United News of Bangladesh

Unidentified miscreants set fire to a parked school bus in Manikganj early Friday, seriously injuring the driver asleep inside. The driver, Parvez Khan, 55, of Baraivikra village in Manikganj Sadar, was rescued by police as the fire quickly spread. Suman Chakraborty, sub-inspector of Shibalaya Police Station said the incident occurred around 3:00am in Folsatia area of Shibalaya upazila.  Abandoned train coach set on fire in Tejgaon; two suspects held The bus, belonging to The Holy Child School and College and used for student transport, was parked by the Dhaka-Aricha highway at the time. Parvez was first taken to the Sadar hospital and later referred to Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute for advanced treatment, he added. Shibalaya Police Station Officer-in-Charge SM Aman Ullah said that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the incident was an act of sabotage, and legal action is underway.

Police recovered four bomb-like objects in Terokhada upazila of Khulna on Friday morning, following three explosions near the house of a local union parishad member that sparked panic among residents. Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Terokhada Police Station, said the blasts occurred around 3:30 a.m. at the entrance of UP member Bellal Molla’s house in Parhajigram Katasia Bazar area of Madhupur Union. He added that four abandoned cocktail-like devices were later recovered and are now being examined after being submerged in water. OC Mehedi said locals spotted small red containers at separate locations and informed the police. Man hurt in cocktail blasts at DU's TSC Later, a team from Terokhada Police Station recovered the objects. Meanwhile, several leaflets titled “Dhaka Lockdown” were found in the area, heightening public concern. “An investigation is underway to determine the source and motive behind the incidents,” the OC said.  

Four people, including a woman, were killed in three separate road accidents in Magura district on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Saiful Islam Tamim, 18, Shanto Pratim Mondal, 18, Sagor Ahmed, 32, and Rina Khatun. Details about Sagor Ahmed and Rina Khatun could not be immediately confirmed. Tamim and Shanto were second-year students at Bunagati Degree College, said Ayub Ali, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Magura Police Station. Eyewitnesses said that around noon, Tamim was riding a motorcycle with Shanto towards Berail Bazar in Magura Sadar. Near the Chandpur Sub-Health Center, they lost control and collided with a mango tree. Saiful Islam Tamim died on the spot, while Shanto, who was seriously injured, was rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital but died en route. In another incident, pedestrian Sagor Ahmed was fatally struck by a speeding motorcycle in front of the Fire Service office in Mohammadpur Upazila. Later on Thursday night, a housewife, Rina Khatun, died in a motorcycle accident at Bhayna intersection in Magura town. Separate cases have been filed at Magura Police Station in connection with all three incidents, said Abul Kalam Azad, in-charge of Shatrujitpur Police Investigation Center.

A local leader of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Rangunia Upazila on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Abdul Mannan, 40, son of Md. Nazer Sawdagar of Ward No. 3. He served as the vice-president of the Sarafbhata Union unit of Sramik Dal. Quoting local sources, Sabbir Md. Selim, officer-in-charge (OC) of South Rangunia Police Station, said that Mannan was traveling by motorcycle from Khetra Bazar to Shilak village around 10 p.m. when attackers opened fire, leaving him dead on the spot. Police recovered the body from the scene and sent it to Chittagong Medical College for an autopsy, he added.      

The sculpture ‘Ek Torjoni’, featuring raised index of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was demolished during a protest in Jhenaidah on Thursday. The incident took place around 10am at the Swadhinata Chattar in the Chuadanga Bus Stand area. Eyewitness said the protesters, who brought out a procession against the Awami League’s “lockdown” destroyed the sculpture using a bulldozer. The same monument had been partially damaged on August 5 last year during the July uprising. Saidur Rahman, member secretary of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) in Jhenaidah, said, the fascist Awami League has committed arson and killings in the past to illegally cling to power, and it continues to do the same today. He also said that during the July uprising, the Awami League and ex-pm Sheikh Hasina crippled thousands of people and killed more than 1,500 student protesters. BNP ‘factional’ clash leaves 15 injured in Jhenaidah “The streets are still soaked with the blood of the martyrs. Yet the Awami League, like a pack of hyenas, has once again resorted to arson and violence. That is why the enraged students demolished the monument of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of BAKSAL,” he added. Abdullah Al Mamun, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station said that police visited the spot after receiving information.  

A worker was killed after being trapped inside a mud-mixing machine at a brick kiln in Manirampur upazila of Jashore on Thursday noon. The deceased was identified as Zakir Hossain, 44, son of Abdul Khalek of Munshikhanpur village under the same upazila. He worked at the “Vold Bricks” kiln located in the Sarupdaho area on the Manirampur-Nowapara road and was in charge of operating the mud-mixing machine. According to fire service officials, Zakir got stuck inside the machine while cleaning it around noon.  “Zakir entered the machine to clean it after stopping the gear. Suddenly, the gear started moving again, and he was caught and crushed inside,” said Safayat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Manirampur Fire Service Station. Bus torched in Jashore Firefighters recovered his dismembered body after a three-hour rescue operation. His remains were later handed over to police. Bablur Rahman Khan, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manirampur Police Station, said, “The victim’s family did not file any complaint over the incident. The body was handed over to his relatives without an autopsy in the evening.”    

Police have recovered 32 petrol bombs on Dhaka-Khulna highway at Mansurabad in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur district on Thursday. Tipped off, a team of police rushed to the spot and recovered the petrol bombs kept in a luggage, along the highway around 1 pm, said Ashraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Bhanga Police Station. Police suspected that these bombs were kept there to carry out sabotage.  However, no one was arrested in this connection. Investigation is underway, said the OC.    

A college student was killed in a road accident in  Hamdoh area of Jhenaidah sadar upazila on Thursday noon. The deceased was identified as Swadhin Ahmed, 19, son of Rawshan Hossain of Chhota Kamarkundu village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila. Swadhin was a 12th-grade student at Laudia Mashiur Rahman Degree College. The accident occurred around 12:30 pm when Swadhin was heading towards Jhenaidah town after finishing his exams. Witness Shamsur Rahman said Swadhin fell on the road after an auto-rickshaw hit his motorbike and then a speeding truck coming from the same direction ran over him. Locals rescued the injured student and took him to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital where a doctor the hospital’s emergency department declared him dead. Abdullah Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station, said police are trying to locate the truck involved in the accident. A case has been filed in this connection.  

Detectives in a drive arrested former Chuadanga municipality mayor Riazul Islam Joarder Toton from Bashundhara area of the capital on Thursday. Tipped off, a team of DB conducted a drive in the area and arrested Toton, former joint general secretary of Chuadanga district unit Awami League and younger brother of former MP Solaiman Haque Joarder Selun, said Mohammad Nasirul Islam, joint commissioner of DB of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Operation Devil Hunt: 9 arrested in Kuakata He said Toton was arrested on charges of plotting acts of sabotage centering the ‘lockdown’ across the country. Toton was wanted in four cases in Chudanga.    

A police single-cabin pickup caught fire in front of Ramna Police Station near Kakrail intersection on Wednesday due to a mechanical malfunction, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). The vehicle broke down earlier in the day, and a mechanic was called to repair it. Despite several attempts, the vehicle could not be made operational. Eventually, the engine overheated and caught fire, leaving the mechanic slightly injured, said DMP's DC media Talebur Rahman. The DMP official stated that some individuals on social media are misrepresenting the incident, but clarified that it was purely an accident. They urged everyone not to spread confusion regarding the matter. Earlier in the morning, a microbus also caught fire on Airport Road in the capital due to mechanical failure, police added.