United News of Bangladesh

 A United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) leader was killed and his two sisters were injured in a gun attack on their house in Kutukchhari area under Sadar upazila of Rangamati on Friday morning. The deceased, Dharmasingh Chakma, was the vice president of the central unit of Democratic Youth Forum, the youth wing of UPDF. His two sisters – Kripasona Chakma and Bhagya Sona Chakma – also sustained bullet injuries in the attack. According to UPDF sources, Dharmasingh Chakma was staying at his home in Kutukchhari when an armed group of 19-20 people allegedly from the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) surrounded the house around 6:00am. As he attempted to flee, the attackers opened fire, leaving him dead on the spot. His sisters were also injured in the incident, the UPDF claimed. However, there was no statement from the JSS regarding the allegation. Superintendent of Police of the district Muhammad Abdur Rakib said law enforcement teams were sent to the spot immediately after the incident. He added that legal action will be taken after the investigation. Following the attack, activists of the Democratic Youth Forum blocked the Rangamati-Khagrachhari road at Kutukchhari by placing tree trunks and tyres, disrupting vehicular movement. A tense situation was prevailing in the area following the incident.        

Boro crops across 13 unions in four upazilas of Habiganj have been damaged by hailstorms over the past three days, local agriculture officials said. The affected unions include Badalpur in Ajmiriganj upazila, Pukra, Lakhai, Subidpur and North-East union No. 1 in Baniachong, Lukra, Richi, Nijampur, Laskarpur, Gopaya and Poil in Sadar, and Shanbila and Devanhata in Chunarughat upazila. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), hailstorms accompanied by strong winds hit the district on the night of April 14 and again on April 15 and 16, causing widespread damages to crops. Preliminary estimates suggest that about 15 hectares of Boro fields in Ajmiriganj, 30 hectares in Baniachong, 90 hectares in Sadar, and 11 hectares in Chunarughat upazila were damaged. Additionally, around 8 hectares of seasonal vegetables in Chunarughat upazila were affected. Abdul Mannan, a farmer from Uttar Gorang village under Shanbila union, said the storm, which struck between 10:30pm and 11pm on April 15, destroyed nearly half of his paddy on one and half bighas. He also said vast areas of Boro fields in villages, including Gorangi Dighirpar, Mohimabad, Lalchan, Shanbila, and nearby Devanhata union were badly hit by the hailstorm. Officials said a target had been set to cultivate Boro paddy on 123,848 hectares of land across nine upazilas in the district in the current season. Against the target, 123,644 hectares have been brought under cultivation. They also noted that excessive rainfall has caused waterlogging in some areas, submerging around 281 hectares of Boro fields.  

A young man has been stabbed to death and another injured in an attack reportedly by their friends in Khulna’s Phultala upazila. The incident took place around 10:30pm on Thursday in Damodar union of the upazila. The deceased was identified as Sabbir, 23, son of Mostafa, while the injured is Nirob, both residents of ward No. 8 of the union. Khulna Additional Superintendent of Police Abir Siddique Shuvro said preliminary investigation suggests that the attackers and victims were friends. He added that a dispute took place between them 4-5 days ago. As a sequel to the brawl, Sabbir and Nirob came under attack near a school of the area on Thursday night, leaving both of them injured. They were taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared the former dead.

A housewife on Wednesday was allegedly abducted and raped after miscreants intercepted an auto-rickshaw carrying her and her husband and held the man captive in Homna upazila of Cumilla. The incident occurred on a village road in the upazila, and the victim filed a case with Homna Police Station on Thursday, naming Ashikur Rahman as the prime accused, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) Thomas Barua. According to the case statement, the victim and her husband, who live in a rented house in Homna municipality, were travelling by auto-rickshaw to her father’s home in Titas upazila around 9:30pm on Wednesday. After crossing the Agriculture College area, Ashikur Rahman, 24, along with six to seven associates, allegedly intercepted their vehicle using two motorcycles. The assailants then took the couple and the auto-rickshaw to a quiet brick-paved road. There, some of the accused took the husband and the driver away, while Ashikur and two others allegedly confined the woman. Ashikur Rahman is accused of raping her. Resident Medical Officer of Homna Upazila Health Complex, Dr Md Shahid Ullah, said the victim and her husband arrived at the hospital around 3am and later sought police assistance. She was subsequently referred to the One-Stop Crisis Centre at Cumilla Medical College Hospital for further examination and treatment. OC Thomas Barua said police took legal action immediately after receiving the complaint. The victim has filed a case, and her medical examination has been completed at Cumilla Medical College Hospital, he said. Police have formed multiple teams to arrest the prime accused and others involved, the OC added.

Several areas in Sylhet city will face electricity outages on Saturday due to transformer repair and maintenance, transmission line development, and tree pruning work, according to the Power Development Board. Abdur Razzak, Executive Engineer of Sales and Distribution Division-2 of the Sylhet Power Development Board, shared the information in a press release on Thursday. According to the statement, power supply will remain suspended from 9 am to 5 pm in areas under the 11 kV feeders of Power Development and Distribution Division-2, including Chalibandar, Kastghar, Sobanighat, Bishwa Road, Jail Road, Bandar Road, and adjacent areas. On the same day, electricity will also remain cut from 9 am to 5 pm in several other areas under the same 11 kV feeder network, including Amjad Ali Road, Kalighat, Chararpar, Masimpur, Mahajanpatri, Hakar’s Market, Laldighirpar, Dak Bangla Road, Burhan Uddin Mazar, Shaplabagh, Kushighat, Mendibag, Mirapara, Nowagaon, Sadatikor, Mirror Chowk, Muktirchowk Muradpur, Tooltikor, Pir Chowk, and surrounding localities. The authorities said the power line will remain operational during the maintenance period, and supply will be restored immediately if the work is completed earlier than scheduled. Executive Engineer Abdur Razzak expressed regret for the temporary inconvenience and sought cooperation from consumers.  

Frequent power outages amid a supply shortfall have made daily life increasingly difficult for residents in Khulna as prolonged load-shedding continues in the city and surrounding areas. Amid intense heat, repeated power cuts have left people frustrated, with little relief even during nighttime. Local people electricity outages often begin just as temperatures remain high, depriving them of sleep for hours. Children, the elderly and the sick are facing the worst of the situation, they said. Many residents alleged that sudden, unannounced power cuts are disrupting their daily activities, while also affecting businesses. Quoting the central control room of the West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), Chief Executive Engineer Rokon Uzzaman said power demand in Khulna stood at 653 megawatts at 10am on April 16, against a supply of 550 megawatts, resulting in a shortfall of 103 megawatts. Earlier, on April 15 at 1pm, demand was 750 megawatts while supply was 572 megawatts, leading to load-shedding of 178 megawatts. The same day at 9pm, demand was recorded at 686 megawatts against a supply of 542 megawatts, causing a deficit of 144 megawatts. Md Solaiman, a resident of Sheikhpara, said, “Load-shedding is continuing round the clock. Electricity goes off every hour. Children are suffering badly in this heat.” Residents urged the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure stable power supply and reduce load-shedding during the intense heat.

Nineteen children showing symptoms consistent with measles were admitted to the Chapainawabganj district hospital over a 24-hour period from 12:00am on Tuesday to 12:00am on Wednesday. Hospital sources said children with fever, rash, and cold-like symptoms continue to arrive every day, putting pressure on the 250-bed district hospital. Authorities have already opened an isolation corner to manage the situation, but overcrowding has forced some children to receive treatment on the floor due to a shortage of beds. During the 24-hour period, 44 children recovered and were discharged, while three serious cases were referred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. At present, 75 children remain admitted at the hospital with similar symptoms. Since January this year, a total of 721 children have received treatment at the hospital with measles-like symptoms, and four deaths have been reported during this period. Resident Medical Officer Dr Abdus Samad of the hospital said not all cases have been confirmed as measles. In many cases, heat-related rashes along with fever and cold symptoms are being mistaken for measles, causing panic among guardians. He advised that hospital admission is not necessary for every suspected case, urging parents to seek doctor advice and manage mild cases at home if possible, given the ongoing bed shortage.

A mobile court has sentenced a Union Parishad (UP) member to 15-day imprisonment for illegally stockpiling diesel in Sadar upazila of Chuadanga district. The drive was conducted from 5:30pm to 8:00pm on Wednesday at Amirpur village under Mominpur union. The mobile court, led by acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Assistant Commissioner (Land) Aminul Islam, with support from Sadar Police Station, carried out the raid on the residence of UP member Shahinur Islam. During the drive, it found that Shahinur had illegally stored five barrels of diesel (around 1,000 litres) at his home, allegedly for selling at higher prices. He was convicted under the Consumer Rights Protection Act and sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment along with a fine of Tk 20,000. Officials said the seized diesel has been kept at the UNO office.

Rail communication on the Dhaka-Mymensingh route resumed early Thursday after remaining suspended for nearly four hours due to the fall of a tree on the track. The disruption triggered around 9:30pm on Wednesday when a large tree collapsed on the railway track at Jabbar’s Mor adjacent to Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), halting train movement on the route. Mymensingh-bound Jamuna Express got stranded at the spot, leading to a complete suspension of rail services. On information, police and members of the BAU Fire Station rushed to the scene and initiated efforts to clear the line. According to fire service officials, they received the emergency call through the national emergency helpline 999 around 10:00pm and promptly began a rescue operation. After nearly three hours of effort, the uprooted tree was removed from the track around 1:15am, they said. Train movement between Dhaka and Mymensingh resumed around 1:30am, restoring the rail link.

Two people were killed and three others injured after a truck collided head-on with a battery-run autorickshaw in Amtali upazila of Barguna on Wednesday morning. The accident occurred in front of the Amtali Fire Service Station on the Dhaka-Kuakata highway around 8:30 am. The deceased were identified as Md Bellal and Shawon, both aged 35. According to police and locals, a battery-run autorickshaw carrying passengers was heading towards the Mohishkata area from Amtali Bazar when a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction lost control and crashed into it. Autorickshaw–covered van collision kills two in Cumilla All five passengers of the autorickshaw were seriously injured in the collision. Locals rescued them and took them to Amtali Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared Md Bellal as dead Shawon was critically injured and later referred to Patuakhali Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment, where he died while undergoing treatment. The remaining three injured passengers are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.