United News of Bangladesh

A 24-year-old college student was killed when a train hit him near the faculty of Fine Arts in Rajshahi University on Friday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Asadul Islam, son of Mukul Hossain of Mushroil of the city. He was a student of honours third year at Rajshahi College. Read: Medical man dies after an express train hits him in Khilkhet Witnesses said Asadul died while crossing a level crossing adjacent to the Faculty of Fine Arts when the Chilahati-bound Barendra Express ran over him around 3pm. However, police suspect that he might have committed suicide. Emran Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Chandrima Police Station, said the body has been kept at the police station. Read: Two women die after being hit by train in Khulna It will be known after investigation whether it is an accident or suicide, the OC added.

Waving brooms thousands of sandstone workers on Friday held a protest in Tahirpur upazila against what they said a conspiracy to close a sand and stone quarry in the trans-boundary Jadukata river. They chanted slogans against Karuna Sindhu Chowdhury, the chairman of Tahirpur Upazila Parishad of Sunamganj blaming him for the move. Several thousand workers from Tahirpur and Bishwambharpur upazilas including Maharam, Laudergarh, Shahidabad, Bariktila, Baragoptila, Mudergaon, Suhala, Miarchar marched through the streets from Tahirpur Naukaghat area. Later, they held a protest rally and formed a human chain at Sheikh Russell Mini Stadium in Tahirpur.      

Eleven days after she was allegedly raped, a Class VIII student ended her life in Khetlal upazila of Joypurhat district on Thursday night. According to her family members, the girl took the extreme step unable to bear the trauma and embarrassment. She allegedly committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling of her house. The alleged rape occurred on November 7 when the teen was returning home around 5 pm after attending a ceremony in her high school. Also read: Speech-impaired teen raped in city Shahinur, a local youth, offered to drop her on his motorcycle but instead took her to an abandoned school building and allegedly raped her. His friend too came to the spot took turn to violate her. The girl was later rescued by local residents. On November 8, a case of sexual harassment was filed against Rafikul and Shahinur following a complaint lodged at the Khetlal police station by the girl's family. However, the accused remained absconding while the girl’s family claimed that they had been being threatened by the accused. Also read: Housewife ‘gang-raped’ in Bhola’s Monpura: Police Officer-in-charge of Khetlal police station Nirendranath Mandal said that "efforts are on to arrest the accused in the sexual harassment case". “Another case will be filed against the accused if evidence of abetment to suicide is found during the investigation," he said.

Two persons were killed and eight others injured in separate road accidents in Dinajpur on Friday. The deceased were identified as Narayon Chandra Roy, son of Khokaram Roy of Chakarampur village, and Shasodhor Babu Roy of the area. Also Read: 6 killed in bus-auto collision in Gaibandha The first accident occurred when a speeding truck hit a rickshaw on the Dinajpur-Fhulbari Highway in the Pachbarirhat area of Fulbari upazila in the early hours. While Narayon died on the spot, Shasodhor Roy succumbed to his injuries at Dinajpur M Abdur Rahim hospital around 9.30am. The eight people were injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck in the Shibkuri area of Amtoli later in the morning. Also Read: Thousands of Afghans seek temporary US entry, few approved Of them, five injured were admitted to Dinajpur M Abdur Rahim Medical College, said the officer-in-charge of Chirirbandar Police Station.

At least six people were killed in a head-on collision between a bus and an auto-rickshaw on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha on Friday morning. Officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj police station Mostafizur Rahman said that the accident occurred when the Rangpur-bound passenger bus of Hanif Paribahan hit the auto rickshaw coming from the opposite side near the Bakchar area of the highway. The crash left three occupants of the auto dead on the spot. Also read: Two sisters killed in Laxmipur road accident "Five other passengers of the three-wheeler were rushed to the upazila health complex by the local fire service. Of them, three died of their injuries at the hospital," said the OC. The identities of the casualties could not be known yet. "The bus has been seized but its driver and his assistant are absconding," he added. Also read: 4 killed in Kurigram road accident

A wild Asian elephant calf was found dead near the Panihata border of Sherpur's Nalitabari upazila Friday, forest officials said. This is the second carcass of a wild elephant that has been recovered from the area in the past 10 days. Nalitabari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Helena Parvin and Modhutila range officer Md Abdul Karim from the forest department confirmed the recovery of the carcass of the two-year-old elephant. Forest official Md Shah Alam said they recovered the male elephant calf's carcass early on Friday after being informed by locals. Also read: Case against 4 in Sherpur over killing Asian elephant Meanwhile, president of Bird Conservation Society of Sherpur, Sujoy Malakar, said the locals were trying to bury the elephant calf. On November 11, the forest department of Sreebordi upazila for the first time in the district filed a case against four farmers for killing an endangered Asian elephant by electrocution on November 9. The elephant had died while searching for food after being trapped in electrified wires installed by local farmers around their farms at Sonajhuri Hillock in the upazila. Trainer of elephant response team in the district, Adnan Asif, said the large area under Garo Hill tracts in Sherpur has been reduced to a small portion in the past 20 to 30 years. Due to increasing human invaders in the hill area, the number of wildlife has decreased and the remaining few elephants are facing food crisis, he said. Also read: Another Asian elephant found dead, this time in Chakaria reserved forest According to forest officials, in the last two decades some 30 wild Asian elephants have died in the hilly area of Sherpur district. Of them many died by gunshots, electrocution and poisoning, while some died due to accidents, ageing and sickness, said the officials.

In a first for the district, Forest Department of Sreebardi upazila in Sherpur filed a case against four people on November 11 over killing an endangered Asian elephant by electrocution. In-charge range officer of the Balijuri range Rabiul Islam filed the case under the Wild Life Act at the Sreebardi court followed by a general diary lodged at the Sreebardi police station, confirmed Robiul Islam from the district Forest Department on Thursday. The accused in the case are Amej Uddin, his brother Somej Uddin, Md Ashraful and Md Shahjalal, all farmers from the Malakocha area in the district. On November 9, an elephant got electrocuted and died while searching for food after being trapped in electrified GI wires installed by local farmers around their vegetable farming lands at Sonajhuri Hillock in the upazila. Forest official Robiul Islam said the lands were actually owned by the Forest Department and the farmers were cultivating there illegally. He said due to increasing farming activities occupying forest lands, wild elephants started coming into the locality. The case was filed for violating schedule-1 of the Wild Life (Preservation and Security) Act, 2012 under section 36 of the act, he said. The court has summoned the four accused and set December 12 to hear the case, said range officer Robiul Islam. Trainer of elephant response team in the district, Adnan Asif, said the large area under Garo Hill tracts in Sherpur has been reduced to a small portion in the last 20 to 30 years. Due to increasing human invaders in the hill area, the number of wildlife has decreased and the remaining few elephants are facing food crisis, he said. According to forest officials, in the last two decades some 30 wild Asian elephants have died in the hilly area of Sherpur district. Of them many died by gunshot, electrocution, poisoning while some died due to accidents, aging and sickness, said the officials.

Chattogram Medical College student Mahadi J Akib returned home on Thursday after recovering from the severe head injuries he suffered during a clash between two factions of BCL on October 30. Akib, 21, a second-year student of the medical college, was being treated at the hospital for the last 19 days after he got injured in his own campus. The medical board formed for his treatment decided to release him from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Also read: ‘My son victim of dirty politics’, bemoans injured Akib’s father Later his father and brother took him to his village home in Burichong in Cumilla. Director of CMCH Brigadier General SM Humayun Kabir said, “Akib’s condition has recovered a lot so we approved the release paper. But within a month and a half he will have to undergo another small surgery.” On October 29, two BCL factions -- one led by a former mayor and another by a junior minister -- locked into a clash. They reengaged in clashes the next morning, leaving Akib and two others injured. Akib, with a damaged skull, was first taken to the one stop centre of the hospital and later received primary treatment at neurosurgery ward-28 of the CMCH. A photo of the injured medical student in the ICU with an instruction on the bandage that said, “There is no bone, don’t put pressure,” went viral on social media. Also read: CMCH student Akib recovers from injury after 19 days, returns home Later, he underwent a surgery for over three hours under a five-member expert medical team led by Prof Dr Noman Khaled Chowdhury, head of the Neurosurgery department of the CMCH. In a second surgery the doctors managed to replace the broken bone successfully. Meanwhile the two conflicting factions of BCL have filed three cases against each other.

A fire broke out at the old building of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce at Agrabad in the city on Thursday evening.  The fire broke out around 8:30 pm from an electric short circuit and spread throughout the six-storied building within a few minutes, said Faruq Sikder, assistant director of the Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense.  Read: Bangladesh’s fire problem: 285,000 incidents occurred in 2 decades Until writing this report 7 units of the Agrabad and Bandar fire service stations were trying to douse the fire with the help of locals.  Around 9:30 pm the flames were brought somewhat under control, said the fire service official.  So far, no casualties were reported and the amount of damage could not be ascertained immediately, said Faruq Hossain. 

Police have arrested a 60-year-old woman in Chuadanga on charges of peddling drugs. She was wanted in as many as 50 cases, cops said. The arrestee has been identified as Shipra Begum,60, wife of late Babul Rahman, a resident of the district's Bujrukgorgori area. She was nabbed from the Buddhiman area on Wednesday. Police said that Shipra used to smuggle various goods initially. Later she got into smuggling of drugs. Read: Youth arrested for raping former lover in Sylhet The first case for narcotics peddling was filed against her in 1991. As of today, 51 drug cases are lodged against her. She was also arrested a number of times earlier. Officer-in-charge of Chuadanga Police Station, Mohammad Mohsin said that Shipra's arrest "is a big catch for us." "In four of the 51 cases, she was sentenced to different jail terms. Her family members were also drug dealers," the OC said.