue in the afternoon.
Mymensingh's Zico put his team into the lead in the 17th minute. Ariful pulled one back for Barishal in the 66th.
Two matches will be held at the same venue Monday; Cumilla will face Sylhet at 1:30pm, and Bangladesh Army will play against Kushtia at 3:30pm.
Rape-accused escapes from police custody in Gaibandha
An accused in a rape and kidnapping case has fled from police custody in front of Gobindaganj Police Station in Gaibandha, police said on Tuesday.
The accused was identified as Samiul Islam, 22, of the upazila.
Police arrested Samiul in a rape and kidnapping case from Matlab of Chandpur district on Monday night, said Ezar Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Gobindaganj police station.
READ: Fugitive PBI inspector suspended over Khulna college girl's rape
Samiul fled with handcuffs on after pushing a constable when he was taken off from a police van early Tuesday, he added.
“Efforts are on to nab the accused,” said the OC.
Gaibandha AL leader allegedly threatens freedom fighter
An aged freedom fighter in Palashbari of Gaibandha has faced threats of losing his allowance unless he testifies a known Jamaat patron as a freedom fighter.
The allegation was made against Muhibul Hasan Mukit, who recently joined as organising secretary of newly formed Gaibandha's Palashbari unit of Awami League. His parents were known sympathizers of local Jamaat for a long time, said sources at the local Awami League.
Also read: Freedom fighter murdered by three men in Keraniganj
Even a senior freedom fighter named Nasir Uddin Sarkar in Gobindaganj received threats of taking away his freedom fighter certificate if he does not certify that Mukit's father took pary n the Liberation War.
"They blackmailed me. Habibur Rahman was never a freedom fighter. I know that very well. They cheated me, forcing me to say something in their favour," he said.
Also read:Missing freedom fighter found dead in Chattogram
Meanwhile, the convener of a probe body in this matter prepared his report while none of the 28 interviewees from local AL leaders and freedom fighters testified against the allegation over the long standing nexus between Mukit’s father and local Jamaat leaders.
The committee was made following the submission of a complaint regarding the involvement of Mukit's family in Jamaat to central Awami League by a local leader.
2 sisters found dead after father takes them out for Eid shopping
Two sisters were found dead on Sunday two days after their father took them with him promising to buy dresses for Eid-ul-Fitr in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha.
Police recovered the bodies of Hashi,12, and Khushi,13 from the Teesta River at Haripur village on Sunday after they remained missing for the last two days, Iftekharul Mokaddem, officer-in-Charge of Sundarganj police station.
Aduri Begum, mother of the two girls, alleged that their father and her ex-husband Hamidur Rahman, resident of Kani Charitabari village, killed the two girls.
Also read: Woman found dead in Magura
Aduri Begum said she was living with her two daughters at her father’s house in Bajra village in Kurigram since Hamidul divorced her over a family fued.
“Two days ago Hamidul came to Bajra and took Hashi and Khushi saying he would buy Eid dresses for them. But they remained missing since then,”said Aduri Begum.
Meanwhile, locals of Haripur village on Sunday noon found the floating bodies of the two girls in the river and informed police.
Also read: 55-yr-old Hindu woman found dead in Kushtia
OC Iftekharul Mokaddem,” We are investigating the matter. It might be a murder incident as the father remained absconding since the recovery of the bodies.”
Teen rapes minor girl in Gaibandha
A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 15-year-old boy in her neighbourhood in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha on Thursday.
The accused has been absconding since the alleged crime. The rape survivor is undergoing treatment at Gaibandha District Hospital, said Masud Rana, officer-in-charge of Palashbari police station.
Also read: Schoolgirl gang raped in Rajshahi; 2 held
The accused teen went to the girl's house when she was alone and took her to a deserted house promising to buy her a dress for Eid, said the OC. "In the deserted house, the teen raped her."
The girl started bleeding after the alleged rape and narrated her ordeal to her mother. The girl’s mother lodged a complaint at Palashbari police station in this regard on Friday, said OC Masud.
Also read: Khulna police make 6 arrests after indigenous woman gangraped at home
Three die in bus-auto collision in Gaibandha
At least three people were killed in a head-on collision between a bus and an auto-rickshaw on the busy Dhaka-Rangpur highway in Palashbari upazila of Gaibandha Wednesday morning.
The deceased were identified as Sohel, 23, Taizul, 27, and Sobuj, 25, all residents of Pirganj upazila of Rangpur.
Read: 2 children drown in pond in Narayanganj
Palashbari Fire Service Station manager Mashiur Rahman said that the accident occurred when the Rangpur-bound passenger bus of Safa Paribahan hit the auto-rickshaw coming from the opposite side near the BTC Mor area of the highway.
The impact of the crash was such that Sohel and Taizul died on the spot. Sobuj was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
"The bus driver and his assistant managed to flee," the official added.