United News of Bangladesh

A case was filed on Sunday against around 150 people including BNP leaders and activists over allegations of blocking newly elected MP Rumeen Farhana from paying tribute at a Shaheed Minar in Sarail upazila and assaulting her supporters. Ahad, a supporter of Rumeen Farhana, filed the case with Sarail Police Station. Former Sarail upazila BNP general secretary Anwar Hossain has been named as the prime accused. Officer-in-Charge of Sarail Police Station Manjur Kader Bhuiyan said the case names five accused while 140 to 150 others have been listed as unidentified. According to the case statement, when Rumeen Farhana went to the central Shaheed Minar in Sarail upazila to pay tribute she allegedly faced obstruction from local BNP leaders and activists, who chanted slogans against her. Tension escalated into a scuffle between the two sides during which the wreath brought by the MP was torn apart. She later left the area under the protection of her supporters without paying tribute. In protest, her supporters blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Shahbazpur area of Sarail around 12:30am, disrupting traffic for nearly an hour. Rumeen Farhana won the Brahmanbaria 2 seat in the 13th parliamentary election as an independent candidate after being denied nomination by BNP. She was later expelled from the party for contesting against its nominated candidate.  

Thakurgaon, Feb 22 (UNB) — Two people, including a woman, were killed in separate road accidents in Thakurgaon, police said on Sunday. In the first incident, a wheat-laden truck (Dhaka Metro-T 20-6550) heading towards Thakurgaon hit a pedestrian in Singiya village under Jagannathpur union in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila on Sunday morning. The victim, Rahima, 65, wife of Md Ruhul Amin of the same village, fell under the rear wheels of the truck and died on the spot, police said, quoting locals. Attack on Bauls near Thakurgaon court leaves 3 injured On information, police recovered the body. The truck, however, fled the scene after the accident. In a separate incident on Saturday afternoon, Monoranjan Barman of Matigara Sonahar village under Auliapur union in Sadar upazila was seriously injured when a motorcycle collided with his bicycle in the Piala Bazar area. He was taken to Thakurgaon 250-bed General Hospital, where he died at around 2am on Sunday. His body has been kept at the hospital morgue. Thakurgaon man commits suicide during video call with expatriate wife Mohammad Monir Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station said legal action is under way in connection with the two accidents.

A patient died at Ibn Sina Hospital at Sobhanighat in  Sylhet city allegedly due to wrong treatment  The deceased’s relatives claimed that the death occurred due to wrong anesthesia administration. The deceased was identified as  Kamal Uddin, 55, a resident of Badepasha Union in Golapganj upazila of Sylhet. Family members said he was admitted to the hospital on Friday for gallbladder stone surgery. His operation was scheduled for 11 pm on Saturday under the supervision of surgeon Dr. Ahmad Nasim Hasan Lawlu. However, before the operation at around 9 pm, anesthesiologist Dr. Liton informed the patient’s relatives that Kamal Uddin had a brain tumor and other complications and that his condition was not stable. Relatives said he had no such issues. At that time, the patient’s daughter noticed the name of another patient, “Moyna Mia,” on the pateint's  report and informed the staff who allegedly removed the report immediately. Later, the surgeon assured the family that Kamal Uddin’s condition was stable and the surgery would proceed. But after some time, without informing the relatives, Kamal Uddin was brought out of the operation theatre in an abnormal state and declared dead by the hospital staff. The incident sparked protests and tension at the hospital throughout the night. Mohammad Obaidul Haque, AGM and Head of Business Development at the hospital, said, “A committee has been formed to investigate the allegations raised by the patient’s relatives. A board meeting is ongoing, and necessary measures will be taken based on the findings.” Relatives of the deceased demanded a proper investigation and punishment of those responsible.

Two people were killed when a bus rammed into a human hauler, locally known as a Leguna, in Jatrabari area of the capital on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Azizul Islam, 58, son of Salam Mridha and Saiful Islam, 55, son of Lokman Khandaker of the Gendaria area. The accident occurred around 9 am in the Mir Hazaribagh area when the bus hit the human hauler, leaving two people injured. Inspector Faruk, in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Police camp, said the injured were taken to the  emergency department of the hospital where doctors declared them dead.

A local leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Alauddin Patwari attended his father’s funeral in Rajbari on Saturday night after being granted temporary parole. The JCD leader joined the funeral at Eidgah ground near his family home at Nimtala village of Sadar upazila around 7:30 pm, with a rope tied around his waist. Alauddin, 28, the son of Shukur Patwari from Nimtala, organisational secretary of Sadar upazila unit Chhatra Dal, has been in Rajbari District Jail for the past two and a half months in connection with an arms case. Alauddin’s father passed away on Saturday afternoon. After hearing the news, Alauddin expressed his wish to attend the funeral. The JCD leader’s family then filed a petition to the Rajbari Deputy Commissioner for his parole, which was approved by DC and District Magistrate Sultana Akter. Alauddin was granted parole for one and a half hours, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. He was escorted to his home village in Nimtala by police and DB personnel and during the funeral prayer, his hands were uncuffed while a rope was tied around his waist. Contacted, Alauddin said, “I am a victim of political vengeance. I was sent to jail on false charges of possessing weapons. Unable to endure my imprisonment, my father passed away today.” Ariful Islam Roman, president of Rajbari District unit Chhatra Dal, said, “Alauddin is a victim of political revenge. Khondakar Ziaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said Alauddin was allowed to attend the funeral under police supervision following the family’s request and the district magistrate’s approval. He was brought back to jail after the funeral. Regarding the rope tied around his waist, the OC said the jail authorities could provide clarification. Police arrested Alauddin along with a foreign made revolver and a sharp weapon from Nimtala area on December 1, last year. A case was filed with Rajbari Sadar Police Station and then he was sent to the district jail.

A minority family in Patuakhali has alleged assault, intimidation and attempts to grab their land by local influential people in Marichbunia union under the sadar upazila. At a press conference held at the Patuakhali Press Club on Saturday noon, victim Gopal Majhi read out a written statement detailing the allegations. He said some locals had long been trying to forcibly occupy their recorded and possessed land. According to him, he owns about 40 decimals of land in the Marichbunia mouza area. He alleged that due to the land dispute, several people including local Awami League leader and now a member of Bangladesh Krishak Dal, Zakir Bhuiya, along with Suman Payda, Nasir Akon, Harun Matbar, Jafar Bhuiya and Nizam Payda, have repeatedly threatened him and his family. Majhi claimed that even after filing a complaint with police, the accused came to his house with sharp weapons, threatened them and obstructed his children from going to school. He also alleged they were threatened to leave the country for India. In the written statement, he said that around 9pm on February 16, the accused intercepted him while he was returning home by motorcycle, assaulted him and tried to kill him with local weapons. He and his brother were seriously injured and are now undergoing treatment at Patuakhali Sadar Hospital. He further alleged that the attackers snatched Tk 2.2 lakh in cash and two gold chains from him during the incident. He named Zakir Bhuiya, Suman Payda and Nasir Akon as accused and claimed that 7–8 unidentified persons were also involved. “We have been harassed in various ways for being a minority. We feel insecure and want quick administrative intervention and punishment of the culprits,” Majhi said. Responding to the allegations, Zakir Bhuiya said his son-in-law Suman bought the land about five years ago and built a house there. He also claimed the matter had earlier been settled through local arbitration and denied giving any threat to force them to go to India. Officer-in-Charge of Patuakhali Sadar Police Station, Moniruzzaman, said police were aware of the clash and one person had previously been arrested. However, he added that no complaint had been received regarding threats to leave for India. Legal action will be taken if complaints are filed, he said.

At least five people, including three women, were killed when a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw collided head-on with a gas cylinder-laden truck on the bypass road in Kushtia on Saturday afternoon. The identities of the victims could not be immediately ascertained. The accident occurred around 2:05 pm, said Abu Obayed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kushtia Highway Police. Among the deceased were the CNG driver, a male passenger, and three women, police said. Upon receiving information, police and Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and conducted rescue operations. Traffic movement on the road was disrupted for some time following the accident but was later restored. Police said both vehicles involved in the accident have been seized, while the truck driver fled the scene. Legal action is underway regarding the accident.

A truck collision in Jhenaidah city’s Pobhati Kalarhat area on Friday night left one young man dead and another seriously injured. The accident occurred around 11:00 p.m. when a truck hit a motorcycle. The deceased has been identified as Shanto Shahriar Rahman Shanto (31), son of Shahin Rahman of Arappur area. His friend, Titon, son of Abdus Sattar of Bayaripara, was seriously injured in the crash. Officer-in-Charge of Arappur Highway Police, Mrityunjoy Biswas, confirmed the incident, saying Shanto died at the scene while Titon was critically injured. Titon has been rushed to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment, and his condition is reported to be critical.

Business leaders in Bauphal upazila shut shops on Friday after alleged extortionists threatened to kill them for refusing to pay regular tolls. The president of the Kalaiya Daspara Construction Materials Owners Association, Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury, was first threatened on Thursday. Traders later filed a written complaint with the police that evening. On Friday, the group’s general secretary Masud Rana was also threatened with a sharp weapon. Locals and shop owners confronted the suspect, who then fled the scene. In protest, traders closed shops from 10:30am to 1:30pm. The strike was withdrawn after newly elected MP Shafiqul Islam Masud visited the area and promised legal action against those involved. Traders alleged that Shanto Pyada, 22, son of Daspara Union BNP Ward No. 2 general secretary Sohrab Hossain Pyada, 55, along with a few others, regularly collected extortion money. Talking to traders, it was learned that there are 32 shops in the Daspara bus stand area on the west side of the Kalaiya Dhanhat Bridge. They said they bring rods, cement, sand and stones by trawlers and cargo vessels from different parts of the country. At least 15 to 20 trawlers and cargo vessels arrive there every day. Traders alleged they were forced to pay Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500 per vessel as extortion. Association general secretary Masud Rana said they decided in an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening to stop paying extortion. He said Shanto Pyada became angry over the decision. On Thursday morning, when Shanto came to collect money, association president Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury refused to pay. Shanto then openly threatened to kill him, Masud Rana said. Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury confirmed the incident and said Shanto always carries weapons. He said they are living in fear and demanded his immediate arrest. Attempts to contact Shanto failed. His father, BNP leader Sohrab Hossain Pyada, said he had taken a water body lease for Tk 40,000 from Daspara Union BNP president Ali Azam Chowdhury. He claimed that his son collected Tk 200 per trawler and said it was not extortion. However, sources at the Upazila Land Office and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer office said the Kalaiya and Daspara canals had not been leased to anyone. BNP leader Ali Azam Chowdhury could not be reached as his mobile phone was switched off. Assistant Superintendent of Police Arif Muhammad Shakur said he had spoken to the MP and that legal action would be taken soon against those involved.  

A tragic road accident in Jamalpur claimed the lives of a father and son on Friday, prompting locals to block the road in protest. The victims were Delwar Hossain (60) and his son Istiak Ahmed (30) of Kenduar Char area in Sherpur Sadar. According to police, the accident occurred around 1:00 pm near the Sherpur Bridge on the Jamalpur-Sherpur regional highway. During routine traffic checking by transport police, a truck traveling toward Sherpur was stopped. At that moment, a motorcycle tried to bypass the checkpoint, but was struck by another truck coming from the opposite direction. Both father and son died on the spot. Enraged locals blocked the road to protest the incident. The transport police on duty retreated in the face of the demonstration. Jamalpur Sadar police officer-in-charge Mizanur Rahman confirmed the accident and said additional police were quickly deployed to control the situation. He added that legal action regarding the incident is underway.