United News of Bangladesh

Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP clashed over front-row seating during an Independence Day parade in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali on Thursday. The incident occurred around 10:00 am at the municipal public ground, where the programme was organised by the upazila administration. The two sides engaged in a clash in front of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Assistant Commissioner (Land) and police officials, who later brought the situation under control. According to eyewitnesses, Jamaat leaders, including upazila ameer Maulana Md. Ishaq Mia and secretary Md. Khalidur Rahman, took seats on one side of the reserved front row before the event began. Later, former BNP MP and freedom fighter Shahidul Alam Talukder entered the venue with 40–50 party members and took seats on the other side along with his wife Salma Alam. Counterattacks, vandalism erupt over voting in an upazila of Patuakhali Tension escalated as many BNP and its associate organisation members could not find seats due to limited chairs. At one point, upazila Chhatra Dal president Abdullah Al Fahad asked Mujahidul Islam, a former Chhatra Shibir leader and representative of a local MP, to vacate a chair, triggering an argument that soon turned into a scuffle. Police Inspector Atikul Islam and Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Sohag Milu intervened, temporarily calming the situation. However, shortly after, a second round of clashes broke out following another altercation between the two sides. Eventually, UNO Md. Saleh Ahmed, with the help of police, restored order and ensured the programme continued without further disruption. BNP leaders alleged that Jamaat activists occupied all front-row seats and attacked their members when asked to vacate them. Jamaat leaders, however, claimed they were attacked first by BNP activists. Police said the clash stemmed from a misunderstanding over seating arrangements and no formal complaint had been filed as of filing this report. Officials described the incident as unfortunate but said the programme concluded peacefully. UNO Saleh Ahmed said, Such incidents during a national programme like Independence Day are unfortunate. The situation could have been avoided through prior coordination with the administration. In a separate incident earlier in the day, tension also erupted at a reception for freedom fighters and families of martyrs at the Patuakhali Shilpakala Academy following controversial remarks by Jamiat-e-Ulama leader Abdullah Haq Kawsari regarding Bangabandhu’s role in the Liberation War. The situation was later brought under control by the district administration.

The funerals of four victims from Kushtia, who died when a Souhardya Transport passenger bus sank into the Padma River while boarding a ferry at Daulatdia ghat in Gopalganj’s Goalanda upazila, have been completed. Families and local residents are mourning the tragic loss. The deceased are Marzina Khatun (56), wife of Abu Bakkar Siddique of Mojmpur village in Kushtia municipality; Ayesha Binte Gias (13), daughter of Giasuddin Ripon of Samsupur village in Khoksa upazila; three-year-old Israfel, son of Delwar Hossain of Dhushundi village in Khoksa; and Rajib Biswas (28), son of Himangshu Biswas of Khagrabaria village in Betbaria union, Khoksa. Kushtia family dispute ends in tragic strangling of toddler

A fire broke out in a moving train in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram on Thursday morning, damaging several coaches. The incident occurred around 7:30am near the BMA Gate area in Bhatiari, close to Bhatiari Railway Station, said witnesses. At least three coaches were completely gutted, while another was partially damaged, said Kumira Fire Service Sub-Station Officer Ahsan Ali. He said the blaze has been fully extinguished and no casualties were reported. Firefighters from Kumira Fire Service Station rushed to the spot with two units and brought the blaze under control. Witnesses said the fire broke out in a coach of Dhaka-bound train Chattrala Express which had left Chattogram earlier in the morning. Panic spread among passengers but many managed to get off quickly as the train was moving slowly at the time. Officials said the fire originated in the train’s power car and later spread to an adjacent air-conditioned coach. Train services between Chattogram and Dhaka, as well as Sylhet, were temporarily disrupted following the incident. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway has formed a probe committee to investigate the cause of the fire.

The death toll from the bus plunge  into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari’s Goalanda upazila has risen to 23. Of the recovered bodies, 21 have been handed over to relatives, said Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Md Hafizur Rahman. The bodies of the driver and a woman have been kept at Rajbari Sadar Hospital. Divers initially recovered 21 bodies from the submerged bus. Two more victims were later taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, bringing the total fatalities to 23. The accident occurred around 5:15pm on Wednesday at the No. 3 ferry ghat when a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of Souharda Paribahan lost control and fell off a pontoon into the river. Witnesses and transport officials said the bus had left Kumarkhali in Kushtia with a small number of passengers and picked up more along the way. Around 45 passengers were believed to be on board at the time of the accident. Following the  accudent, rail and river transport authorities, along with local administration and law enforcement, launched rescue operations. Multiple diver teams from fire service units in Faridpur and Manikganj took part in the effort.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has formed a committee to investigate an incident at a shop in the Moghbazar Vishal Center. Alongside, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Hatirjheel Police Station has been closed. DMP’s Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Muhammad Talebur Rahman confirmed the information in a press release on Wednesday. According to the release, on Mar 20, an unexpected situation arose at a showroom linked to the market committee over a promotional offer on panjabis. A committee has been formed to examine the involvement of any police personnel in the incident. In this context, the acting OC of Hatirjheel Police Station has been attached to DMP Headquarters, and an ASI has been attached to Rajarbagh Police Lines. Further action will be taken based on the recommendations of the investigation committee.  

A woman died after falling from her son’s motorcycle in the Bagharpara area of Jashore on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Ayesha Khatun, 54, wife of Motaleb of Chaibaria village in Dohakula union of the upazila. The accident occurred at around 5:15 pm at Charavita Bazar on the Jashore–Narail highway. Eyewitnesses said Ayesha Khatun was returning home with her son on a motorcycle from Jashore in the afternoon. When they reached the power house on the eastern side of Charavita Bazar, she accidentally fell onto the highway. At that moment, a Dhaka-bound Green Line Company bus ran over her head, killing her on the spot. Mahmudul Hasan, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bagharpara Police Station, said the bus could not be seized. The victim’s family has taken the body home. The Tularampur Highway Police will take legal action in this regard, he said.

Rescuers have recovered 18 bodies after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma River at Daulatdia Ghat in Goalanda Upazila on Wednesday afternoon. Two of the deceased were identified as Rehena Akhter and Morjina Begum. The identities of the remaining victims could not be confirmed immediately, as the bodies were recovered between 11:30 pm and 2:00 am. The deceased include four men, ten women, and two children. Three injured passengers were rescued. Of them, two are currently undergoing treatment at Daulatdia Upazila Health Complex, while another is receiving treatment at home, UNB correspondents reported from the scene. Meanwhile, the ill-fated submerged bus has been lifted by the rescue vessel Hamza. Tanmoy Ahmed, counter master of Showhardo Paribahan, said the bus departed Kushtia's Kumarkhali around 2:30 pm with eight passengers. “Along the route, seven more boarded at Khoksa, four at Machpara, and fifteen at Pangsha,” he said. According to him, there were a total of 50 passengers in the 40-seater bus, including the driver and helper. The bus arrived at Ghat No. 3 in Daulatdia around 5:15 pm and was waiting for a ferry. Md Monir Hossain, in charge of the ghat, said a utility ferry named Hasna Hena suddenly hit the pontoon. “Unable to withstand the impact, the bus on the pontoon fell into the Padma River,” he said. Monir Hossain added that some passengers, however, managed to escape and swim to safety.

A union-level leader of the Krishak Dal was killed on Wednesday in a clash between Jamaat and BNP supporters in Bhaturia village of Kullyagacha, Harinakundu upazila, Jhenaidah, reportedly over a Facebook post. The incident occurred around 8:30 pm. The deceased, Abul Kashem, was the general secretary of the union’s Krishak Dal and the son of Abdul Latif Mondal of the same village. Local Jubo Dal leader Saidur Rahman said Abul Kashem was beaten to death by Jamaat supporters while returning home from the market. He alleged that tensions had been rising in the village since before Eid, which escalated into a joint attack by Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami League members, resulting in the killing. However, Kapashhatia Union Chairman Sharafuddoula Jhantu told UNB Wednesday night that the clash was over a minor dispute among members of the same family, which is divided between BNP and Jamaat. Gulnahar Begum of Bhaturia village claimed that some people severely beat her son Abdul Aziz, which then escalated into a clash between BNP and Jamaat factions. She said her children were not involved in the killing, adding that her nephew Abul Kashem was killed when struck by a brick thrown by his uncle during the fight.   Ashraful Islam Pintu, general secretary of the district Jubo Dal, alleged that Abul Kashem was killed in a joint attack by Awami League and Jamaat supporters. He added that a similar killing had occurred earlier in Ganna Union, claiming that Jamaat had started a pattern of covert killings in Jhenaidah. Babul Hossain, Ameer of Harinakundu Jamaat, denied the allegations, saying, The fight was among family members over a Facebook post. At one point, Abul Kashem was killed when hit by a brick thrown by his uncle Nazer Mondal. Jamaat was not involved in any way. Harinakundu police station OC Golam Kibria confirmed hearing about a fight but said he only learned of the Krishak Dal leader’s death through social media.

The bus that fell into the Padma River while waiting to board a ferry at Daulatdia Ghat in Rajbari on Wednesday evening initially left Kushtia's Kumarkhali counter with only eight passengers. The victims are Gias Uddin Ripon, 45, his wife Lita Khatun, 37, and their children Abul Kasem Safi, 17, and Ayesha Binte Gias, 13. Gias Uddin Ripon is a resident of Shomspur village in Khoksa Upazila and the son-in-law of the late Bakul Biswas of Kumarkhali Municipal Building area. The family was returning to their business, Taqwa Food Products factory in Dhaka, after spending Eid holidays at his in-laws’ home. The others are Md. Nuruzzaman, 32, his wife Ayesha Akhter, 30, and their children Nawara Akhter, 4, and 7-month-old Arshan. They are residents of Khondakbaria village in Kachua Union of Shailkupa Upazila, Jhenaidah district. Nuruzzaman works in a private company in Dhaka. Relatives reported that Ayesha Akhter, Arshan, and Ayesha Binte Gias are still missing from these two families. Tanmoy Ahmed, counter master of Showhardo Paribahan, said the bus departed around 2:30 pm with eight passengers in six seats. "Along the route, seven more boarded at Khoksa, four at Machpara, and fifteen at Pangsha," he said. According to him, there were a total of 50 passengers in the 40-seater bus, including the driver and helper. The bus arrived at Ghat No. 3 in Daulatdia around 5:15 pm and waited for a ferry. Md. Monir Hossain, in charge of the ghat, said a utility ferry named Hasna Hena suddenly hit the pontoon. “Unable to withstand the impact, the bus on the pontoon fell into the Padma River,” he said. Monir Hossain added that while some passengers managed to escape, most remained trapped inside. Mohammad Salah Uddin, Assistant General Manager of BIWTC Daulatdia, confirmed that rescue operations began immediately. Station Officer Talha bin Zashim of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) said the bus has been located, and efforts are underway to lift it with the help of BIWTA's rescue vessel Hamza.

A fruit trader was hacked to death in Rajoir upazila of Madaripur on Tuesday, triggering arson attacks on houses of the accused. The victim was identified as Zakir Hossain, 45, a resident of Majumdar Kandi area. Police and witnesses said the incident took place on March 24 morning when Zakir went to a local arbitration at his son-in-law Russell Kazi’s house in Moddhopara village. During an argument, sons of Majid Khan from the rival side allegedly attacked him with sharp weapons, leaving him critically injured. He was rescued and taken to Rajoir Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Following the incident, angry locals from Majumdar Kandi village set fire to at least six houses of the accused. Two killed, 10 injured in Madaripur road accident Aminul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Rajoir Police Station, said police brought the situation under control after reaching the spot. “The body was sent to the morgue for autopsy. Additional police have been deployed in the area as tension prevails,” he added.