United News of Bangladesh

Students of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) staged demonstrations blocking a road in Gazipur for the second consecutive day on Friday, declaring the newly appointed vice-chancellor “persona non grata” and demanding that the next VC be appointed from among the university’s own faculty members. After Jummah prayers, several hundred students took position on the Shimultali road adjacent to the university’s main gate and held a protest rally, disrupting vehicular movement for nearly an hour. Earlier, the protesters brought out a procession from the university’s central mosque premises, which marched across the campus before joining the road blockade. During the demonstration, students chanted slogans such as, “Our only demand—We want a VC from DUET” and “DUET’s VC must come from DUET.” Students from different departments joined the programme. The protesters said DUET, as a specialised engineering university, has a unique academic and administrative structure, and teachers from within the institution have better experience and understanding of its needs and challenges. They argued that appointing a VC from among DUET’s own senior and qualified faculty members will help ensure the university’s overall development, research activities and academic environment. Students also expressed concern that appointing an outsider as VA could create complications in preserving the university’s distinct identity and implementing long-term institutional plans. They urged the authorities to reconsider the recent appointment and appoint a qualified VC from within DUET. Earlier on Thursday, the students staged demonstration soon after the appointment of Prof Dr Mohammad Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as the DUET vice chancellor.  

The official mango harvesting season began in Natore on Friday in line with the schedule set by the district administration, with growers starting to collect early-season varieties from orchards across the district. The harvesting of Guti variety mangoes formally began in the morning, with leaseholders plucking naturally ripened Baishakhi mangoes from government orchards in the Bhaturia area of Sadar upazila. Harvesting and marketing activities were also underway in different mango-producing areas of the district. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) expects around 68,316 tonnes of mangoes worth nearly Tk 400 crore to be produced this season from 5,693 hectares of orchards across the district. Md Habibul Islam Khan, deputy director of the district DAE, said Natore has already secured its position as the fourth-largest mango-producing district in northern Bangladesh. He said the district’s renowned Tamaltala and Ahmadpur mango markets witness transactions worth crores of taka every day during the peak season, attracting traders from Dhaka and different parts of the country. Traders collect a wide range of sweet and popular mango varieties from these wholesale markets for distribution nationwide, he added. According to agriculture officials, mango harvesting, trading and marketing activities in Natore are expected to continue until October.

A worker was killed after being buried under soil while cutting earth at a brick kiln in Lama upazila of Bandarban on Friday. The deceased was identified as Md Saiful Islam, son of Mahbub Alam of Ramyakhola village. The incident occurred at SBM Brick Kiln in the remote Ramyakhola area under Fythong union. According to local sources, Saiful was loading excavated soil onto vehicles for brick-making in the morning, as he did regularly. Suddenly, a large chunk of soil slid down from a nearby hill and buried him. Co-workers rescued him and took him to nearby Chakaria Upazila Health Complex in Cox’s Bazar, where doctors declared him dead. Officer-in-Charge of Lama Police Station Muhammad Shahjahan Kamal said they were investigating the incident and take legal action accordingly.

The government has provided financial assistance for the families of those died and those fell ill after being bitten by a rabid dog in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district recently. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Masudur Rahman Molla and local lawmaker Majedur Rahman handed over assistance to the relatives of the deceased and the injured at an event on the Konchibari Union Parishad premises on Friday. Under the initiative of the Gaibandha district administration, Tk 25,000 was provided for each family of the deceased, while the injured received Tk 15,000 each. Additional Deputy Commissioner AKM Hedaitul Islam and Sundarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Effat Zahan Tuli, among others, were present at the event. At least five people have died within a week after being bitten by the rabid dog at different villages of Konchibari and Chaprohati unions in Sundarganj, creating panic amid an alleged shortage of anti-rabies vaccines at local health facilities. The latest victim, Yasmin Sultana, 40, died at her home in Bajra Konchibari village on Wednesday. According to locals, the dog attacked at least 14 people, including women and children, on April 22. The injured victims initially received treatment locally before going to Gaibandha General Hospital in search of anti-rabies vaccines. Earlier, Afroza Begum, 50, died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Nanda Rani and Fulu Mia died on May 6, while Ratneshwar Kumar, a mason, died on May 8. Earlier on Monday, the upazila administration provided Tk 10,000 in financial assistance for each family of the deceased.

A fish trader was hacked to death in an attack allegedly by a teen gang in Barishal city early Friday. The deceased was identified as Babu Sikder, 30, son of Kalam Sikder of the Palashpur area under ward No. 5 of the city. According to victim’s brother Naim Hossain, Madhu alias Tokai Madhu had been demanding extortion from Babu for a long time. On Thursday night, Babu had an altercation with Madhu over the issue. Before Fajr prayers today, Madhu called Babu over the mobile phone asking him to go to a local mosque to settle the matter through arbitration. However, a group of juveniles, led by Madhu, attacked Babu at the Tin-rasta intersection of Palashpur on the way to the mosque and hacked him indiscriminately, leaving him injured. He was rushed to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Naim claimed that Madhu’s associates, including Rubel, Raju, Sajjad and Saikat, also took part in the attack. Officer-in-Charge of Kaunia Police Station Sanjit Chandra Nath said the murder was linked to a teen gang, adding that drugs may have played a role in the incident. Local residents caught two suspected gang members and handed them over to police. The OC said drives were underway to arrest the remaining suspects. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy.

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) detained three suspected robbers after an exchange of gunfire during a two-day operation in the Sundarbans, officials said on Friday. During the drive, they also recovered firearms, locally made weapons, ammunition and communication equipment from the suspects, said BCG Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan. The detainees were identified as Md Mehedi Hasan, 25, and Md Ramzan Sharif, 19, of Mongla upazila in Bagerhat district, and Md Enayet, 25, of Bhanga upazila in Faridpur district. The recovered items include three single-barrel guns, a locally made pistol, 49 rounds of live ammunition, 187 rounds of airgun pellets, two walkie-talkie sets and four walkie-talkie chargers. According to the BCG official, members of the notorious “Karim Sharif’” gang were staying in the Mara Chanmia Khali canal area along the Shela River in the Sundarbans. Acting on a tip-off, the BCG personnel from Base Mongla and Station Kokilmoni launched a special operation titled “Operation Mangrove Shield” in the area from 5:00pm on Wednesday, which continued for two days. “During the operation, the robbers opened fire after sensing the presence of Coast Guard members. The coastguards also returned fire in self-defence,” said Sujan. At one stage, the suspects attempted to flee, but the force members chased and detained three alleged active members of the gang, he added. During preliminary interrogation, the detainees reportedly confessed to being involved with the “Karim Sharif” gang for a long time and to abducting fishermen and forest workers for ransom. “Such operations will continue to make the Sundarbans free from robber gangs and their associates,” Suajn added.

The much-awaited Himsagar mango, one of the most popular and delicious varieties grown in Satkhira, officially hit local markets on Friday as growers began harvesting the fruit in line with the district administration’s mango calendar. Mango farmers across the district started plucking the variety from their orchards from Friday as the fruit has now reached full maturity, officials said. Wholesale prices of Himsagar mangoes were recorded at Tk 2,300 to Tk 2,400 per maund in local markets. Hafizul Islam Khoka, a mango grower from Kukrali area of Satkhira town, said Himsagar mangoes from his orchard are being exported to the United Kingdom and Italy. “About four tonnes of Himsagar mangoes from my orchard are being shipped abroad today,” he said. Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Monir Hossain said Himsagar mangoes have now fully matured and farmers have been allowed to market the variety from Friday. He said harvesting of Langra mangoes will begin on May 27, while Amrapali mangoes can be marketed from June 5 under the official schedule. The district’s mango harvesting season began on May 5 with Gobindabhog and Gopalbhog varieties, he added. The Department of Agricultural Extension has set a target to produce 70,000 tonnes of mangoes in Satkhira this season, with expectations to export around 100 tonnes to international markets.  

A construction worker in Feni allegedly killed a woman to death and stole her gold earrings in May 12 in a desperate attempt to repay loan instalments, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has said. The accused, Saiful Islam, 29, a resident of Chhoshna village under Sarishadi union in Feni Sadar upazila, was arrested from the Bayezid area of Chattogram city on Thursday following a technology-assisted operation by PBI. Addressing a press briefing on Thursday night, PBI Feni Superintendent of Police Ukya Singh said Saiful confessed during primary interrogation that he had planned to rob his employer’s gold earrings to repay loan instalments after allegedly being humiliated by loan recovery officials at his home. In the afternoon of May 12, victim Rina Akter, 40, wife of Saudi expatriate Md Manik Mia, visited their under-construction house in the Chhoshna area to inspect ongoing work. Taking advantage of the situation, Saiful allegedly attacked her, stole the pair of gold earrings she was wearing, and killed her by strangulation, the PBI official said. He then buried the body under a pile of sand inside one of the rooms of the under-construction building in an attempt to conceal the crime. Investigators said the accused later fled the scene and sold the stolen earrings at a local gold shop in Mohammad Ali Bazar for Tk 15,000 before escaping to Chattogram. Based on intelligence information and technological tracking, a PBI team later raided a residence in Bayezid and arrested him, officials said. A murder case was filed with Feni Model Police Station by the victim’s eldest son against unidentified persons.

Police have recovered the bodies of a woman and her minor daughter buried near a pond at Ansardangi village in Sadar upazila of Faridpur. The deceased were identified as Jahanara Akhter, 32, wife of Amjad Sheikh of Parashullah Matubbar Para in Char Daulatdia of Goalanda upazila in Rajbari, and their four-year-old daughter Samia Akhter. Police recovered the bodies around 4:00pm on Thursday after receiving information from locals. According to family members, the mother and daughter had been missing since May 4 after going to attend a Kulkhani (post-funeral ceremony) at a relative’s house in the Char Daulatdia Haat area. Amjad Sheikh alleged that a local brick kiln worker, Ujjal Sheikh, might be involved in the killings. He claimed that Ujjal had previously been involved in mediation over an alleged extramarital affair involving his wife. On Thursday night, Faridpur Kotwali Police, with assistance from Goalanda Police Station, took Ujjal Sheikh into custody for questioning over the incident. Locals said several farmers working in nearby fields first noticed a foul smell coming from the bank of a pond owned by Hakim Ullah in the border area between Rajbari and Faridpur. As they approached the spot, they reportedly saw part of a human foot protruding from the soil while stray dogs were roaming nearby. They immediately informed the Goalanda Ghat Police Station. Md Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Goalanda Ghat Police Station, said police recovered the bodies by digging the soil with the help of local people. He said police from Faridpur Kotwali Police Station also reached the spot around 4:30pm as the area lies near the boundary of the two districts. “Senior police officials from both districts visited the scene. Later, with the help of local representatives and land surveyors, it was confirmed that the area falls under Faridpur district,” the OC said. The bodies were later handed over to Faridpur Kotwali Police Station for further legal procedures, he added.  

Cattle farmers and householders in Chapainawabganj are busy taking care of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, with more than 2 lakh animals prepared in the district this year. According to the District Livestock Department, 226,050 animals, including cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes, have been prepared for sacrifice. Against a local demand of 167,020 animals, the district has a surplus of 58,848. Visits to different areas of the district showed that farmers are providing intensive care to animals at farms and homes. Farmers said they raise the animals naturally with nutritious feed, without using steroids or harmful substances. However, many expressed concerns over rising production costs and profit uncertainty due to increased animal feed prices.