United News of Bangladesh

A 28-year-old man was killed after being struck by lightning while fishing in the Rangsa River in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh on Wednesday. Victim Saddam Hossain was the son of Hamed Ali of the same village. He earned his livelihood through fishing and farming. The incident took place in the afternoon in the Chaurabari area of Gabargati village in Galagaon union of the upazila, said Galagaon Union Parishad acting chairman Yasin Ali. Quoting locals, police said Saddam Hossain went fishing in the Rangsa River near his house around 1:30 pm. He was struck by lightning during rain and died on the spot. Later, his neighbors and relatives recovered his body and brought it home. Md. Tanbir Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tarakanda Police Station, said police visited the scene and a case of unnatural death (UD) is under process.

At least five houses were completely damaged and over 50 others were partially damaged as a Nor’wester swept through Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district on Tuesday afternoon. The storm, accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds, hit Nababganj and Solimpur villages under Nilganj union in the afternoon, damaging houses and uprooting hundreds of trees. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 185 millimetres of rainfall in Patuakhali district in the 24 hours until 10am Wednesday. Sea conditions remained rough, while fishing trawlers stayed in safe shelter. Kalapara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kawsar Hamid said lists of the affected families are being prepared and higher authorities have been informed for necessary assistance.

A man was killed in a lightning strike while his toddler daughter narrowly escaped in Rajbari Sadar upazila on Wednesday morning. The deceased was identified as Sumon Mondal,35, son of Siddiq Mondal of Mojjatkol village under Mizanpur union. When Sumon was heading to a nearby shop carrying his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Safia in his arms  a lightning strike hit them, causing Sumon to collapse on the spot. The child was thrown from his arms but survived without serious injury. Locals rescued them and took Sumon to Rajbari Sadar Hospital where doctors at the emergency department declared him dead. The child is in stable condition now. Mizampur Union Parishad administrator and Sadar upazila agriculture officer Md. Jony Khan said a pall of grief has descended on the area following the tragic death.

Three people including a child were killed and at least 11 others injured in a collision between a truck and a microbus in Bansher Tal area in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram late Tuesday night. The deceased were identified as Sadia Akter, 7, daughter of Shamim Mia, Nur Nabi, 28, son of Zahidul Islam, and Limon, 38, the driver of the microbus. All were residents of different areas in Bhurungamari upazila. Officer-in-Charge of Nageshwari Police Station Abdullah Hil Zaman said the truck coming from Bhurungamari collided with the microbus heading from Kurigram around 11:30 pm: leaving two people on the spot. Another died after being taken to a local hospital. Several of the injured were in critical condition and sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for advance treatment. Police and fire service personnel rushed to the scene and carried out rescue operations. The OC said they are working to determine the cause of the accident.

Low-lying areas of the port city went under water on Tuesday after just a few hours of rain, causing widespread suffering for residents even before the monsoon season begins. Waterlogging persisted throughout the day, leaving key areas, including Probortok Mor, Chawkbazar and Agrabad, submerged under knee-to-waist-deep water, disrupting normal life. Continuous rainfall from the morning triggered severe waterlogging across the city, submerging roads in several areas and bringing traffic to a near standstill. An ambulance carrying a patient to Chattogram Medical College Hospital got stuck in waist-deep water around noon. Morshedul Alam, a relative of the patient, expressed frustration, saying the hospital was only a few hundred yards away but they remained stranded for over half an hour.

A devastating fire broke out at a date warehouse in Bogura town on Tuesday afternoon, causing extensive damage to goods and equipment. The incident occurred around 4:00 pm at a warehouse of Messrs Sayem Traders in the Jamilnagar area, in front of Azizul Haque College. On information, two units of Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after about 30 minutes of effort. According to local sources, the fire started suddenly in the afternoon and spread rapidly across the warehouse. Members of Bogura Sadar Police Station were also present at the spot. Dr Raihan, elder son of the owner of Sayem Traders, said dates imported from abroad and different parts of the country were sorted and repackaged at the warehouse. He added that empty cartons worth around Tk 60–70 lac stored on the roof were destroyed in the fire. More than one container of imported dates, two packaging machines and a pickup van were completely gutted, while another vehicle was partially damaged. The total loss is estimated to exceed Tk 2.5 cr, he said. Assistant Director of Bogura Fire Service Rafiquzzaman said two units worked to bring the fire under control. The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed.

A nor’wester lashed Matiranga and Guimara upazilas of Khagrachhari on Tuesday, snapping power supply to thousands of residents and severing road communication with Dhaka and Chattogram. The storm which began around 11:30am uprooted numerous big trees, damaged homes, crops and infrastructure. According to locals, a 4-kilometre stretch of the Khagrachhari–Chattogram road — from Muslim Para to Rasulpur and Bailyachhari Budung Para was blocked after large trees fell across the road. Action to be taken against those involved in Khagrachhari hill cutting: Probe body chief

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader has been temporarily relieved of his party post following allegations of attempting to rape a woman by luring her with the promise of a “family card” in Rangpur’s Mithapukur upazila. The accused, Enamul Haque, is the assistant organising secretary of Bhangni Union BNP under Mithapukur upazila. Mithapukur Upazila BNP President Golam Rabbani confirmed on Tuesday ,April 28, that Enamul has been temporarily relieved of his post following the incident. A press release was issued in this regard. 2 arrested over alleged gang-rape of teenage girl in Savar According to the complaint, the victim, the wife of a van driver from Thakurbari village under Bhangni Union, had earlier worked in favour of the BNP’s “Dhaner Shis” symbol during the national parliamentary election. During that time, she became acquainted with Enamul Haque. After the election, the BNP leader allegedly promised her a “family card” as a reward for her support in election-related work. On Saturday (April 25) around 12pm, Enamul reportedly visited the woman’s house to collect her mobile number for processing the family card. Taking advantage of the absence of other family members, he allegedly attempted to engage in indecent conversation and later tried to rape her by grabbing her, according to the victim. The woman said she managed to push him away and escaped. She further alleged that after the incident became known, the accused claimed that “no one can do anything against him.” She also said that Enamul had come to her house under the pretext of providing the family card after Eid and demanded justice for the incident, noting that her husband is a van driver and they are a poor family. However, Enamul Haque denied the allegations, claiming that no such incident took place and that he was being falsely implicated due to personal enmity. He, however, could not explain why he was being allegedly framed. Upazila BNP President Golam Rabbani said a probe committee has been formed and Enamul has been temporarily suspended from his party post. He added that if found guilty in the investigation, he will be permanently expelled. Mithapukur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Nuruzzaman said legal action will be taken if a written complaint is filed following investigation.

A woman was allegedly killed by her daughter in Jashore’s Keshabpur municipality late Monday night. The deceased was identified as Gouri Rani, 72, wife of late Kalipada Adhikari of Shahapara area in Keshabpur. According to local sources, Gouri’s daughter Dipti Adhikari, 48, wife of late Tarun Adhikari of Nagarghop area in neighbouring Monirampur upazila, had come to visit her mother three to four days ago. Dipti, who is reportedly mentally unstable. On Tuesday morning, Dipti’s brother-in-law Pabitra Adhikari, went to the house to take her back to her in-laws’ home. When he went upstairs, he found Gouri Rani lying dead on the floor, while Dipti was sitting naked in the bathroom nearby. Locals suspect that Dipti struck her mother on the forehead and back of the head with a kitchen cutting tool (boti) during the night, causing severe bleeding that led to her death on the spot. Parts of the sharp weapon were found lying beside the body. On information, police recovered the body on Tuesday afternoon and detained the accused daughter. Confirming the matter, Shahidul Islam, inspector of Keshabpur Police Station, said police also recovered parts of the cutting tool from the spot. He added that the accused is reportedly mentally unstable and legal steps are underway in this regard.

A woman was stabbed to death allegedly by her husband in Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet district early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Farhana Begum, wife of Sohel Ahmed of Borobond Khanda village under Lakshmiprasad West union in the upazila. According to locals, Sohel used to inflict torture on Farhana, a mother of three, frequently. She went away to her parents’ house two days ago due to torture, they said. Woman stabbed to death ‘by husband’ in Dhaka On Monday, Farhana was staying at her maternal uncle’s house at Mohail village under Dorbost union. Later that night, Sohel and one of his cousins allegedly brought her back to his house in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. Family members alleged that Farhana was stabbed around 2:00am on Tuesday, leaving her dead on the spot. Victim’s brother Selim Uddin alleged that Sohel was a drug addict and frequently assaulted Farhana. He said several local arbitration meetings had previously been held over the issue. Selim said Farhana often sought shelter at her parents’ home to escape the abuse. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Officer-in-Charge of Kanaighat Police Station Aminul Islam said police are conducting drives to arrest the accused.