United News of Bangladesh

Two people were killed when a private car and CNG autorickshaw collided head-on in Chattogram's Mirsarai Friday night. The accident, which occurred on the Ramgarh-Bariarhat road's Noyatila Mazar area at 8pm, also left another person injured. The deceased were identified as Zorarganj union's Shahadat Hossain (45), the autorickshaw driver, and Fatikchhari's Hanif (27), a passenger. "The accident occurred as a Ramgarh-bound CNG autorickshaw collided head-on with a private car, which was heading towards Karerhat, leaving two people dead on the spot and one injured," Zorarganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nur Hossain Mamun told UNB. "The driver of the private car fled the scene after the accident. The vehicles involved in the accident were seized and brought to the police station. Legal action, including the filing of a case, is under way."

As many as 160 people have been admitted to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital hospitalised after being afflicted with diarrhea in past two days, hospital sources said on Friday. Of them, 110 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. The worst affected areas are Hamdoh, Kanchanpur and Mollapara of the district. Authorities are struggling to prove hospital beds as the number of patients has witnessed a sudden jump, the sources added. Also read: Dengue kills 2 more in Bangladesh, 177 patients hospitalised Jewel of Alhera Para in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila said three members of his family have been taken to hospital with diarrhea. Sonali, a resident of Khandakar Para, her daughter has also been down with the water-borne disease, followed by her husband. Residential Medical Officer of Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital Dr Tapas Kumar said the affected are mostly elderly people. Read: Bangladesh logs another 7 Covid-linked deaths, 247 fresh infections He said shortage of doctors and nurses are hampering treatment of patients. Hospital superintendent Dr Harunur Rashid, however, said the patients are getting proper treatment as the hospital has no problem with medicines.  The situation will soon come under control, he said.

As long-distance bus services halted in protest against the sudden hike in fuel prices hundreds of people remained stranded at bus stations in Khulna on Friday. Many of them, desperate to reach their destinations, crowded the railway station to try to catch a train.   The strike has been called by the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers' Federation and the Bangladesh Truck-Bus Owners' Association. Khula, like rest of the country, has been severly hit by the protest causing immense public sufferings. It has hit hard especially those who had to travel to Dhaka from Khulna for emergency work. Many expressed anger over the situation.   No intra-city and long haul buses left Sonadanga, the central bus terminal in Khulna, since Friday morning. So passengers have to reach their destination by paying several times more fare in small cars including auto-rickshaws, mini pickups, microbuses. . Kazi Nurul Hasan Baby, president of the Motor Workers' Union, said the owners and workers were in an immense financial crisis during the Covid pandemic. "Now the rise in fuel prices is creating a crisis again when we have start recovering from the losses." Passengers started gathering at Khulna railway station to reach their destination by train. Many people are getting on the train by force even though they do not get tickets. Md Sharif, who came from Labanchara to the railway station for a ticket, said, "I went out to go to Dhaka and got stuck here due to the strike. However, after a long wait I found out there were no tickets when I came to take the train to go to Dhaka." Read: Commuters suffer as buses stay off roads Khulna Railway Assistant Station Master Ashiq Ahmed said many people showed up at the station as they could not get buses since morning. "I am struggling to handle the extra passengers." On the other hand, farmers and traders are suffering immensely for transporting their goods. University admission seekers and government job seekers have suffered the most due to the suspension of bus services. “My sister needs to attend her semester exams at Islamic University tomorrow (Saturday),” said a passenger named Kazi Iftekhar. That is why he has to go to Kushtia. "But I am worried about how I can go now amid this transport strike." Buses plying between Dhaka and Khulna were seen lined up at the Sonadanga bus terminal in the Khulna metropolis and at the Royal intersection. Many people are coming and inquiring about the resumption of the bus movement. But no one has any answer. Meanwhile, Khulna District Bus Minibus Coach Owners' Association's Joint Secretary Anwar Hossain Sona said no bus left Khulna due to the strike. All intra-city and long-haul buses are standing at the terminal. The strike will continue until any further decision from central leaders. On Thursday, bus, truck and covered van owners called an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday in protest against fuel price hike. Convenor of Bangladesh Truck-Covered Van, Tank Lorry and Prime Movers Owners and Workers Coordination Council Md Rustom Ali announced their decision on Thursday following an emergency meeting of the organization. Leaders of the organization said the government raised the toll of Bangabandhu Bridge and Muktarpur Bridge from 257 per cent to 300 per cent “illogically” on November 2 and then it raised the prices of fuel, said a press release. Read: Counter-protest: DU admission seekers block Dhaka-Aricha highway Transport movement had remained suspended for a long time due to Covid in the last two years. When the transport owners are trying to make a turnaround from their huge losses caused by Covid shutdown, the decision of raising bridge toll and fuel price was announced, they added. On Wednesday, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene at the retail level. As per the new price, the diesel and kerosene will be selling at Tk 80 per litre instead of Tk 65 with effect from zero hour on Thursday, said a press release of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. It said the prices of other petroleum products will remain unchanged. It clarified that the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has been incurring a loss of Tk 20 crore per day as it is selling diesel at Tk 13.01 lower per litre and furnace oil at Tk 6.21 per litre, lower than their imported prices. It said the petroleum prices have been readjusted against the backdrop of price hike of petroleum on the international market.

Owners have unilaterally increased fare for all buses plying on Dhaka-Naryanganj route without any prior notice on Thursday. One-way fare of Himachal, Utshab and Bandhan transportation service buses on this route has jumped to Tk 50 from Tk 36. Meanwhile AC bus service Shital transportation’s fare has been increased to Tk 65 from Tk 55. Just within 24 hours of increasing the fuel prices in Bangladesh, increasing the fare of buses which are means of transportation for low- and middle-income earners have agitated the passengers. Service holder Ali Hasan said he became shocked with the sudden hike of Tk 14 just within a day when he went to collect a ticket this morning on the way to office. Read: Private operators’ LPG: Price goes up again “There is no regularity in hiking the price of any goods in the country anymore,” he said. Meanwhile, president of Bandhan bus owners’ association Jewel Hossain said the cost for fuel, tax, tolls has increased and so “we have fixed the price accordingly to run the service.” On Wednesday, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene at the retail level. As per the new price, the diesel and kerosene will be selling at Tk 80 per litre instead of Tk 65 with effect from zero hour on Thursday, said a press release of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. It said the prices of other petroleum products will remain unchanged. It clarified that the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has been incurring a loss of Tk 20 crore per day as it is selling diesel at Tk 13.01 lower per litre and furnace oil at Tk 6.21 per litre, lower than their imported prices. Read: Fuel price hike: transporters to go on indefinite strike from Friday It said the petroleum prices have been readjusted against the backdrop of price hike of petroleum on the international market. Meanwhile, bus, truck and covered van owners called an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday in protest against fuel price hike.

Bodies of two Bangladeshis shot dead allegedly by Indian Border Security force (BSF) members on Wednesday along Dona border in Kanaighat upazila have been lying in no-man’s-land for two days. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials on Thursday said, due to the confusion over whether the bodies are lying at the Indian side of border or Bangladesh’s has delayed the recovery of the two bodies. Until writing this report, the bodies were still lying at the border, said officer-in-charge of Kanaighat police station Tajul Islam. BGB-BSF has held a meeting and the bodies will be handed over to police after recovery, said the OC. An official of 19-Suroighat BGB camp on condition of anonymity told UNB that BSF has accepted the responsibility of the murder in a meeting held between BGB and BSF on Thursday. However, BSF claimed the bodies were lying at the Bangladesh side of the border while BGB argued the other way, he said. The official said, the decision to determine the location of the bodies was taken at the meeting and the bodies will be handed over after an autopsy by holding another flag meeting. “It might take some more days to complete the process,” said the official On Wednesday, locals found the bodies of Askar Ali, 25 son of Abdul Latif and Arif Hossain,22, son of Abdul Hannan of Elagul village lying at No Man’s Land along Bangladesh-India border at noon on Wednesday. A family member of Arif said the two youths left home for local Laal Bazar on Tuesday and remained missing since. According to some locals near Dona border, BSF fired at them while illegally entering India and left their bodies near main pillar 1331 of the border, he said. Police suspect that two of them were shot dead Tuesday night or early hours of Wednesday by BSF or Khashia community during attempt at illegal entry.

Four people were shot dead and some 15 others injured, nine of them with bullet wounds, when supporters of two rival candidates for the upcoming Alokbali Union Parishad election allegedly clashed in a village on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Amir Hossain (42), son of Kutu Mia, Ashraful (18), son of Abdul Karim and Khushu Begum, 32, daughter of Manu Mia and Khairul Islam, 30, son of Shahidullah. All residents of Alokbali village in Sadar upazila and supporters of Abul Khayer.  The nine with bullet wounds have been shifted to Dhaka for better treatment. Also read: 2 hacked to death in Pabna, Khulna Mohammad Saugatul Alam, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said that ruling Awami League candidate Abul Khayer and Ripon Mia, a rival candidate, had been at loggerheads for a long time. Around 6am on Thursday, Ripon and his supporters, armed with guns and teta (a type of fishing spear) suddenly attacked the supporters of Abul, triggering a deadly clash in Alokbali village, the OC said. Upon information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. While three people suffered bullet wounds and died on the spot, nine of the 15 injured were taken to Dhaka for better treatment. Abul is among the injured, the OC said. Also read: Man arrested for killing wife, 2 others in Narsingdi Of the injured, Khairul, who also suffered bullet wounds, died on way to Dhaka at noon. "Efforts are on to nab the attackers," he added. The Union Parishad polls are slated for November 28.

At least two women went missing after a passenger trawler capsized in the River Shitalakkhya of Narayanganj's Rupganj upazila Wednesday night. The women are Chaity (17) and Jabeda (40) of Chanpara area of the upazila. Montu Kumar Das, sub-Inspector of Chanpara River Police Outpost, said: "The trawler sank with 20 passengers aboard at around 9pm. Of them, 18 managed to swim to safety. However, two remain missing." "We informed the river police and fire service officials of the accident."

Three people were killed when a bus ran over them at Syedpur Bus Stand in Syedpur upazila of Nilphamari district on Wednesday. The deceased were Rabiul Islam, 28, Jahangir, 32 and Hossain, 35. The Syedpur-bound bus from Rangpur knocked down the three people when its driver lost control over steering, leaving them dead on the spot, said Mominur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Syedpur Police Station. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to a hospital morgue.

  The High Court on Wednesday directed police to submit their probe report over the death of Tajul Islam allegedly after  police torture at Haragach in Rangpur. The HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Khandaker Diliruzzaman also asked police to submit his post-mortem report to the court. The court fixed November 15 for the next hearing. Also Read: New bench to hear death references for convicts in Ramna Batamul bombing case Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta read out the Rangpur Police Commissioner's report before the court which was sent from Rangpur through an email. According to Rangpur Police Commissioner's report, a four-member probe committee has been formed which has been asked to submit its report within seven days. The autopsy report did not mention about any injury marks on Tajul’s body, it said. On Tuesday, the HC bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Khandaker Diliruzzaman asked Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta to inform the court about the steps taken in this regard after consultation with the Rangpur police commissioner. Also Read: Youth dies under police custody in Nilphamari Tajul Islam, 55, a resident of Dalalhat village in Haragach union, was reportedly beaten to death by police at Haragach Natun Bazar around 6 pm on Monday. Tajul was detained with some drugs during a police drive at Haragach Natun Bazar on Monday evening and he fell unconscious as police beat him up mercilessly. At one stage, police pushed him against a wall and he died on the spot. Enraged by the incident, locals cordoned off Haragach police station, threw brick chips at police and vandalized some vehicles.   Police later fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the protesters.    

Police have arrested the owner of 'Maryam Villa’ in connection with Tuesday's fire in the building in Chattogram’s North Kattoli area, which claimed the life of a woman and injured five others of a family. The arrestee has been identified as Momtaj Mia. Read:Fire victim dies in Chattogram Jahir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Akbar Shah police station, said that they nabbed  Momtaj during a raid on Tuesday night in the Kattoli area. "He will be produced in a court later in the day, and we'll seek his remand for custodial interrogation," he said. Earlier that day, Jamal Sheikh, a member of the victim's family, lodged a complaint at the police station against two persons -- Momtaj and Bakhtiyar, the in-charge of the building. Read:Six of family injured in Ctg building fire In the early hours of Tuesday, the fire broke out at ‘Maryam Villa’, charring the six members of the family. Police claimed that a leak in the building's gas line triggered an explosion, leading to the fire. Late on Tuesday night, Sajeda Begum, 49, succumbed to her injuries at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).