United News of Bangladesh

At least three people were killed and 15 others injured after a bus hit the back of a truck parked in the Baroiarhat Dhunghat area of Mirsarai on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway early Friday. One of the deceased was identified as Nafiz Ahmed Ayan, a merchant officer of the Navy, who was returning home to Mirsarai on a ten-day leave. Two arrested over robbery at knifepoint on Haor Express train According to injured passengers, the truck, carrying wood, was parked at the northern check post when the Dhaka-bound double-decker bus of St. Martin Pribahan hit its rear, killing three people on the spot and injuring at least 15 others. Mohammad Zakaria, officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Zorarganj Highway Police Station, said the police recovered the three bodies and sent them to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Cyclist killed after being hit by motorcycle in Chandpur “We have been on duty all night and are trying to identify the bodies as soon as possible. Both vehicles involved in the accident have been removed,” he said. Zakaria added that the accident might have been occurred due to dense fog.

Railway police arrested two youths for robbing passengers at knifepoint on the intercity Haor Express train running on the Dhaka–Mohonganj route. The incident took place around 2:30 am early Wednesday near the Keowatkhali area, close to Mymensingh station. Police recovered two knives used in the robbery, Tk 4,100 in cash and a smartphone from the suspects. According to police and victims, the train left Mymensingh station around 2:15 am for Mohonganj when the two youths began threatening passengers with sharp weapons and snatching money and mobile phones as the train reached Keowatkhali. Hearing the victims’ screams, railway police personnel from a nearby coach, with help from other passengers, caught the robbers red-handed. The train later reached Mohonganj station, where the detainees were handed over to Mohonganj Railway Police Outpost. The victims are residents of Barhatta, Mohonganj and Khaliajuri areas of Netrokona district. The arrested individuals were identified as Azmain Hossain Nijhum (30) of Keowatkhali area in Mymensingh city and Md Mehedi Hasan Tanvir (18). Confirming the matter, SI Mobarak Hossain, in-charge of Mohonganj Railway Police Outpost, said on Thursday afternoon that the suspects were handed over to Mymensingh Railway Police Station and legal proceedings, including filing of a case, are underway.

A bicyclist was killed after being hit by a motorcycle in the Bagadi Union’s Bagra Bazar area of Chandpur Sadar upazila on Thursday. The accident occurred around 1:00 pm on the Chandpur–Faridganj–Raipur highway. The victim was identified as Mujib Mal (42), son of Munaf Mal of Sobhanpur village’s Mal Bari. He was a small trader and father of two sons and a daughter. According to his cousin Manik Mal, Mujib was returning home on his bicycle from Bagra Bazar after completing family errands when a motorcycle hit him from behind, throwing him onto the road and leaving him critically injured. Locals rushed him to Chandpur Government General Hospital. Duty doctor Anisur Rahman said Mujib had died on the way to the hospital. Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fayez Ahmed said police have prepared an inquest report and the family plans to file a case. The body will be handed over after completion of legal procedures.

A tragic incident unfolded in Kachua upazila of Chandpur where a woman died just 12 hours after the death of her husband, plunging the entire area into mourning. The deceased, Jafar Miah (70), a resident of Khalifa Bari in Manpura village under Kadla Union, died early Thursday morning due to old age complications and stroke. After his funeral prayers following Zuhr, he was laid to rest at the family graveyard. Before the family could recover from the shock, Jafar’s wife, Hafeza Begum (57), suddenly fell seriously ill around noon. She was first taken to Kachua Upazila Health Complex and later referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. However, she died on the way at around 5:00 pm. Following the deaths, mourning descended on Khalifa Bari, with relatives, neighbors and well-wishers gathering to console the bereaved family. The couple is survived by two sons, two daughters and numerous relatives. Local Union Parishad member Iqbal Hossain told UNB that the couple shared a deep bond, which was reflected in their deaths within such a short span on the same day. “The loss of both parents within 12 hours has left the children and relatives devastated,” he said, adding that the entire Manpura village and surrounding areas are in deep shock.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) attempted to construct a new road overnight near the Khalishakothal border in Fulbari upazila of Kurigram, very close to the Bangladesh border, local sources said. The planned road stretched nearly one kilometer. Alerted by locals, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel arrived at the site and forced the BSF to halt construction. The Indian side gradually began removing construction materials. A flag meeting between BGB and BSF was held Thursday noon near International Main Pillar 934. BGB was represented by Subedar Abu Taher, camp commander of Balarhat under Lalmonirhat-15 Battalion, while BSF was led by Inspector Dipak Kumar from Megh Narayan Kuthi camp in Sahibganj, Cooch Behar district. According to BGB and local sources, a main road connecting Kurshahat and Dinhata in Cooch Behar district runs within Indian territory, 50–120 yards from the Bangladesh border along the 1 km stretch from Pillar 934-1S to 934-11S. BSF had been carrying out overnight construction work adjacent to the old road in recent days. Local residents, Mojir Rahman and Nur Alam Lipu, said BSF had been working on the new paved road for 2–3 days. BGB increased patrols in response. Subedar Abu Taher confirmed that the flag meeting took place and BGB patrols continue to monitor the area. Subedar Naresh Chandra Roy of Shimulbari Camp added that a higher-level flag meeting between BGB and BSF commanders may be held in the coming days to maintain normalcy.

The oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Executive Council of Narsingdi Press Club for the 2025–2027 term was held at the Press Club auditorium on Wednesday evening. Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Narsingdi and Chief Adviser of the Press Club, administered the oath. The newly sworn-in committee members include President Makhon Das; Vice-Presidents Haladhar Das and Kazi Anwar Hossain; General Secretary Asadul Haque Palash; Assistant General Secretary Md Sohel S Hossain; Treasurer Md Faruk Mia; Literature, Culture and Sports Secretary Abul Bashar Bashir; Office Secretary Tofail Ahmed Swapan; and Executive Members Amjad Hossain, ATM Mostafa Babar and Md Zakir Hossain Bhuiyan. Outgoing President Md Nurul Islam presided over the programme. Among others, Narsingdi Superintendent of Police and Press Club Adviser Abdullah Al Faruk, NSI Joint Director Md Nurul Alam Khan, Additional Superintendent of Police (Finance and Administration) Md Kalimullah, Press Club Advisers Nibaran Roy and Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan, District Bar Association President Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Chief Election Commissioner Advocate Kazi Nazrul Islam, and NSP President Md Harun Or Rashid attended the event. Additional District Magistrate M Sajjadul Hasan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Abu Taher Md Shamsuzzaman, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Asma Jahan Sarkar, executive and general members of the Press Club, officials from various government departments, and leaders of press clubs from Madhabdi, Shibpur, Raipura, Palash, Belabo and Monohardi upazilas were also present. The programme was moderated by Motahar Hossain Anik, Chairman of Nabadhara Shiksha Poribar. Earlier, the election to the Executive Council of Narsingdi Press Club was held on November 29.

Police have arrested another accused from Demra area of the capital in connection with the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das killing in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district on December 18. The arrested was Yeasin Arafat, son of Gazi Mia of Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh district. Tipped off, a team of police conducted a drive in Sarulia area of Demra on Wednesday afternoon and arrested Yeasin. Yeasin went into hiding after the murder. Abdullah Al Mamun, Additional Superintendent of Police, said Yeasin playedthe main  role in gathering people with slogans at the gate of Pioneer Factory on the day of the incident. After the killing of Dipu, he directly led the act of dragging the lifeless body by rope to the Square Masterbari area and burning it there. So far, 21 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Jubo League leader arrested in Ashulia Among the detainees, nine have given confessional statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in court. Dipu Chandra Das, 28, a local garment worker, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district.  

Police recovered the body of an unidentified man from a corn field at Kayetpara in Alamdanga Upazila of Chuadanga district on Thursday. Local people first spotted the body of the man, aged about 38–40, wearing trousers and a navy-blue jacket, in the field around 9 am and informed police, who recovered the body. Police suspected that the man might have been strangled by miscreants elsewhere and then dumped in the field. Read More: Two motorcyclists killed as pickup van hits them on Alamdanga-Kushtia Road However, the exact cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem report. Bani Israil, Officer-in-Charge of Alamdanga Police Station, said the body was sent to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Allegations that a government canal is being blocked to construct a pipe culvert have raised serious concerns among farmers in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia, with at least 70 hectares of agricultural land at risk of permanent waterlogging. Local residents of Nandlalpur Union recently submitted a written complaint to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), accusing influential individuals of obstructing a key canal at Buzruk Bakhai Bottola intersection to install a narrow pipe culvert. They fear the move will severely disrupt natural water flow. According to the complaint and local sources, the nearly one-kilometre-long canal runs from Buzruk Bottola in Nandlalpur Union to Mirzapur Bazar in Shilaidaha Union. Read more: Fertiliser crunch threatens Kushtia’s onion boom despite high prices It plays a crucial role in draining water from the Buzruk Bakhai, Chandpur, and Bahalbariya beels into the nearby Gorai and Padma rivers. However, the canal has not been properly excavated or maintained for several years. Local farmers alleged that portions of the canal have gradually been encroached upon, with multiple pipe culverts constructed to create makeshift roads. This has led to prolonged waterlogging in the surrounding lowlands for at least six months each year. As a result, farmers in the area are able to cultivate only one crop—Boro rice—during the irrigation (IRRI) season. The situation has worsened following a recent initiative to block a 22-foot-wide section of the canal at Buzruk Bakhai Bottola, replacing it with a three-foot-wide pipe culvert under a Union Parishad project reportedly costing around Tk 6 lakh. Farmers fear the narrow culvert will further obstruct water flow, rendering vast tracts of farmland uncultivable throughout the year. A visit to the site revealed a concrete bridge over the canal at Bottola intersection. The western side of the canal has been partially filled with sand, while the remaining portion has been narrowed to about three feet with concrete casting. At least 27 pipes were observed stacked in the courtyard of a nearby house, suggesting preparations for the culvert installation. Meanwhile, farmers and labourers were busy transplanting Boro seedlings in adjacent fields. Read more: As haor waters recede, Sunnamganj farmers sow hope in every field Suman Hossain, a local resident, said, “People associated with the chairman started blocking the canal to install pipes in the morning. Locals protested and forced the workers to leave. We later filed a written complaint with the UNO demanding that the work be stopped.” Rashidul Sheikh, son of farmer Azizul Sheikh from Buzruk Bakhai village, stressed the canal’s importance. “The canal is the only route through which water from the beels flows to the Padma River. We get only one harvest a year. If the canal is blocked, there will be no crop at all,” he said, demanding the immediate cancellation of the project.

A man suspected of being involved in cattle theft was beaten to death by locals in Ichakhada area of Magura on Wednesday morning, police said. The deceased was identified as Md. Akidul Hossain, 35, son of Shohor Ali, of Pakakanchanpur Purbapara. He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Magura 250-bed Hospital around 8:00 am. According to local sources, tension has risen in the area due to a recent surge in cow thefts. Around 4:30 am, locals reportedly chased two to three people attempting to steal cows from the Tengyakhali area. One of the suspects was allegedly caught in Ichakhada Paschimpara, and it is claimed that locals beat him before police arrived. Police said Akidul was rescued from the spot in an injured condition and taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Additional Superintendent of Police Shah Shibli Sadiq said police rescued him after being called through 999.“There is an existing case of cow theft against him. Investigation is ongoing to determine the facts and identify those involved,” he said. “A case has been filed at Magura Police Station,” added the officer. However, the deceased’s family denied the allegations. His wife, Adhifa, said Akidul had no connection with cow theft and had come to Ichakhada market from Dhaka at night. “This is a planned murder,” she claimed. Their son, Sun Moon also said the theft charges were fabricated and his father was killed in a premeditated manner. “He returned from Cyprus recently and was engaged in business in Dhaka. He had no involvement in the incident,” he added.