United News of Bangladesh

Two journalists were seriously injured after being attacked while collecting news about an auction at the historic Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj on Thursday. The injured are Khairul Alam Faisal, 37, Kishoreganj district correspondent of Channel 24, and Faizul Islam Bhuiyan Pinku, 42, district correspondent of Global Television. The attack took place in front of the mosque’s auction room after Asr prayers. According to local sources, various items donated to the mosque are auctioned every day after the Asr prayers. A local group has allegedly been buying these items at low prices for a long time through a syndicate. The two journalists, along with other reporters, went there to collect information about the activities of the syndicate. At that time, members of the group allegedly created a mob and attacked the journalists, leaving Faisal and Pinku seriously injured. The injured journalists were later rescued with the help of Ansar members on duty and taken to hospital. They are now undergoing treatment. Pickup overturns in Kishoreganj, 1 Killed, 12 injured The incident was strongly condemned by the Kishoreganj Journalists Forum. Mohammad Abul Kalam Bhuiya, Officer in Charge of Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station, said police have detained two suspects named Jibon and Mona over the attack. “Police operations are continuing to arrest the others involved,” he said.

A six-year-old boy drowned in a pond beside his house in Kachua upazila of Chandpur on Thursday morning. The deceased was identified as Junaid Hossain, son of village police member Josna Akter of Aliyara village under Paschim Sohodebpur union. According to family members and local sources, Junaid woke up early in the morning while the rest of the family were asleep and went to the pond bank next to their house. It is believed that he slipped and fell into the pond while brushing his teeth and drowned. When the family could not find him for a long time, they started searching the surrounding areas. About two hours later, around 9am, locals spotted Junaid’s body floating in the pond beside the house. He was rescued and taken to the nearby Kachua Upazila Health Complex where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Body of missing child recovered from pond in Chandpur The tragic incident left his mother Josna Akter and other family members in deep grief. Police visited the spot after being informed, following instructions from Kachua Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Borhan Uddin.

A teacher of Comilla University was abducted by a group posing as Uber riders and robbed of Tk 97,500 while travelling from Cumilla to Dhaka. The victim, Abdur Razzak Sohel, a lecturer at the university’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department, filed a case with Cumilla Sadar South Police Station on Thursday against four unidentified people. The incident occurred in the Kotbari Bishwaroad area of Cumilla. Comilla University shut down indefinitely The criminals later took him to Daudkandi where they looted cash and money from his mobile banking accounts before releasing him. According to the victim, he went to the Kotbari area on Wednesday afternoon in a colleague’s private car for urgent work. He was waiting for a bus to Dhaka when a private car stopped in front of him. A man in the car asked if he had called an Uber. Although he said he had not, the man claimed his photo appeared on the app. When he tried to check the matter, three other people in the car forced him inside. The attackers beat him on the chest and head during the abduction. They later took him to an ATM booth of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited near Abid Market in Daudkandi. There they withdrew Tk 80,000 from his account in four transactions of Tk 20,000 each. The criminals also took Tk 15,000 from his wallet and around Tk 2,500 from his mobile banking account. Before releasing him, they removed the SIM card from his phone and reset the device. Sohel said the attackers threatened to burn him with acid and make him unconscious with chemicals. They later dropped him from the car and warned him not to look back, saying they would shoot if he did. Mohammad Sirajul Islam, Officer in Charge of Cumilla Sadar South Police Station, said a case has been filed against four unidentified people. “Police are investigating the incident and trying to arrest those involved,” he added.

A panel backed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the Chandpur District Bar Association election unopposed as no rival panel remained in the race. Chief Election Commissioner Advocate Mohammad Babor Bepari announced the names of the elected panel at the district bar association auditorium on Thursday afternoon. Advocate Md Shamsul Islam Montu was elected president while Advocate Zakir Hossain Faisal became general secretary. Other elected members of the BNP-backed panel include vice presidents Advocate Md Jahangir Hossain Sheikh and Advocate Shahriar Hossain Patwari, joint secretaries Advocate Zakir Hossain Patwari and Advocate Md Kaiyum Hossain Suman and treasurer Advocate Bibi Hawa. Advocate Shamim Hossain was elected library secretary, Advocate Faisal Ahmed sports and cultural affairs secretary and Advocate Shirin Akter Supta women affairs secretary. Executive members are Advocate Rozina Begum Chowdhury, Shahidullah Miji, Al Amin, Umme Hani and Md Rafiqul Islam. Two panels backed by BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami submitted nomination papers on February 26 for the election scheduled for March 5. The total number of voters was 382. Father accused of raping daughter in Chandpur, house locked by locals However, on March 1 the panel backed by Jamaat withdrew its full panel of nominations citing lack of a fair election environment. As a result, the BNP backed panel was elected unopposed.

The body of a local leader of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) was recovered with his hands and legs tied in Gazipur early Thursday. The victim, Kamruzzaman Molla, 65, was vice president of SHUJAN’s Gazipur district unit and a contractor by profession. Police recovered the body around 12:30 am from a sandy field in the Purba Dhirashram area of Gazipur city. The body was wrapped in clothes and his hands and legs were tied. Man’s charred body recovered in Gazipur Kamruzzaman was a resident of Gazipura area under Ward No. 50 of the city. Family members said he left home on Wednesday morning to go to the Gazipur court in connection with a case. The court proceedings did not take place as the scheduled judge was absent. Later he left his lawyer’s chamber but did not return home. When he did not return even late at night, his family members started searching for him. Around 2 am, police informed the family that his body had been recovered. Family members suspect he might have been killed over disputes related to business transactions. General Secretary of SHUJAN Gazipur district unit Iftekhar Shishir said Kamruzzaman Molla was a responsible leader of the organisation. He demanded a proper investigation and punishment for those involved in the killing. Sub Inspector Mizanur Rahman of Gazipur Sadar Police Station said criminals killed him sometime before 11 pm on Wednesday and left the body beside a road in the Dhirashram area. Local people spotted the body while passing through the area and informed police. Police later recovered the body and sent it to the morgue of Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Police suspect the murder might have occurred due to previous enmity. The victim’s son Koushik Zaman filed a murder case with the police station.

Burglars broke through a wall a jewellery shop at Khilgapn in Dhaka  and allegedly fled with gold and silver jewelleries on Wednesday night. Officer-in-Charge of Khilgaon Police Station Md Shafiqul Islam said the shop is situated on the ground floor of a residential building. “The theft likely took place on Wednesday night, but police were informed by the shop owner on Thursday,” the OC said. Initially, the owner claimed that 100 bhori of gold and 150 bhori of silver had been stolen, but later revised the gold loss to 50 bhori, he added. The exact amount of stolen items will be determined after further investigation, said the OC. Regarding CCTV footage, the OC said that police have not yet obtained any recordings from the scene. An investigation is currently underway, and a case is will be filed.

Detectives, in separate drives, arrested two more accused from Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district on Wednesday night, in connection with the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das on December 18. The arrestees were identified as Siam Ahmed, 19, of Dakuria, and Abdullah, 28, of Bhaluka upazila. Abdullah Al Mamun, additional superintendent of Mymensingh police, said detectives arrested the two accused over their alleged involvement in the murder with the help of technology and by analysing CCTV footage on Wednesday night. A team of DB police conducted a drive in Batajor Dakuria and arrested Siam around 8:30pm, while Abdullah was arrested from the Jamirdia area around 10pm. During preliminary investigation, police said the two accused played a key role in provoking the agitated crowd and encouraging them to assault the body. So far, a total of 25 accused have been arrested in connection with the murder of Dipu. Of them, 12 have already given confessional statements before the court, said ASP Abdullah. Dipu Chandra Das, 28, a local garment worker, was beaten to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district on December 18. His body was later set on fire. A case was filed in this connection the following day.

A former leader of Sramik Dal, BNP’s labour wing, was shot dead by some miscreants  at Dakbangla intersection in Khulna city on Wednesday night. The deceased was identified as Masum Billah, 55, former president of Rupsha Upazila Sramik Dal and former president of Rupsha–Bagerhat inter-district road transport workers’ union. Police arrested a suspect, identified as Ashok Ghosh, from the spot along with a foreign-made pistol. According to police and witnesses, Masum Billah was standing at  Dakbangla intersection when a group of miscreants opened fire on him. The attackers  hacked him with sharp weapons, leaving him critically injured and fled the scene. Locals rushed him to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Khulna Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (South) Tajul Islam said around six to seven assailants took part in what appeared to be a contract killing. “They came with a plan to kill Masum Billah. After shooting and attacking him with sharp weapons, they fled,” he said. A traffic inspector noticed one of the suspects, Ashok Ghosh, carrying a pistol at his waist while attempting to escape. With the help of local people, police managed to detain him from the spot and recovered a foreign-made pistol and bullets from his possession. Police said efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

A former member of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) was killed in a road accident on the Narail-Jashore highway on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Md Bulbul Akhter, 64, son of the late Abdus Samad of Kurigram, residing in the municipal area. The accident occurred at around 5:30pm near the new bus terminal on the Narail-Jashore highway. Family sources said Bulbul Akhter was riding a motorcycle from his home to the main road when a passenger bus coming from Jashore ran over him, leaving him seriously injured. Locals rescued him and took him to Narail District Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead upon arrival. Md Oli Mia, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Narail Sadar Police Station, said police were sent to the scene and the hospital after receiving information about the accident. Further legal action is underway following discussions with the family of the deceased.

A father on Monday in Jhenaidah has formally disowned his son for involvement in banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activities, the youth wing of the Awami League. The declaration was made through an affidavit submitted at the Jhenaidah District Notary Public office. According to the affidavit, businessman Md. Abu Zafar (48) of Aruakandi village in Porahati Union, Jhenaidah Sadar, declared his son Md. Nahid Hasan Shobuj (24) as a disowned child. Shobuj currently serves as the joint general secretary of BCL Jhenaidah Government Keshabchandra College branch. Abu Zafar stated that his son has long been living a disobedient and reckless life, staying separately from the family and acting on his own will. He also criticized Shobuj for continuing to participate in BCL activities even after the organization was banned on August 5, 2024. In particular, he mentioned an incident on February 21, when Shobuj hoisted the party flag at the abandoned Jhenaidah District Awami League office, a video of which went viral on social media, causing embarrassment to the family. The affidavit further clarified that Shobuj’s income, responsibilities, and actions will have no connection with his father or any other family members. The family will not bear responsibility for any of his misconduct, and all legal and blood relations with the family are considered severed. Abu Zafar said, I do not want my son to engage in any activities against the country’s laws and policies. Despite repeated warnings, he did not reform, leaving me with no choice but to take this difficult decision. The legal process was completed through Jhenaidah District Judge Court lawyer Md. Sadatur Rahman Hadi. Efforts to reach Chhatra League leader Nahid Hasan Shobuj for comment were unsuccessful, as his phone remained unanswered.