United News of Bangladesh

Commuters waiting to cross the Padma river had a harrowing time Thursday morning, with the authorities suspending ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route due to dense fog. Abdus Salam, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Aricha point, said the ferry services were halted from 12 am owing to poor visibility. Read:After 8 hours, ferry services resume on Paturia-Daulatdia route One ferry remained stranded in the middle of the Padma, while 11 more ferries were cancelled on the route, officials said. Several hundred vehicles also got stuck on both sides of the river due to the suspension of the ferry services, Abdus said. ‘’The services will resume once visibility increases," he added.

Police recovered the body of a young woman and her two children from a house in Islampur union of Cox's Bazar's Eidgaon upazila Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Jahanara Jisan, wife of salt trader Shahidul Haque, and her two daughters Jabin, 5, and Jerin, 2, Eidgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Halim said. Read:Tourist dies after hot water shower at Cox's Bazar hotel "On information, we went to the house and found Jahanara hanging herself from the ceiling and the children lying on the bed. It is suspected that the mother committed suicide after poisoning her children," the OC added. Cox's Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Rafiqul Islam said, "The incident may have occurred due to a family feud. However, the cause of the deaths can be confirmed after an autopsy and investigation."

BNP on Wednesday alleged that police attacked its peaceful rally in Habiganj and sprayed bullets indiscriminately on its leaders and activists, leaving around 300 injured. BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the allegation at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office. “As the rally began in front of our party office in Habiganj’s Shaistanagar at noon, police attacked the rally without any provocation and opened fire indiscriminately, injuring over 300 leaders and activists,” he said. Read: 10 injured in BNP infighting in Chattogram As part of their countrywide programme, Rizvi said Habiganj district unit BNP arranged the rally demanding party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad. BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain was present at the rally as the chief guest, while its chairperson’s adviser Zainul Abedin Farroque as special guest. Rizvi said the injured include Habiganj district Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) organising secretary Rajib Ahmed Ringan, Jubo Dal general secretary Jalal, BNP leader Advocate Sharif,  JCD leaders Saidur Rahman, Arshad, Abdul Aahad Tushar, Matshajibi Dal leader Mobarak Hossain, Shipon Ahmed Shahjahan and Zahir Ali.

A 15-foot python was released in Kaptai National Park after being caught by local people when it entered the locality at Chandraghona in Kaptai upazila in Rangamati early Wednesday. Taranmani Tanchangya, a resident of the area, spotted the python in the forest of the Sericulture Research Center area in Chandraghona Union and put it in a sack tactfully and informed the Forest Department. Read: 12ft-long python rescued in Bagerhat Later, Tanjilur Rahman, Kaptai Range Officer of Chittagong Hill Tracts Southern Forest Department, released the python in Kaptai National Park under the Forest Department. He also said that the python weighing 20-25 kg is doing well. Read: 18-feet long python captured in Bagerhat Kaptai Upazila Nirbahi Officer Muntasir Jahan and Assistant Forest Conservator (ACF) Ganga Prasad Chakma of Chittagong Hill Tracts Southern Forest Department were present. This python might have entered the locality in search of food at night, said Tanjilur Rahman.

Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) on Tuesday started demolishing three risky buildings including one that tilted at Majhirghat in Sadarghat area of the port city on Monday night. CDA officials said a building tilted during the ongoing canal re-excavation work to end waterlogging in the port city. Read:3-storey building in Chattogram tilts Local people staged demonstrations in the area on Tuesday demanding compensation from the CDA authorities. Shahinul Islam, chief city planning officer of CDA, said “According to the CDA guidelines, a structure should be  established 15 feet off a canal and during the approval of the building the authorities concerned warned the owners of it . But the owners constructed the buildings adjacent to the canal ignoring the warning.” A notice was served on the owners before starting the re-excavation work of the canal, he said. Besides, the CDA authorities also asked them to show legal documents but they failed to show it. Read: Earthquake: 3 buildings tilt in Chattogram A building tilted towards a nearby building on Monday, triggering panic among locals. Besides, two building in the same area were identified as risky. A rescue team from Agrabad Fire Service Station managed to evacuate the residents of the building.

Barely six hours after he went missing, a 22-year-old youth was found dead on the banks of the Gorai River in Kushtia Sadar upazila Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Sabuj Mondol, son of Haider Ali, a resident of the East Millpara area. He worked at a local factory. Police recovered his body from an under-construction eco-park on the banks of the Gorai river in the Millpara area this morning. His father said that Sabuj went to work on Tuesday morning as usual. "But he didn't return home at night," he said. Read: Local UP chairman candidate, close aid shot dead in B'baria Locals spotted his body on Wednesday morning and informed police. "We have brecovered the body and sent it to Kushtia General Hospital for an autopsy,' said Sabbirul Alam, officer-in-charge of Kushtia Model Police Station. There were several injury marks on his body, the OC added.

Forest guards on Tuesday recovered the body of a fisherman in the Sunderbans, more than 12 hours after he was allegedly killed in a tiger attack. Mujibur Gazi was catching crabs in the Payratuli canal around 4pm on Monday when he was attacked by a tiger, according to officials. Read: One dead, 6 injured in bus-truck collision in Rajshahi On information, a joint force of forest and police officials launched a search operation and found his body Tuesday morning, aid MA Hasan, assistant conservator of forests. Authorities have promised a compensation of Tk 3 lakh to the victim’s family. So far, four fishermen have been killed by tigers in the Sundarbans this year and "we have given Tk 6 lakh compensation to the families of the two victims", said Hasan.

Ten people were injured in a clash between two factions of BNP during a meeting at the party’s office at Nasimon Bhaban in the city on Tuesday. Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said local unit BNP decided to hold a series of meetings centering the North District unit council with upazila, municipality and union-level leaders. READ: Arabian Corporation fined Tk 10 lakh for cutting hills in Chattogram The meeting will be arranged in presence of the party’s central leaders. As per the party’s decision, two meetings were to take place  at the party’s office at Nasimon Bhaban on Tuesday. The leaders of Raozan upazila unit BNP were scheduled to participate in a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Around 2 pm, a scuffle took place among the supporter of Sarwar Alamgir, a convener of Fatikchhari unit BNP, and Golam Akbar Khandaker, convener of North district unit BNP when Akbar asked the supporters of Alamgir to leave the place. At one stage, both groups attacked each other, leaving ten people injured. However, no complaint was lodged in this connection, said OC.

A woman was  stabbed to death and her husband injured in an attack by a youth at Munshidpur village in Ishwardi Upazila  of Pabna district on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Sharmin Shila, 32, wife of Ranaur Rahman of the village. Police arrested Sumon Ali, 30, son of Asgor Ali of Soraikandi village, from the spot. Read:AL rebel candidate’s supporter beaten to death in Pabna Firoz Kabir, Additional Superintendent of Police of Ishwardi Circle said the couple used to live in a flat on the 3rd floor of the house. On Tuesday morning, Sumon attacked the woman with a sharp weapon and chopped her indiscriminately, leaving her dead on the spot, he said. He also hit Shila’s husband Ranaur when he came forward to save his wife. Later, locals caught the attacker and informed police. Read: 2 killed in Pabna road crash Police said they recovered the body and arrested the attacker from the spot. They also took the injured to a hospital. The reason behind the attack was not clear, the Additional SP said. “The attacker might have killed the woman over previous enmity”.

Dewanganj Municipality mayor Shahnewaz Shahan Shah has been suspended for assaulting the secondary education officer in Jamalpur district on the Victory Day. A notification was issued in this regard by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) on Monday night. As a case was filed against mayor Shahnewaz and investigation into the allegations against him has started, the government has suspended him under section 31 (1) of the Local Government Act (Municipality), 2009, the notification said. Also read: Dewanganj mayor expelled from AL in Jamalpur The misbehavior with secondary education officer Md Meher Ullah by the mayor is beyond etiquette, tantamount to misconduct, misuse of power and misgovernance   and it goes against the public interest, the notification said. On Monday, suspended mayor Shahnewaz was also expelled from local unit of Awami League over the same incident. On December 16, Shahnewaz physically assaulted education officer Md Meher Ullah at a Victory Day programme in the upazila. Md Meher was conducting the programme at Dewanganj Government High School premises. He was calling the names of the officials inviting them to place wreaths in serial. Also read: Cumilla city mayor Sakku relieved from BNP’s executive committee As the mayor was the eighth in serial he got angry and started abusing Meher verbally. When the officer protested the mayor allegedly slapped him. A case was filed against Shahnewaz in this connection on that day.