United News of Bangladesh

A passenger bus caught fire on the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway in the Chaydana area of Gazipur city on Saturday evening due to an engine malfunction. The blaze erupted around 7:30 pm, burning all the seats of the bus. No injuries were reported, as both the driver and passengers were able to evacuate immediately after noticing the fire. According to local witnesses and police, flames suddenly broke out from the engine, prompting everyone onboard to escape. Fire service teams soon arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control. Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gacha Police Station (GMP), said the burnt bus was removed from the road after firefighters extinguished the flames. The traffic movement is normal now.

A local leader of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal was injured in a knife attack allegedly carried out by drug peddlers in the Masdair area of Narayanganj city on Saturday afternoon. The victim Md. Nahidur Rahman Parvez, is the organizing secretary of the Ward No. 13 unit of Krishak Dal. He also runs a grocery shop and an internet business. The incident occurred near Begum Rokeya School in Masdair. Narrating the attack, Parvez said he was returning from Masdair Bazar when he saw a man standing in front of the school. “At that moment, Buita Masud said, ‘Why are you staring at me?’ Moments later, he pulled out a weapon and tried to shoot me,” Parvez claimed. He added that Masud repeatedly questioned him, asking who he was. Soon after, Ripon allegedly approached from behind with a knife, and another man, Zahid, struck him on the head with an iron object. “Masud fired again, but luckily no bullet hit me,” he said. Parvez further claimed that Masud and his group are involved in drug dealing in the alley and believed he was watching them. “I was actually looking at someone else. I want justice,” he said. Parvez’s mother, Mokarima, also alleged that the attackers intended to kill her son and demanded justice. CCTV footage from the area shows four people attacking Parvez in the middle of the road, with one of them holding what appears to be a firearm. Anwar Hossain, inspector (Investigation) of Fatullah Police Station, said they have not found any evidence of gunfire. “Parvez was not shot, and neither witnesses nor locals reported hearing gunshots. However, something resembling a firearm is visible in the CCTV footage,” he added.

A violent clash erupted on Saturday evening at Barishal Central Nothullabad Bus Terminal between students and transport workers over student half-fare, leaving over 50 people injured and one bus set on fire. According to Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mamun Ul Islam, BM College students claimed around 25 of them were hurt in attacks by transport workers. Meanwhile, transport workers reported that 20–25 of their members were seriously injured during the confrontation, and more than 50 buses were vandalized. Transport worker leader Arju Mridha said the dispute began earlier in the day when a student traveling on the Barishal-Muladi route requested the half-fare, leading to an argument with a bus worker. Later in the evening, several hundred BM College students gathered at Nothullabad Stand, vandalized over fifty buses, set one on fire—which was later extinguished by the Fire Service—and caused extensive damage inside the terminal, injuring 15–20 transport workers. Students at the scene insisted half-fare is their right and said the clash escalated after a student was physically assaulted while traveling from Muladi to Barishal city. They accused transport workers of trying to blame students for the vandalism and fire. By around 8:45 pm, BM College teachers had calmed the agitated students, and the arrival of army personnel restored full order. OC Mamun Ul Islam confirmed that law enforcement remains at the site and the situation is now stable.

Sand pirates opened fire on locals who attempted to stop illegal sand extraction from the Meghna River in Bhola on Saturday, leaving four people injured — three of them with bullet wounds, police said. The injured were identified as Shajahan Mir, 70, Md. Ali, Apurba Patwari, and Shafiur Rahman. The attack occurred around 11:30 am in the Bhabanipur Char area of Meghna under Kachia Union in Bhola Sadar Upazila. Police and local resident A. Sattar said a dredger had been illegally extracting sand from an erosion-prone area outside the Meghna government sand mining zone since morning. More than a hundred locals in two trawlers blocked the dredger and notified district and upazila authorities. Police and magistrates were dispatched, but before they arrived, a group of armed sand miners in a speedboat attacked the protesters and opened fire. Locals later rescued them and took them to the Bhola 250-bed General Hospital. Hospital superintendent Dr. Taibur Rahman said three gunshot victims were admitted and are receiving proper treatment. All are out of danger. According to Sattar and Shajahan Mir, 6–7 armed men led by Choket Jamal and Shahin carried out the attack. However, Choket Jamal (Jamal Uddin Choket) denied the attack and the shooting, saying that there was a planned conspiracy against him. No sand is extracted from outside the government sand pit. Neither he nor his nephew were in the area at the time of the incident. Assistant Commissioner (Land) SM Mashiur Rahman said the shooting took place before officials reached the scene. The dredger has since been removed, and a case will be filed over the incident. Bhola Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abu Shahadat Md. Hachanain Parvez said police have launched an investigation and will take legal action against those involved.

No police officer with a controversial background will be assigned to leadership roles in the upcoming national election, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam said on Saturday (November 15). “Although the list of controversial officers has not been prepared yet, SPs and DIGs of the respective districts are in the process of identifying them,” he told reporters at a press briefing at the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) lines. Earlier, the IGP attended an internal training programme aimed at preparing police personnel to conduct the next election in a fair and peaceful manner. He said people across the country are eagerly waiting to cast their votes, while the current interim government is committed to ensuring a free, impartial and credible election. Read more: Over 48,000 police officers complete election training: Police HQ Referring to controversies surrounding the last three national elections, the IGP said the police are undergoing extensive training to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. “Some members of Bangladesh Police deviated from their duties or were compelled to make mistakes in the last three elections. This time, the training is focused on correcting those mistakes. Our members are motivated to help deliver a successful election.” He mentioned that the previous elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024 had drawn various forms of criticism. “Unfortunately, we were also subjected to that criticism because we were involved. We made mistakes—or were forced to make them. This time, we aim to avoid all bad practices, malpractices and biases, and fulfill the interim government’s promise of holding the most credible election.” On the issue of countering terrorism, the IGP said, they do not want to suppress terrorism through crossfire. “We want to maintain the rule of law by ensuring criminals are brought before the court. Every individual in society is a source of our strength. Policing cannot succeed through police efforts alone,” he added. Addressing concerns over cyber threats in the upcoming election, he admitted that law enforcement remains vulnerable. “Some people are making anything viral on social media using AI in the name of freedom of expression. We first inform the BTRC, which then notifies Meta. Sometimes Meta removes about 40 percent of such content, but not all. The police have limitations in this area.” Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner Zulfiqar Ali Haider, Khulna Range DIG Md. Rezaul Karim, and senior officials from various units of the Khulna Division Police were present at the event. Read more: Effective election management foundation of credible democracy: CEC

At least 20 people were injured in a clash over a long-standing land dispute in Magurhati village of Deodra, Sarail upazila, Brahmanbaria. Several homes were also damaged in the violence on Saturday morning. Police intervened to bring the situation under control. According to locals and police, the conflict has persisted for years between Shipon Mia and Dana Mia, members of the same community, over a plot of land. The dispute escalated on Friday evening with a chase between the two sides, and resumed on Saturday morning when both parties attacked each other with homemade weapons. Sarail police officer-in-charge (OC) Morshedul Islam Chowdhury confirmed the incident, stating that police arrived promptly to control the situation. He added that legal action will be taken if formal complaints are filed regarding the clash.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has detained seven Bangladeshis, including four women and three men, while they were attempting to enter India illegally at the Maheshpur border in Jhenaidah. According to a press release from Assistant Director of Maheshpur 58 BGB Battalion, Munshi Imdadur Rahman, the operation took place on Saturday around 5:30 pm. The detainees include Tufan (26), son of Monirul from Baghadanga village in Maheshpur, Dulali Mondal (67), son of Arjun Biswas from Kalinagar village in Muksudpur, Gopalganj, and Bikash Adhikari, son of Nimai Adhikari from Adhikaribari village in Agailjhara, Barishal. BGB said that a team led by Naib Subedar Tapas Kumar Sarkar of Khoshalpur BOP conducted a patrol near Border Pillar 60/86-R, during which Tufan and four Bangladeshis, including one man and three women, were detained. Separately, a patrol team from Kumillapara BOP, led by Nayek Md. Ahmed Ali, apprehended another individual attempting to cross into India near Border Pillar 60/52R. The detained women were sent to the Justice and Care Center in Jessore, while the men were handed over to Maheshpur police station. Maheshpur OC Nazrul Islam said cases will be filed against the men on Sunday for court proceedings.

A Cambodia-resident Bangladeshi expatriate was killed in a clash between two groups of villagers over a piece of land in Sadar upazila of Jhenaidah on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Mahbul Hossain, 40, son of Sabdar Biswas of Kala village. Mahbul recently returned home from Cambodia on leave. Abdullah Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said there was an enmity between the people of Kala and Laxmipur villages over leasing a piece of land. Batul Biswas of Kala village used to cultivate crops by leasing land from one Siraj Mia. Recently, Siraj Mia returned the lease money to Batul and demanded to return his land. But Batul Biswas refused to return the land until the crops were harvested since crops were being grown on that land. Village arbitration was held on Friday night where representatives from two villages were present there, which ended without any settlement. Later, the supporters of Batul Biswas and Siraj Molla, equipped with lethal weapons, attacked each other around 10 am at Kala-Laxmipur field. At one stage, the supporters of Siraj hit Mahbul with a sharp weapon, finding him alone, leaving Mahbul injured. He was taken to Sadar hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 11 am. Angered by the incident the supporters of Batul set fire on two houses of the supporters of Siraj Molla. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. A tense situation was prevailing in the area over the issue.

A man was killed after his motorcycle crashed during an election showdown in support of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur on Friday night. The deceased, Nur Alam, 58, was from Hajihaat area under Ward-1 of Rangpur city and a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami. He was the son of the late Monsur Ali. According to locals, Nur Alam was participating in a motorcycle showdown arranged in support of Jamaat-nominated candidate Raihan Siraji for the Rangpur-1 constituency in the upcoming 13th national election. When the showdown reached Soyrabarhi area of Alambiditor Union around 9 pm, Nur Alam lost control of his motorcycle and hit a pillar at a turning point on the road. He suffered a severe head injury. He was rescued and taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Gangachara Model Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Abu Hanif Sarker confirmed the incident, saying Nur Alam died after crashing his motorcycle during the political showdown.

A journalist’s business establishment in Jashore’s Jhikargachha upazila was attacked and vandalized after he refused to pay extortion money, according to a complaint filed on Friday. The incident took place around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday at M/S Mamun Traders in the old Navaran Bazar area. The attackers were allegedly led by Shahadat Hossain, a known drug trader from Raghunathpur Dangi village, police and victims said. Mamunur Rashid, vice president of Navaran Press Club and staff reporter of Bartakantha, owns the business. Nur Alam, manager of Mamun Traders, filed a written complaint with Jhikargachha Police Station on Friday morning naming six people, including Shahadat. The accused are Shahadat Hossain, 25; Alomgir Hossain, 23; Shah Alam, 22; Jahangir Hossain, 30; Miraj Hossain, 23, of Kundipur Matpara; and Ashiq, 24, son of Idris. Mamunur Rashid said Shahadat and his group had been demanding a large sum in extortion from him for months. “When I refused, Shahadat and 5–6 others armed with sticks and local weapons stormed my office Thursday night. They beat my manager and staff and vandalized the establishment,” he said. He added that the attackers attempted to assault him as well. Locals intervened, after which the group fled while threatening to kill him. Residents alleged that Shahadat and his three brothers are notorious drug dealers and run a gang under the protection of a local influential leader. They said drug abuse, theft and mugging have increased in the area, causing widespread fear. Jhikargachha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nur Mohammad Gazi said they received the complaint and would take legal action after investigation.