United News of Bangladesh

Electricity supply will be suspended for nine hours on Tuesday (Dec 23) in areas under the 11 kV feeders of the Sales and Distribution Division-2 of Sylhet Electric Supply Board (BEB) due to urgent repair, maintenance, and development work on distribution lines and transformers, as well as ongoing electricity distribution system improvement projects. The information was confirmed on Monday (Dec 22) through a notice signed by Md. Abdur Razzak, Executive Engineer of Sales and Distribution Division-2, Sylhet Electric Supply Board. According to BEB Sales and Distribution Division-2, the electricity supply will be cut from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the following areas under the respective 11 kV feeders: ·         11 kV Senpara feeder: Senpara, Shibganj, Bhatatikor, Sadipur, Tilagarh, Gopaltila, MC College, and surrounding areas. ·         11 kV Shibganj feeder: Shibganj, Tilagarh, Sabujbag, Borhanbag, Hatimbag, Lamapara, Rajpara, and nearby areas. ·         11 kV Raynagar feeder: Sonarpara, Majumdarpura, Darzipara, Purba Mirabazar, Kharpara, and surrounding areas. ·         11 kV Kumarpara feeder: Jatrapur, Mirabazar, Uddipan, Agpara, Moushumi Agpara, Jherjheripara, and nearby areas. ·         11 kV Upashahar feeder: Upashahar Blocks A, B, C, D, ABC Point, Terrotan, Saiyadani Bag, Sadarpara, and adjacent areas. 422 stolen mobile phones recovered in Sylhet, 4 arrested For safety reasons, residents are asked to consider the line energized during the maintenance period. If the work is completed earlier than scheduled, electricity supply will be restored immediately. The Executive Engineer of Sales and Distribution Division-2, Sylhet BEB, expressed sincere apologies to customers for the temporary inconvenience and requested their cooperation to ensure better services.  

At least five people were injured when a cocktail was hurled in a clash between the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the BNP's student front, Chhatra Dal, in Shariatpur , police said. The incident occurred on Monday evening during a protest procession by NCP leaders and activists through the Chowrangi area of Shariatpur city. The procession was held to demand justice for the slain Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi and the attack on Motaleb Shikder, 42, a leader of the NCP's in Khulna. Tensions rose during the procession when a disagreement broke out over the entry of a Chhatra Dal activist’s motorcycle, triggering a clash. At one stage, a cocktail explosion left at least five people injured. Leaders and activists of both parties have blamed each other for the violence. Police reached the spot shortly after being informed and brought the situation under control.

Clash of two rival groups over dominance in Habiganj’s Nabiganj upazila injured more than 50 people on Monday afternoon. According to police and local sources, the clash took place in Mandarkandi village of Kaliarbhanga union. The violence broke out following a long-standing dispute between two groups - one led jointly by Samu and Abdul Hair and another led by Muhit Mia. The dispute involved agricultural land and local influence in the area. Men and women from both sides took part in the clash, using locally made weapons and throwing bricks and stones at each other. The fighting continued for nearly two hours. Police from Nabiganj police station rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Later, a team from the Baniachong Army Camp also went to the area and helped restore normalcy. Hadi killing sparks unrest in Habiganj The injured were rescued and taken to Nabiganj Upazila Health Complex and Habiganj Modern Sadar Hospital for treatment. Monayem Mia, Officer-in-Charge of Nabiganj Police Station, confirmed the incident and said, “The situation is now under control.” He added that extra police have been deployed in the area to prevent further trouble.    

Police on Monday recovered the hanging body of a staff member of a District and Sessions Judge Court from a tree near the Fatehpur railway line in Feni. The deceased was identified as Enamul Haque, son of the late Fazlul Haque of Nagarkanda village in Panch Gachia union of Sadar upazila. His body was found at around 11:30 am. Enamul had been serving as the head clerk of the Joint District and Sessions Judge 1st Court of Feni for a long time. He lived with his family in a rented house at Momena Mansion in Barahipur area of the city. According to locals, a speech-impaired person spotted Haque’s body hanging from a tree in a bush near the railway line and alerted nearby residents, who then informed the police. Police recovered the body and sent it to the Feni General Hospital morgue, said Feni Sadar Circle Additional Superintendent of Police Nishat Tabassum.  She added that authorities are working to unravel the circumstances of the death, and the cause will be determined after an autopsy. Legal action will follow once a formal complaint is lodged by the family. Nizam Hazari’s house set on fire in Feni The deceased’s son, Ehsanul Haque Saikat, said his father left home for the office around 7:00am.  He received news of the incident around 11:30am and rushed to the scene.  He alleged that his father may have been murdered and demanded that those responsible be punished after a proper investigation.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has intensified surveillance and set up check-posts along the border points of Benapole, Kushtia and Meherpur following the shooting of a National Citizen Party (NCP) leader in Khulna. In Benapole, the BGB has intensified the security along the border so that the suspected attackers cannot flee to the neighbouring country in India, said Commanding officer of Jashore BGB-49 Battalion, Lt Col Saifullah Siddiqui. BGB ramped up security along approximately 70.27 kilometres of the border under the jurisdiction of 49 BGB, stretching from main pillar 18/1S to 47/3S. Patrols, intelligence surveillance and the deployment of additional BGB personnel have been increased in risky and important border areas. Besides, the areas without the barbed wire fencing along the bordering areas have been sealed off, he said. Meanwhile, additional BGB members have been deployed in Amrakhali, Sadipur, raghunathpur, Ghiba, Sikarpur, shalkona, Kashipur, Masila, Andulia, Panch Bhulat, Agra Bhulat, Putkhali, Goga, Harishchandrapur and Panchpir Tala areas. UNB Kushtia Correspondent reports: BGB has also imposed high alert along the Kushtia and Meherpur border areas in connection with the same incident. According to BGB, surveillance has been intensified along the Gangni border in Meherpur and the Daulatpur border in Kushtia. Eight special check-posts have been set up at important points to prevent the suspects from fleeing the country. NCP labour leader shot, injured in Khulna Lieutenant Colonel Rashed Kamal Rony, Commanding officer of BGB-47, said “All effective measures have been taken so that no one involved in a criminal act can cross the border under any circumstances.” Motaleb Shikder, 42, a labour leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) was injured in a gun attack in Khulna city on Monday.    

A 57-year-old man was killed when a passenger boat collided with a sand-laden bulkhead on the Padma River in Chapainawabganj’s Sadar Upazila on Sunday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Md Bhikhu, son of late Abdus Salam of Rashiya Rustum Morler Para in Narayanpur Union under the upazila. According to eyewitnesses and family members, the passenger boat left Alimnagar Ghat for Narayanpur in the afternoon. As the vessel approached the ghat area at Charbaghdanga, it struck a bulkhead standing in the river, leaving Bhikhu critically injured. He was rescued and taken to the 250-bed Chapainawabganj District Hospital, where he died around 7:45pm while undergoing treatment. On-duty physician Umme Habiba said Bhikhu suffered injuries to his hands and chest in the accident and also had existing heart complications. Noor Alam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station, said an investigation is underway. “No complaint has yet been filed by the victim’s family. If a complaint is received, legal action will be taken following investigation,” he added.

Speakers at a human chain on Sunday demanded strict enforcement of existing laws to stop salt, shrimp and crab farming on agricultural land and called for alternative livelihoods and rehabilitation for affected farmers to ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods. They said the practice of introducing saline water into cropland is destroying fertile agricultural land, reducing soil productivity, threatening biodiversity and creating long-term livelihood risks for agriculture-dependent communities. As a result, local food production is declining and salinity is making vast areas uncultivable for years, they added. The demands were raised at a human chain held at Nawabenki Bazar in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district, jointly organised by COAST Foundation and Udayan Bangladesh. The programme was presided over by Sheikh Asad, Executive Director of Udayan Bangladesh, while M A Hasan, Head of Climate Change of COAST Foundation, moderated the event, says a press release. Speaking at the programme, M A Hasan said that besides climate change-induced natural disasters, shrimp and crab enclosures are artificially increasing salinity in the area and intensifying environmental risks. He noted that although saline shrimp and crab farming may be profitable for a few, it is destroying land, food systems and livelihoods of many people, pushing their future into uncertainty. He referred to the Agricultural Land Preservation Act (ALPA) 2000, which requires approval from the Land ministry for converting agricultural land to non-agricultural use, and called for strict implementation of the law. Sheikh Asad said shrimp and crab farming in Shyamnagar in Satkhira is posing serious threats to agriculture due to salinity intrusion, forcing many farmers to abandon farming and migrate elsewhere in search of livelihoods. He stressed the need for monthly allowances, short-term loans and support for alternative income-generating activities for affected farmers. Shyamnagar Press Club President Samiul Islam Monir said illegally granted canal leases must be cancelled and illegal sand extraction stopped, as river erosion is worsening. He emphasised the need to return to agriculture, transform single-crop land into triple-crop land and increase rice and vegetable production to achieve food self-sufficiency. Ganachetna Foundation Executive Director Shibu Prasad Vaidya said the coastal region is already facing a severe drinking water crisis, which is more acute in areas dominated by shrimp and crab farming. He warned that without strict regulation, the environment, nature and economy of the southwestern region would face further disruption. Jharna Khatun, a representative of affected women, said women are facing increasing health risks due to salinity and food insecurity. She also said that declining agricultural production has increased dependence on markets, leading to malnutrition among women and children amid poverty and rising prices. She urged the government to take effective and sustainable measures. Development activist Imran Parvez said the government must take urgent initiatives to address the drinking water crisis, promote climate-adapted agricultural management, train farmers and increase incentives to protect agriculture and livelihoods in the coastal region.

Miscreants set fire to the office of the Senior District Election Officer in Kushtia sadar upazila on Saturday morning. Office staff said the fire was set around 8:30 am by pouring inflammable materials through a rear window of the office building. On information, Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Hossain visited the election office around 9:30 am. He later held a closed-door meeting with the officers and employees at around 10:00 am. Election office security guard Razzak said, “Sensing smoke and the smell of fire, I rushed downstairs and saw the fire.” District Election Office accountant Md Asaduzzaman said the room where the fire broke out was the store room of the Sadar upazila election office where all voter-related information is kept. He said it was not immediately clear whether any documents or materials were damaged. Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jasim Uddin said police visited the spot. “We are investigating how the fire started and who might be behind it,” he said.  

A seven-year-old girl was burned to death in a deliberate arson attack on the house of a local BNP leader in Bhabaniganj of Lakshmipur’s Sadar upazila, turning a quiet night into a scene of horror and loss. The deceased, Ayesha Begum, was the youngest daughter of Md Belal, assistant organising secretary of the Bhabaniganj union unit BNP. Three other members of the family sustained burn injuries in the attack. NDF president Anisul's house set on fire in Chattogram Police and family members said Belal was sleeping in the house with his wife and children when unidentified attackers locked the two doors from outside, poured petrol around the house and set it on fire. The flames spread quickly, leaving little chance to escape. Ayesha Begum Binti, 7, was burned to death on the spot. Belal and his two daughters—Smriti, 18, and Bithi, 13—suffered burn injuries. Neighbours rushed to the house and rescued the injured, taking them to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. As their condition deteriorated, Smriti and Bithi were later shifted to the Burn Institute in Dhaka. Smriti’s condition was reported to be critical. Belal is currently receiving treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. Udichi central office set on fire Officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station Wahid Parvez said police visited the scene after being informed. “One child died and three others were injured in the fire. The incident is being investigated,” he said. Fire Service Sadar station official Ranjit Kumar Saha said firefighters rushed to the spot after receiving the information and brought the fire under control after about one hour of effort. The attack has left a family devastated and raised serious concerns over violence targeting homes at night, as investigators work to identify those responsible, locals said. Read more: Dhaka may see shift in crime patterns ahead of national election: DB

The half-decomposed body of a missing police constable, Akhtaruzzaman (46), a resident of Chougachha upazila in Jashore, was recovered from Panchagarh, police said. The body was found on Thursday, December 18 in a sugarcane field at the Nine Mile area of Satmora Union in Panchagarh Sadar upazila. Family members were informed of the recovery on Friday. Akhtaruzzaman had been missing for about 22 days. He was initially identified from police-logo underwear found on the body. Later, the victim’s wife identified him after being shown photographs of the clothes — trousers, shirt and shoes — he was wearing. According to police, local residents informed the authorities after a foul smell spread in the area. Police recovered the body and completed legal formalities. With no immediate identification available, investigators relied on the police-logo underwear as the first clue. Panchagarh Sadar Police Station Sub-Inspector Belal Hossain, the investigating officer, said the body has been kept at the police station and will be sent for autopsy once family members arrive, after which it will be handed over to them. Akhtaruzzaman’s brother-in-law Mamunur Rashid Mamun said the family left for Panchagarh on Friday night after receiving the news. Akhtaruzzaman was serving at Rampal Police Station in Bagerhat district under the Khulna Range (BP No. 8403024644). He was the son of late Anichur Biswas of Jamlata village under Singhojuli Union in Chougachha upazila. Family sources said he lived with his wife and children in a rented house in Ichhapur area of Chougachha town. His wife, Shahina Akhtar Shima, filed a general diary with Chougachha Police Station on November 30, stating that he had left home on November 27 saying he was going to Maheshpur. He left behind his two mobile phones at home and never returned. Chougachha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rezaul Karim confirmed the recovery of the body.