United News of Bangladesh

Police on Sunday (April 10) arrested a man for tying an adolescent to a tree and torturing him on suspension of stealing betel nuts from a tree at Harati union of Lalmonirhat. The detainee was identified as Dilip Chandra, 35, and the victim named Ayon Chandra, 13, son of Mintu Chandra of Dakkhin Harati village under sadar upazila. Locals said betel nut tree owner Priyo Nath Roy and his son Robin Chandra Roy tied Ayon to a tree and beat him up mercilessly leaving him seriously sick. At one stage, locals rescued the boy and admitted him to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital. Also Read: 7-year boy tortured by ‘step- father’ in Chattogram A video of the boy’s torture went viral on social media Facebook which received widespread criticism from the people. The victim’s father Mintu Chandra filed a case with the police station in this connection. Police, later in a drive, claimed to have arrested Dilip Chandra, an accused of the case. Meanwhile, police superintendent Abida Sultana and sadar upazila chairman Kamruzzaman Sujan visited the tortured boy and assured the boy’s family of justice. Also Read: Teenage boy tortured on theft charge in Bhola; One held Shah Alam, officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, said police has nabbed one person in this connection and efforts are on to catch the other accused.    

Three members of a family were crushed under the wheels of a train at a level crossing at Hatita under Kalihati upazila of Tangail on Monday. The deceased were identified as Tayebul Hossain, 53, his daughter Tahmina, 23, and her 7-month-old son Tawhid of Garatto village under Ghatail upazila of the district. Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bangabandhu Bridge East Police Station, said a Jamalpur-bound train knocked them down at noon while Tayebul along with his daughter and grandson were passing the level crossing by a human hauler near Bangabandhu Bride East zone leaving Tayebul and Tawhid dead on the spot. Also read: NGO worker crushed under train in Rajshahi Seriously injured Tahmina was rushed to Tangail General Hospital and doctors declared her dead on arrival. Tangail railway police outpost in-charge ASI Saiful Islam said on information, police recovered the bodies and they will later be handed over to the family after legal procedures. Also read: Stone-pelting injures a train driver in Khulna: 2 teens held

A 30-year-old man allegedly attempted to kill himself with a knife in the courtroom during trial proceedings of a case in Chattogram on Monday. The man was identified as Zafar of Madarbari in Sadarghat area of the district. The incident took place before the Judge of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Mehnaz Rahman at noon, said Court inspector Absar Uddin Rubel. Also read: KUET student commits suicide at home During the trial proceedings of a case, Zafar suddenly entered the courtroom and started yelling. He also said to listen to him and accept a case while yelling inside the court, said Assistant Commissioner (prosecution) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed. When the authorities concerned tried to drive him out, he took a knife from his pocket and held it to his throat in a bid to kill himself, said Absar. Also read: Farmers’ suicide ‘for irrigation water’: Human chain demands justice Later, police detained him and kept him under custody. Actually, he is not an accused and police noticed that he was a mentally retarded person when talking to him, he said.

Meat traders of Sylhet metropolitan area resumed selling beef and mutton on Monday after suspending it for four days demanding a hike in prices fixed by the local administration. The traders called off the strike after receiving assurances from Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) mayor Ariful Haque CHowdhury on Sunday night that the prices will be fixed again, said Abdul Khalik, general secretary of the Meat Traders Co-operative Association in Sylhet. The traders had suspended their sales from Thursday morning after SCC fixed the prices of beef at Tk 600 per kg and mutton at Tk 850 per kg. Also read: Sale of beef, mutton suspended in Sylhet “The traders were to be fined by conducting mobile courts if they don’t sell meat according to the fixed process. The traders would have hardly got any profit at that price so they decided to suspend the sales,” said Abdul Khalik. Meanwhile, residents of Sylhet city complained the traders were already selling beef at more than Tk 600 before the SCC re-fixed the prices. Also read: Govt to sell milk, egg, meat at subsidised rates in city during Ramadan: Ministry Juned Ahmed Chowdhury, a resident of Shahjalal area said he bought 1 kg of beef at Tk 680 from a trader in the Shahjalal area on Monday.

A fifth grader was tied to a pillar and tortured over theft allegation  at Dosto village of Chuadanga Sadar upazila on Sunday. The victim is Arafat Rahman, 11, son of Monwar Hossain of the village and a student of Dosto Government Primary School. Also read: Missing child's body found in Naogaon madrasa’s septic tank Locals said the incident occurred when Arafat went to a shop named Mayer Doa Fashion House near his school for buying tiffin. As theft was quiet rampant there, shop owner Ali Ahmed tied up the boy to a pillar on suspicion of stealing money and beat him up. However, Ali Ahmed, denied the allegation and said the boy was tied up for a while on charges of stealing money but he was not beaten. Earlier, a student of the school stole money from his shop, he said. Abdul Momin, the headmaster of the school, said the incident was really sad. “I went to the spot and freed my student after getting the news and no money was found from him,” he added. Also read: 9 in 10 children below 14 suffer violent disciplining in Bangladesh: Unicef Local UP member Abu Saleh said, "I heard about it at night. Even if something is stolen, torturing a child is a violation of law.” Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Darshana police station  AHM Lutfur Kabir said no complaint is yet to be received. Legal action will be taken after getting a complaint, the OC added.

A youth allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of a house in Bakolia area of Chattogram city early Monday. The deceased was identified as day labourer Mohammad Fahim, 23, a resident of the area. Quoting family members, Md Sadiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge (Investigation) of Panchlaish Police Station, said Fahim hanged himself from the ceiling of the house with a towel around 12am. Also read: KUET student commits suicide at home He was later rushed to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) where doctors declared him dead. Fahim's brother Md Shahin said, “Fahim had financial crisis but don’t know actually why he has committed suicide.” The body will be handed over to the family after completion of legal procedure, said the OC.

About 70-80 houses at Gharialdanga union in Rajarhat upazila are under threat as untimely erosion by the Teesta River has taken a serious turn due to rise in water level in the last few days. Six houses have already gone into the gorge of the Teesta River. The Teesta River flows over three upazilas of Kurigram district. Also read: Relentless Garai erosion leaves many homeless in Jhenaidah Water Development Board officials are trying to prevent the erosion in only five kilometers area while about 40 kms of the left bank of the river is under erosion threat, said locals. Erosion is now going on in many places of the remaining 35 kms areas of the river banks, they said.

A hailstorm coupled with strong wind has lashed the district, damaging crops in  four upazilas of Thakurgaon district. Crops in several unions of Ranisankail, Haripur, Baliadangi, and Pirganj upazilas were destroyed as hailstones weighing approximately 300 to 400 grams fell in these areas on Sunday afternoon, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials said. Also read: Boro crops inundated in Sunamganj as dam collapses Ranisankail is the worst affected upazila.  

A sexagenarian man was beaten to death allegedly by his nephew over land dispute at Nowapara union in Sadar upazila of Jashore on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Abdur Rahman, of Arpara village of the union. Also read:Two brothers dead in stabbing attack in Jashore Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jashore Kotwali Police Station, said Abdur Rahman locked into an altercation with his nephews over a piece of disputed land in the afternoon. At one stage, his nephew Bablu hit him on his head, leaving him severely injured. Later, he was rushed to Jashore General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in the evening. Also read: Jubo League activist killed in Jashore The body was kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy. Legal steps will be taken in this regard, said the OC.

A 45-year-old man was crushed under the wheels of a train at a level crossing in Rajshahi city on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Farooq Hossain, an official of a non-governmental organization of the city. Also read: Woman run over by train in Kushtia Rakibur Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Rajshahi Railway Police Station, said the train hit the man while he was crossing the level crossing on a motorcycle at Dingadoba Eidgah area in the evening, leaving him dead on spot. There was no gateman at the level crossing, he added. Also read:Woman crushed under moving train in Kushtia rail station The body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) for an autopsy. A case will be filed in this regard, he added.