United News of Bangladesh

A Pabna court on Thursday summoned outgoing  Vice-Chancellor of Pabna University of Science Technology (PUST) Dr M Rostom Ali in a defamation case. Dr Awal Kabir Joy, proctor, regent board member and former president of PUST Teachers’ Association, filed the Tk 50 crore defamation case at Pabna Judicial Magistrate cognisance court-1. Magistrate Md Saiful Islam took the case into cognisance and summoned Dr M Rostom Ali. Read: Court accepts charges against expelled Jubo League leader Samrat Plaintiff’s lawyer advocate Abdul Aziz and Chowdhury Razia Sultana Tultuli said the case was filed under section 500 of the Penal Code that says, “Whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.” According to the complaint, On December 23, 2019, accused Dr M Rostom Ali  did not allow the plaintiff to enter a regent board meeting after inviting him by sending a letter through the university’s registrar abusing his power. The accused also harassed the plaintiff in the name of probe committee and left the campus secretly before the end of his tenure as PUST VC without giving any report. Read: Home Minister warns against violence during Left Alliance's hartal Dr Awal Kabir Joy said, “ Such activities of Dr M Rostom Ali defamed, and harmed me personally, professionally and socially. Hopefully I’ll get justice.” Meanwhile Dr Rostom Ali disconnected the call when the UNB reporter tried to get his comment regarding the case over phone.

ST Abdur Rob Serniabat, the first sea truck on Munshiganj-Narayanganj route, started operation Thursday after Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) cancelled route permit of launches on this route. The movement of all passenger-carrying launches  remained suspended since Sunday after Munshiganj-bound launch ML Asraf Uddin, carrying around 50-60 passengers, capsized in the river after being hit by cargo vessel MV Rupshi-9, leaving 12 people dead so far. The sea truck started for Munshiganj from Narayanganj terminal at 2:15 pm on Thursday though it was supposed to start operation in the morning. Read: Uninterrupted electricity at affordable price govt’s next challenge: Nasrul “The decision to start sea truck service on this route was taken to reduce the hassles of the passengers and ensure their safety. ST Abdur Rob Serniabat with capacity to carry 200 passengers will operate every day from 6 am to evening and the fare was fixed at Tk 40 per person. Eventually the number of sea trucks will be increased on the Munshiganj-Narayanganj route,” said Ahmed Shamim Al Raji, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). “No sundeck type of launches will be allowed to operate on this route anymore”, said Commodore Golam Sadek, Chairman of BIWTA.  

A 50-year-old union parishad member was found dead in Saturia upazila of Manikganj early Thursday morning, a day after he went missing. The deceased was identified as Farhad Hossain, a member of ward-6 of Baraid union. Police suspect Farhad was suffocated to death. Read:Student, teacher die as truck ploughs through Manikganj school Locals spotted Farhad's body near a neighbour's house around 9am and alerted cops, said Md Ashraful Alam, officer-in-charge of Saturia police station. "A team soon went to the spot and took the body into custody." Farhad had been missing since Wednesday afternoon. "However, the exact cause of his death will be determined after an autopsy," said the OC.

Two persons were killed when a speeding truck crashed into a stationary lorry on Meherpur-Chuadanga Road in the district early on Thursday morning, police said. The deceased were identified as truck driver Shahadat Hossain, 45, and his helper Faruk Hossain, 42, both residents of Sathia upazila of Pabna district. Read:Road crash claims three lives in Habiganj "The ill-fated truck coming from Chuadanga crashed into the sand-laden lorry that broke down and had been parked on the roadside in the Old Dorbeshpur area around 6am," said assistant sub-inspector ASI Shakhawat Hossain of the local police camp in Baradi. The bodies were sent to the Meherpur General Hospital morgue for post-mortem, he said, adding that the two vehicles had been seized.

Four people, including a two-year-old child, were killed and 15 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Naogaon on Wednesday night, police said. The accident occurred around 9pm on Badalgachi-Patnitala Regional Road in the district's Mohadevpur upazila. Read:Dinajpur road crash leaves 2 dead "The Naogaon-bound bus crashed into the truck coming from the opposite direction at high speed, as its driver could not apply brakes at the last minute," said Azam Uddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Mohadevpur police station. Two passengers of the bus died on the spot and 17 were injured in the impact of the collision, he said. The injured were taken to Badalgachi Upazila Health Complex and Naogaon Sadar Hospital. Five of the seriously injured were later shifted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) after their condition worsened. "The child succumbed to his injuries at Naogaon Sadar Hospital that night only, while another injured at Badalgachi Upazila Health Complex died on Thursday morning," said the OC. Read: Road crash claims three lives in Habiganj Two of the deceased were identified as Abdur Rashid, 37, and Girij Pahan, 35, of Soasa village in Badalgachi upazila. The identity of the child and another deceased could not be known immediately. A case of rash and negligent driving has been filed at Mohadevpur police station, the officer added.

A one and a half year old child drowned in a well at Tanjpur  in Fultala upazila in Khulna on Wednesday . The deceased was identified as Jararul Islam, son of Ramzan Ali of Tajpur Garuhat area. The incident occurred near their house at around 3 pm on Wednesday, said ASI Babul Das of Fultana police station. Read: Rajshahi: Two friends drown while bathing in Padma According to family sources, mother of Jaharul  was busy with household chores and he was playing at the courtyard. When his mother did not see him at the courtyard after some time she started searching the child and later his body was found in the well near their house. The child was rushed to Fultala Upazila Health Complex but doctors declared him dead.

Police recovered the throat-slit body of a schoolboy from a waterbody in Kalihati upazila of Tangail on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Rahat, 13, son of Shahadat Hossain of Agbaniya village of the upazila. He was a student of class VII of Balla Coronation High School. Read:Truck-motorcycle collision leaves 2 dead in Tangail Locals said Rahat remained missing since Tuesday night. Locals spotted the throat-slit body in the waterbody at Kagujipara and informed police, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kalihati Police Station Mollah Azizur Rahman. The body was later sent to hospital morgue for autopsy. Read:Father, son die from electrocution in Tangail Police detained two people for interrogation, the OC said. Besides, processes are underway to file a case in this regard.

A 50-year-old farmer was electrocuted to death in an electric mouse trap laid by his brother on their paddy field in Natore’s Sadar upazila on Wednesday morning, police said. The deceased was identified as Nazrul Islam, a resident of Kalikapur Amhati village in the upazila. Sub-inspector of Natore police station Shafqul Islam said that Nazrul mistakenly stepped on the live wire of the mouse trap set up by his elder brother Anowar on Tuesday night. Read: Woman run over by train in Kushtia "The tragedy occurred when the victim was on his way to the paddy field on Wednesday morning. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival," the police official said. However, no case has been filed in this regard, the SI said.

Police arrested a member of Babukhali union parishad of Mohammadpur upazila in Magura district for allegedly raping a schoolgirl on Monday. The arrestee was Ismail Mridha, son of late Awal Mridha and a member of Ward No 6 of Babukhali union parishad. Read: Man gets death penalty for raping and killing schoolgirl in Tangail Victim’s mother said Ismail visited her house a few days ago and told her that he will provide her daughter an allowance card and medical certificate is needed for it. On Sunday morning, Ismail took the girl Magura hospital in the name of medical examination but no medical test was held there. Later, he took the girl to a house near the education office on Haji Saheb road area where he violated her. When the girl shouted, Ismail Mridha left her in the house and fled. Read: 2 arrested for raping teenager in Gazipur Later, the girl’s mother lodged a written complaint with Magura police in this regard, said Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of the Magura police station. Based on the complaint, police arrested UP member Ismail Mridha on Monday and produced him before  a court, he added.

A 66-year-old man died on Monday evening after allegedly falling into a septic tank in the Chandkhali Bazar area of Paikgacha upazila in Khulna. The deceased was identified as Kamrul Islam, a cleaning staff of the meat market in Chandkhali Bazar. Also read: Two die in Chuadanga after inhaling toxic gas inside septic tank According to locals, around 6pm, Kamrul was heading towards the waste dump near the market when he fell into the septic tank through a hole left by its broken lid. Kamrul drowned in the tank before he could be rescued, said Jafor, an assistant sub-inspector of Paikgacha police station. "A case of unnatural death has been filed in this regard." Also read: Woman's decomposed body found in Jashore school's septic tank