District
Two minor girls drown in Kurigram village
Two minor children drowned in a river while taking bath in Kurigram's Ulipur upazila on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Meem, 11, daughter of Monnaf Mia and Habibur Rahman's daughter Hasi, 9, of Bagchir Kahmar Indararpar area of Dhamsreni Union of Ulipur Upazila.
Golok Chandra Barman, sub-inspector (SI) of Ulipur police station, said the two kids went to bathe in Buri Teesta river near their house around 1:30pm. Victim Hasi's grandmother Hasena Begum, 60, was accompanying them.
The two children dived into the water to take a bath. As they didn’t respond even after 15 minutes of diving, Hasi's grandmother started screaming.
Hearing her screaming, the surrounding people rushed and started searching in the water.
Later, they recovered the floating bodies of the children.
A pall of gloom descended on the area following the incident.
11 cases filed, 184 arrested over violence in Narsingdi: District SP
A total of 11 cases have been filed in connection with the clashes between quota reform protesters and law enforcers, and the looting of weapons from Narsingdi prison, said Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, Narsingdi superintendent of police (SP), at a press conference at his office on Friday morning.
Moreover, 184 people have been arrested, while four out of nine militants who escaped during the jail attack have been apprehended, he added.
Recalling the July 19 incident, the SP stated that defeated anti-liberation forces and some miscreants, in a planned attack, targeted several government and private establishments after the Jum’ah prayers.
Chases and counter-chases occurred between the attackers and the law enforcers when the miscreants attacked the district prison in the afternoon, he said.
At one stage of the attacks, the perpetrators snatched away prison inmates, looted arms, and set fire to them, said the SP.
After frantic efforts for around three and a half hours, the law enforcers took control of the situation around 10:30 pm, he continued.
Police have also recovered 45 out of 85 looted arms and 1,091 rounds of looted bullets, while 481 inmates have surrendered, the SP added.
Two children drown in Pirojpur pond
Two children died after drowning in a pond at Kumirmara Asrayan Project in Pirojpur Sadar Upazila on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as Jannati Akhter, 3, daughter of Yusuf Shesh, and Taifa Akhter, 3, daughter of Md Khalek Sheikh of the area, Azmir Hossain Majhi, chairman of Sharikatla-Dumritala union parishad, confirmed the matter.
In the morning, the two girls went to play outside their house. Later, when their family started looking for them, they were not found. Around 11 am, both of them were rescued from the nearby pond and were taken to Pirojpur District Hospital, where the duty doctor declared them dead, said local UP member Omar Faruque.
Dr Ranjan of the hospital said the two children were brought dead to the hospital.
As flood waters recede, erosion takes serious turn in Kurigram
Erosion has taken a serious turn in Kurigram, as waters started to recede in 16 rivers including the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, and Dudhkumar.
Due to continuous erosion, some 458 houses in the district fell into the gorge in these rivers. Those affected by the erosion are running here and there in search of shelter. People are in great distress due to lack of sanitation, and food shortage.
Meanwhile, 10 families affected by floods in the Bangladesh part have temporarily built houses for shelter near the Indian border, but the Indian Border Guard Force (BSF) is not allowing them to stay.
“BSF has given a 3-day ultimatum to the victims to move out on the pretext of the border law,” Jatrapur union chairman Abdul Ghafur told UNB. The matter was reported to BGB, he added.
“All in all, the flood victims are in dire straits.”
He also said that about 200 houses in his union have been washed away by the Brahmaputra river. Of them, 55 houses were in Bhagwatipur, 40 in Barua, 55 in Ralakata, 26 in Jhunkar Char, 11 in Parvatipur, and 13 in Char Jatrapur.
The UP chairman also said that his union was the most affected by the recent floods. Every day hundreds of needy people are flocking to his home with various problems including food items, shelter. “I am very worried about it,” he added.
He said that 17 tons of rice has been distributed to 1700 families from the government as a relief to the flood victims. Now there is nothing in the Union Parishad treasury to help them.
“A list was prepared for the shelter of 200 families affected by the floods. It will be submitted to the concerned office soon,” added the chairman.
M Abdul Hai Sarkar, an official of the District Disaster Management Directorate, confirmed that 458 houses were lost in the river due to river erosion. A total of 1,63, 000 people in 55 unions of 9 upazilas of the district were affected by the flood.
Besides, 609 metric tons of rice, Tk 35.85 lakh were distributed to mitigate the suffering of the flood hit people, he added
Mohammad Saidul Arif, deputy commissioner of Kurigram, said that the list of victims of the river is being prepared. “They will receive assistance soon.”
Family failing to make sense of 6-year-old's death from stray bullet during July 19 unrest
In a heart-wrenching incident, Dipak Kumar Gope of Narayanganj is mourning the loss of his six-year-old daughter, Riya Gope, who was shot in the head by a stray bullet while playing on the roof of their home, during the quota reform protest on Friday. The tragedy has left family and friends in deep sorrow, struggling to find any consolation.
Last Friday afternoon, in the Noyamati area of Narayanganj, little Riya was playing on the roof when a stray bullet from a clash surrounding the quota reform movement struck her. She was immediately rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where she remained unconscious and under treatment for five days. She succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday.
Dipak, holding his daughter's lifeless body wrapped in a blanket on a stretcher, expressed his grief and despair, "I had everything. What will happen now? Who will I seek justice from? She was a treasure born after a long wait. After many years of marriage, I had this child. And now, her body is on my shoulders. The child who used to light up our home is no more."
Visiting the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Wednesday, scenes of anguish were evident as relatives of those killed in recent clashes waited for the bodies of their loved ones. Cries of pain echoed as some rolled on the ground in grief, while others navigated the bureaucratic maze for autopsy procedures.
Dipak, carrying his daughter's body, could barely speak, overwhelmed by grief. He repeatedly questioned, "Why was my daughter killed? Can you bring her back to me? What is the use of talking now?" Riya was the only child of her parents, who had cherished great dreams for her. She was born after many years of their marriage.
Riya's mother, devastated by the incident, has been in a state of shock, neglecting to eat or drink. Dipak voiced his concern, saying, "How will I face her mother with our daughter's body?"
The family, residents of Noyamati, Narayanganj, recounted the fateful afternoon when Riya went to play on the roof and was caught in the crossfire of the ongoing clash. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, Riya's injuries proved fatal, leaving her family and the community in mourning.
This tragic incident underscores the devastating impact of violence on innocent lives, leaving a family shattered and a community grieving.
Kushtia fire during quota protests took away two breadwinners from their young families
Two people from Kushtia’s Kumarkhali upazila were killed when a building they used to work at was torched during the quota reform movement in Chittagong Road area of Narayanganj last Saturday.
The deceased, Abdus Salam (24), was working at a branch of Dutch-Bangla Bank on the second floor of a ten-story building in the city. The fire reportedly broke out during the quota reform movement protests on Saturday afternoon, resulting in extensive smoke inhalation that proved fatal for those trapped inside.
The body of Abdus Salam was brought to his ancestral home in Kumarakhali upazila’s Char Bhabanipur village on Tuesday.
Surviving family members include his widow, Maria Khatun (20), their only child, Mahim, and his mother Buljan Khatun and elder brother, Alamin (25), a third-year student at Rajbari Government College. The family has appealed for justice in the case, demanding a fair trial for those responsible for the incident.
Salam's mother, Buljan Khatun, said “My son is no more. Now, I have to run the household with the meager savings and the support of my eldest son.”
Salam’s only child Mahim, aged around 1.5 years old, still doesn’t know his father is no more. His wife, Maria, has become ill from the news.
His brother Brother Alamin said, "On Saturday afternoon, Salam suddenly called me and told me that the building he worked at was on fire. He said nothing can be seen in the smoke.”
“My brother told me, ‘you take care of my wife, child and mother.’ Then the phone went off. Despite many efforts, I could not find him. Later last Sunday it was known that the brother is no more,” he said.
He also said that his younger brother's money used to cover all the expenses of their family including his studies. “I don't know what to do now. I demand justice and compensation.”
The incident also claimed the life of Selim Mondal (28).
Shova Khatun, his wife, said that the last conversation they had was over the phone on Saturday afternoon. “A lot of smoke- he kept saying on the phone. Look after my father, mother and daughter, my husband said.”
“Who will take care of us now? Where do I go with our three-year-old daughter Humaira?” She demanded justice and compensation for her husband's death.Md. Faisal Mondal (18), Md. Parvez, Abdul Hamid and Mahbub Biswas, who were also trapped in the fire at the Dutch-Bangla Bank building. Among the injured, Hamid is undergoing treatment in ICU at a hospital in Dhaka, while Faisal, Parvez, and Mahbub are recuperating at home.
Faisal described the chaotic scenes during the fire, recalling the helplessness and desperation of those trying to escape. "We heard gunfire outside the building in the afternoon. A student was shot dead by police firing in that area. Later the building was torched. The air was thick with smoke, making it difficult to see," said Faisal Mondal, recounting the ordeal.
SM Mikail Islam, upazila nirbahi officer of Kumarkhali upazila said, they have got death news of four people, including a student, hailing from the upazila, during the unrest.
He assured the affected families of support, including potential financial assistance upon formal application for government aid.
Leading lawyer in Narsingdi demands further investigation into how jailbreak occurred
Experts brought up the question of how 826 prisoners - the entire roster of inmates- could escape after being freed by miscreants from a secured prison like Narsingdi Central Jail, guarded by 101 security personnel.
A jailer, a deputy jailer and a jail superintendent were assigned to guard the prison. The government has allotted 85 state-of-the-art weapons for the protection and security of the inmates. And there were 8,150 rounds of ammunition stored in the prison armory for use in any kind of conflict.
No prison guard was killed or injured during such violence. How is it possible that the attackers looted the armory and took out 826 prisoners without any hindrance, without bloodshed, from such a fortified prison?
Dignitaries in Narsingdi raised the question over the responsibilities of the officials of the prison when miscreants carried out massive vandalism and set fire to the prisons on July 19 (Friday).
In this regard, Narsingdi District Bar Association President Kazi Nazmul Islam said that the main gate of the jail is locked from inside. If this lock is not opened, no one can enter without breaking the gate.
“I don't know why the main gate and second gate of the jail gate were opened at that time,” he remarked.
According to the Jail Code, the Jail authorities can shoot any person who misbehaves within the area of the Jail. But, they didn't fire a shot, unlocked the main gate, thousands of people poured in unhindered, the matter is really mysterious, he added.
"The jail also has a rule of ringing the ‘mad bell’ if any inmate tries to rebel, but we didn’t hear any bells," he said. “The incident should be investigated.”
“The jail authorities could have sought police cooperation. But I don’t know whether they sought it or not. The police could help if they wanted. If the police had cooperated, this would not have happened," he added.
The highest authority could also seek the assistance of the District Magistrate. "But I don't know if he wanted to," Nazmul said.
Experts also believe that this incident might have been carried out to snatch the militants imprisoned in the jail.
Ban on fishing at Kaptai Lake extended for 15 days
Local administration has extended the ban on netting fish on the Kaptai Lake for 15 days more to boost production.
Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Khan said a decision will be taken to lift the ban on August 8.
Earlier, the local administration imposed a three-month ban on catching all kinds of fish from the lake, aiming to safe breeding of the mother fish.
The ban was scheduled to be lifted on July 25.
Meanwhile, the local administration decided to extend the ban period for 15 more days as the size of the fry fish remained so small and due to lack of water at the Kaptai Lake, said Mosharraf Hossain.
The ban was imposed aiming to ensure natural breeding of the carp like fish, to boost production of it and it will remain in force until further notice.
Action will be taken against those who violated the ban, he said.
Militant who escaped from Narsingdi jail arrested in Narayanganj
An inmate who escaped during the jailbreak at Narsingdi Central Jail, one of 9 members of militant groups said to have escaped, has been arrested by RAB in Narayanganj.
The inmate is Md Faruk Ahmed, 43, member of a militant group Ansar Al Islam.
Lt Col Tanvir Mahmud Pasha, commanding officer of RAB-11, said this during a press conference at the RAB headquarters on Thursday.
He was arrested from Sonargaon’s Premer Bazar area on 19th July.
Faruk was primarily arrested on March 24, 2022, for involvement in militancy and charged under the Anti-Terrorism act. He later confessed under section 164 of Code of Criminal Procedure.
He was housed in cell no. 4 along with three Ansarullah Bangla Team militants: Hizbullah, Abdul Alim, and Moinuddin.
After escaping the jail on 19th July, he hid at his sister’s house in Dhaka for two days before moving to a relative’s house in Narayanganj.
Law enforcement’s drives will continue until attackers are identified: Home Minister
Law enforcing agencies' drives will continue until attackers and saboteurs are identified and none will be spared, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Thursday.
“No matter who they are, no one will be spared,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with the law enforcing agencies and public representatives at Rangpur Shilpakala Auditorium.
“A vested quarter carried out the attacks in a planned way but the law enforcing agencies did not allow them to implement their plan. We have to be more cautious,” he said.
“Our Prime Minister will take steps against those involved in the violence in Rangpur,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur district Mobassher Hasan went over the overall losses caused during the violence during a presentation.
According to the deputy commissioner, valuables worth Tk 10.45 crore were damaged and a total of 182 people were arrested.
The home minister also visited the Tajhat Police Station, district and metropolitan Awami League office, Family Planning Department and other areas where the attackers carried out violence.