United News of Bangladesh

A mysterious fire broke out at the old building of the Jessore Registry Office on Thursday night, destroying centuries-old documents, including volume books, balam registers, index books, and other important records. The blaze started around 9:00 pm in the old office building. Within an hour, historical documents dating back to the British era were reduced to ashes. Firoz Ahmed, Senior Station Officer of Jessore Fire Service and Civil Defence, said two units reached the site shortly after the alert. The building gate was locked, and no staff were present inside. Firefighters broke the lock to enter and managed to control the fire after about an hour. Officials confirmed that two rooms housing old records were completely destroyed, and remaining documents were damaged by water used to extinguish the flames. The full extent of the loss will be determined after investigation. Shamsuzzaman Milan, former officer of the Jessore Sub-Registry Office, said the building stored critical documents from 1741 to 1940, covering Jessore and surrounding areas. He noted that the building was rarely opened, and most documents have now been completely destroyed, with the remainder damaged by water. Sohrab Hossain, President of the Jessore Document Writers’ Association, also visited the site. He said the night guard, named Hira, was not present when the fire broke out. Local shopkeepers described the incident as mysterious, noting that there was no electrical connection in the building, ruling out short circuits as the cause. They suspect the fire may have been set deliberately. Authorities are investigating the incident to determine the exact cause and assess the total damage.

Nomination scrutiny for the Jashore-1 (Sharsha) constituency in the 13th national parliamentary election has been completed, with four candidates declared valid and three disqualified. The decision was announced on Thursday afternoon following the scrutiny by Jashore Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Mohammad Asheq Hasan at the district administration office. The candidates whose nomination papers were found valid are BNP-nominated candidate Nuruzzaman Liton, Jamaat-e-Islami nominee Muhammad Azizur Rahman, Jatiya Party nominee Jahangir Alam Chanchal, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Boktiar Rahman. Meanwhile, the nomination papers of three candidates were cancelled. They include former BNP central office secretary Mofiqul Hasan Triti for failing to submit party nomination documents, and two independent candidates—Sharsha upazila BNP president Abul Hasan Jahir and Shahjahan Ali Goldar—for discrepancies in the required signatures of one percent of voters. The returning officer said all decisions were taken in accordance with electoral laws after thorough verification of the submitted documents.

A fire broke out at a jute warehouse in the Shaildubi area of Kashimpur in Gazipur on Thursday evening. The blaze started around 6:00 pm, according to local sources. After the fire broke out, warehouse workers and local residents initially tried to control the flames on their own. However, due to the presence of highly flammable jute materials, the fire spread rapidly and their efforts failed. As the fire engulfed the entire warehouse, the Fire Service was informed. Five units of the Fire Service rushed to the spot and managed to bring the fire under control after nearly two hours of effort. Firefighters faced difficulties in extinguishing the blaze due to a shortage of water, said an official on duty. The extent of damage caused by the fire could not be determined immediately. Fire Service authorities said the exact cause of the fire would be known after an investigation.

Police on Wednesday have seized Indian smuggled goods worth Tk 81.29 lacs n from beneath stones loaded on a truck in South Surma of Sylhet and arrested one person in connection with the incident. The arrest was made during a drive around 1:00 pm on the Dhaka–Sylhet highway in the Mominkhola Mushargaon area, according to Sylhet Metropolitan Police media cell. The arrestee was identified as Md Zakaria Islam (38), son of Md Khaza Mia and Nurunnahar Begum of Kharita area under Gobindaganj Police Station in Gaibandha district. Police said Zakaria was transporting around 100 cubic feet of stones in a Tata truck from the Sylhet–Dhaka highway. During a search, law enforcers recovered Indian smuggled goods hidden beneath the stones. The seized items included 1,026 pieces of Nivea body lotion, 554,400 pieces of diclofenac tablets, 20,304 pieces of cream and other cosmetic products, with a total estimated market value of Tk 81,29,640. A case has been filed against Zakaria under the Special Powers Act, and he has been produced before a court, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Mohammad Saiful Islam.

At least nine people, including a woman, were injured in a clash over a land dispute in Durgapur village, Shyamnai, Raiganj Upazila of Sirajganj. Two of the injured have been admitted to the hospital, confirmed OC of Salanga Police Station, Imam Jafar. The conflict revolves around a 30-decimal plot in Shyamnai Mauza, long contested between Ainul Master and Abdur Razzak Sheikh. On Wednesday afternoon, supporters of Abdur Razzak attempted to seize the disputed land by cutting its boundary. When Ainul Master’s group resisted, a scuffle broke out. Both sides clashed using traditional weapons, leaving nine people injured. Among the hospitalized are Ainul Master (61) and Harun Rashid (55). The OC said a formal complaint has been filed, and legal action will follow after investigation. Police have already inspected the scene.

A young woman died after falling from a train while trying to board it with the help of her husband at Rajshahi Railway Station on Thursday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Rupa Khatun, 23, wife of Md Anik and a resident of Tittorkuri village in Durgapur upazila of Rajshahi. Roni Saha, Sub-Inspector of Rajshahi Railway Police, informed that Anik works at a furniture company in Dhaka. On Thursday afternoon, the couple was boarding the Dhaka-bound Padma Express to travel to the capital. As the train started moving, Anik got on first and tried to pull his wife up by holding her hand. At one point, Rupa slipped from his grip and fell under the train. Anik also jumped off the moving train immediately. After the train left, Rupa was rescued in a critical condition and rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. 5 killed as sand-laden truck overturns in Rajshahi One of her legs was almost severed, and she also suffered serious injuries to her other leg and head. Faisal Bin Ahsan, Officer-in-Charge of Rajshahi Railway Police, said, “The body will be handed over to the family after completing legal formalities.”

A child was killed and at least 15 passengers were injured when a passenger bus lost control and overturned into a roadside ditch in Dinajpur on Thursday evening. The accident occurred in the Bhushirbandar area as an MK Paribahan bus was heading to Rangpur from Dinajpur with passengers on board. Highway Police in-charge Mahbub Kabir said the driver lost control of the bus while trying to avoid a collision with a motorcycle. The bus then veered off the road and overturned into a ditch. Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the injured. 2 women killed as bus hits auto-rickshaw in Dinajpur Four people, including a child, were taken to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital in critical condition. The child died on the way to the hospital, police confirmed. Other injured passengers received primary treatment at nearby facilities.

Five people were killed and another one was injured as a truck ploughed through a roadside banana market and overturned on Rajshahi-Natore highway at Jhalmalia in Puthia upazila of Rajshahi district on Thursday morning. The deceased were identified as Siam, 15, son of Shaheen Ali of Kafuria village, Munkar Pramanik, 35, son of Akkel Pramanik of Paikpara village in Sadar upazila, Sentu, 40, son of Saiam Uddin of Bagatipara upazila, Islam Uddin, 60, son of Mahtab Ali and Raihan Ali, 45, son of Abdul Jalil Uddin of Charghat upazila. The accident occurred around 7:15 am when the Natore-bound sand-laden truck ploughed through the banana market and turned turtle amid dense fog, leaving four people dead on the spot and two others injured, said Sarwar Hossain, an official of Puthia Fire Service and Civil Defense. Bangladesh sees rise in road accidents, deaths in November: RSF The injured were taken to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital where Raihan succumbed to his injuries. Mozammel Haque Kazi, Officer-in-Charge of Highway Police Station, said the bodies were taken to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital morgue.

Police in Sylhet’s Gowainghat upazila arrested a woman with 300 yaba tablets on Monday night. The woman, identified as 30-year-old Sapna Begum, was arrested around 10:45 pm in Mohammodpur Kalinagar area of Purba Jaflong union during a special anti-drug operation. During a search, police recovered 300 yaba tablets and 19,500 taka in cash, believed to be from drug sales. Youth arrested in Sylhet with large quantity of Indian goods Md. Moniruzzaman, Officer-in-Charge of Gowainghat Police Station, confirmed the arrest and said, “A case has been filed against Sapna Begum under the Narcotics Control Act.” He added that the police follow a zero-tolerance policy against drugs and similar raids will continue regularly to make Gowainghat drug-free.  

Thousands of leaders, activists and local residents on Wednesday joined absentee funeral prayers for former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Chandpur. The prayers were held after Zuhr at the Asan Ali Government High School ground in Chandpur town, where a large crowd gathered to pay tribute to the veteran political leader. Leaders and supporters of various political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Islami Andolan Bangladesh, attended the prayers. Many participants were seen overcome with emotion, with several breaking down in tears during the service. Khaleda Zia’s janaza held with tears of lakhs of mourners Prior to the prayers, senior BNP leader Salimullah Selim, Safiuddin Ahmed, Hamid Master, Chandpur Press Club President Sohel Rushdi, district BNP leader Munir Chowdhury, district Ganoforum President Advocate Selim Akbar, as well as leaders of the Ganadhikar Parishad and NCP, addressed the gathering. They recalled Khaleda Zia’s political life and leadership, and prayed for the salvation of her soul.