United News of Bangladesh

The residents of Sylhet city are facing a severe electricity crisis as frequent load -shedding since Wednesday has caused immense suffering amid sweltering heat. Large parts of the city plunged into darkness on Wednesday evening, leaving residents struggling to cope with. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in Sylhet said the country is experiencing power cuts due to several major plants going off suddenly because of mechanical failures. BPDB officials, however,  expressed the hope that the situation may improve within two to three days. Officials in Sylhet said multiple outages are being carried out both during the day and night owing to a shortage in the national grid. The crisis could ease if supply from the grid increases. According to BPDB, Sylhet’s current electricity demand stands at over 40 megawatts, while supply from the national grid is only 25.30 megawatts.  This shortfall has forced authorities to impose frequent power cuts every day, said Shams-E-Arefin, Executive Engineer of BPDB’s Sales and Distribution Division-2 in Sylhet. On Tuesday, the Amberkhana substation received 13 megawatts, Sheikhghat substation 9 megawatts, and Lakkatura substation only 3.3 megawatts. “We are receiving limited power from the national grid, so it is not possible to meet the city’s demand. It remains uncertain how long this situation will persist. The crisis will ease once adequate supply from the national grid resumes,” said Arefin.

The first day of a 48-hour strike demanding the retention of four parliamentary seats in Bagerhat ended on Wednesday amid road blockades, protest marches, sit-ins, street meetings, and public inconvenience. Meanwhile, in Faridpur’s Bhanga, protesters have announced an indefinite road blockade against the reorganisation of parliamentary seats. According to the pre-planned schedule, supporters of the strike set fires and placed tree branches on roads from 6 am Wednesday to demonstrate their support. Leaders and activists of the All-Party Joint Committee held sit-ins, intermittent marches, and street meetings at over a hundred key points across the district. As a result, public transport across all roads in Bagerhat came to a complete halt. Long-distance buses to Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, and 16 other routes were also suspended. Children and teenagers were seen playing cricket on the empty roads, while people needing to travel for medical emergencies, examinations, or other urgent purposes faced severe hardship, often walking long distances on foot. On Bagerhat-Pirojpur Highway, roads at Fatepur, Boitpur, and on Khulna-Bagerhat Highway at Mathavanga and Barakpur were blocked by protesters, who reportedly created obstacles even for people with urgent needs. However, leaders of the All-Party Joint Committee asked activists to refrain from such behavior. Highways blocked in Bagerhat over constituency retention Former district BNP president and co-convener of the joint committee, M.A. Salam, said, “We do not wish for public suffering. The Election Commission’s arbitrary decision has caused people inconvenience. But this is the demand of every citizen of the district. We are protesting together in solidarity.” Throughout the day, leaders and activists of the All-Party Joint Committee conducted intermittent protest marches at various locations, including Mongla, Rampal, Fakirhat, Mollahat, Chitalmari, Kachua, Morelganj, Sharankhola, and Bagerhat Sadar. The committee has announced that the strike will continue until 6 am on Friday (Sept 12). They also said a writ petition will be filed in the High Court if the Election Commission does not issue a decision by then. Bagerhat had long been represented by four parliamentary constituencies. On July 30, ahead of the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, the Election Commission proposed reducing one of Bagerhat’s four seats, leaving the district with three. This sparked protests among local residents, who participated in hearings demanding retention of all four seats. Despite this, the Election Commission issued a final gazette on Sept 4, changing only the boundaries and leaving three seats intact. According to the final gazette, the constituencies are Bagerhat-1 (Bagerhat Sadar-Chitalmari-Mollahat), Bagerhat-2 (Fakirhat-Rampal-Mongla), and Bagerhat-3 (Kachua-Morelganj-Sharankhola). Previously, Bagerhat-1 included Chitalmari-Mollahat-Fakirhat, Bagerhat-2 included Bagerhat Sadar-Kachua, Bagerhat-3 included Rampal-Mongla, and Bagerhat-4 included Morelganj-Sharankhola. Protesters said the new arrangement ignores the people’s demand.

A motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a truck in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat on Wednesday night. The tragic accident took place around 8:45 pm near Soro Bazar area, police said. The deceased was identified as Belal Hossain, 35, son of Abdul Jabbar Hossain from the Bengkanda area of the upazila. The accident occurred around the Saro Bazar area while he was riding his motorcycle from Sarkar’s Haat to Patgram. Police and locals said a truck coming from Burimari ran over Belal Hossain, leaving him dead on the spot. Man killed as tree falls on him in Lalmonirhat Officer-in-Charge of Patgram Police Station, Mizanur Rahman, said, “We reached the spot soon after receiving the news. The family of the deceased has come to the station. Legal action will be taken based on their complaint.”

Two brothers were killed allegedly  by their uncle and cousins over a long-standing dispute in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi on Wednesday evening.  The incident took place around 5:30 pm at Bailab village in Chakradha union.   The victims were Oliul Islam Sohag, 40, and Sazzad Hossain Rana, 35, sons of retired army personnel Asaduzzaman Montu. Their mother, Shamima Akter, was also seriously injured. According to police and local sources, the dispute started over water from a tubewell used by Didar and Bidyut, which flowed into Sohag’s land. On Wednesday, the argument escalated when uncle Mamun and his sons attacked the two brothers with knives, sticks, and rods. Rana died on the spot from stab wounds. Sohag was rushed to Shibpur Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead. Shamima Akter, the grieving mother of Sohag and Rana, said, “Their tubewell water comes into our land, making it hard for us to move around. My younger son Rana told his uncle about it, and Mamun with his sons attacked him with knives. When my elder son Sohag ran to help, they hit him with sticks and stabbed him until he fell. I want justice for my sons.” Man killed, wife injured in familial feud in Narsingdi Officer-in-Charge  of Shibpur Model Police Station, Afzal Hossain, confirmed the incident. “The killings happened due to a long-running family feud. Both bodies have been sent to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. No arrests have been made yet. Investigation is ongoing, and legal action will follow”, he added.

Miscreants  killed a 40-year-old man, who was an accused in 17 robbery cases, after slitting his throat at Noagaon village in Bahubal upazila early Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Jamal Mia, son of Abdur Rahman of the village. Quoting wife of Jamal, Zahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bahubal Model Police Station, said some 10/15 miscreants swooped on the house of Jamal around 4 am and took them out of the house. Later, the miscreants took Jamal to a paddy field and killed him after slitting his throat and went away, said the wife. Police arrested a man in connection with the murder.    

A rickshaw-puller was killed as a tree fell on him while cutting it at Kachua Para in Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Rahmat Ali ,47, son of late Posor Mamud from Kachua Para area. Police said when Rahamat Ali was cutting a tree in the afternoon on the land of a nearby graveyard the tree fell on him, leaving him seriously injured. Land dispute in Pabna; one killed, another injured Local people  rescued him but he succumbed to his injuries on the way to Patgram Upazila Health Complex. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Patgram police station  Mizanur Rahman said police were sent to the scene after receiving the news.

Two people were killed and four others injured in a clash between two rival groups over establishing dominance at Bagoan Kandipara village in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia early Wednesday. The deceased were Sarfan Sardar,50, son of  late Hamar Sardar and Baizid Sardar,35, son of late  Bichar Sardar. Locals said supporters of Mondal group and Sardar group attacked each other with sharp weapons over previous enmity around 12:30 am, leaving Sarfan dead on the spot. One killed in Narsingdi clash  Injured Baizid Sardar was taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in critical condition where he died. Four others injured victims were admitted to a local hospital. Sarfan Sardar’s daughter, Mim Khatun, said,“My father was called out from home at night and brutally killed by the rival group in a nearby garden, his legs and throat slashed.” Daulatpur police station Officer-in-Charge Solaiman Sheikh said two supporters of Sardar group were killed in the clash. The bodies were sent to the morgue for postmortem. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area, he added.

Local residents in Faridpur have once again blocked two highways for the third consecutive day on Wednesday morning protesting the demarcation of constituencies by the Election Commission . The protests began around 9:00 am, leaving trucks and buses stranded on the roads. The residents are protesting against the recent demarcation of constituencies in Faridpur and are demanding a reversal of the changes. Earlier, they had blocked the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway at the Bhanga roundabout and another major highway twice, causing severe suffering to commuters. Collision between two buses leaves 3 dead in Faridpur On Monday, locals set fire to tires, fell trees and electric pole, and erected bamboo barricades at nine points along the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barishal highways, including the Bhanga roundabout on the expressway, halting traffic from all 21 southern districts. The demonstrations follow the Election Commission’s recent gazette which redrew boundaries for 46 parliamentary constituencies ahead of the upcoming national election. According to the gazette, Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga Upazila, previously under Faridpur-4, have been attached to Nagar Kanda Upazila under Faridpur-2. This decision has sparked outrage among local residents.

A 13-year-old student at JMG Secondary School in Pragpur Union, Daulatpur, Kushtia, died by suicide in her classroom on Monday afternoon. According to reports, Bina Khatun, daughter of farmer Atar Ali, an eighth-grader, drank poison during the tiffin break while other students had stepped out of the classroom. She was rushed to Kushtia Sadar Hospital by teachers and family, where she died on Tuesday around noon. Family and local sources said Bina Khatun had been in a romantic relationship with another student. Teen bride beaten to death in Kushtia When her family learned about it, they scolded her which led her to suicide. JMG Secondary School headmaster Ashraful Islam Nannu said, “Bina Khatun was under mental stress due to family pressure over a romantic matter.” Solaiman Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Daulatpur Police Station confirmed the incident.

Police in a drive arrested a man in connection with his alleged involvement in the murder of a Comilla University student and her mother from Cumilla rail station on Tuesday. The arrestee was identified as Mobarak Hossain, 29, Mohammad Nazir Ahmed Khan, superintendent of Cumilla Police, said a team of detective branch police arrested Mobarak from the rail station while he was trying to flee to Dhaka in the morning. During interrogation, police came to know that he killed Sumaiya and her mother after failing to violate the girl, said SP. “Mobarak used to go to the house to practice exorcism and on Sunday night, he went to the house around 11:30 pm at Khaliajuri and tried to violate Sumaiya. As he failed to do so, Mobarak strangled her to death and then killed Sumaiya’s mother Tahmina,” he added. Mobarak also took four mobile phone sets and a laptop from the house before leaving the place, said SP according to the CCTV footage. Meanwhile, students of Comilla University staged demonstrations in front of the office of Superintendent of Police demanding exemplary punishment of those involved in the double murder. Sumaiya Afrin Rinti, 24, a 3rd year student of the Public Administration Department of Comilla University and her mother Tahmina Begum Fatima, 50, wife of Nurul Islam, were found dead in their home at Khaliajuri in the city on Monday night.