United News of Bangladesh

A mild cold wave is sweeping through Panchagarh district on Sunday, disrupting normal life of people. Mohamamd Russel Shah, officer-in-charge of Tentulia Weather Observatory, said “The lowest temperature of the country was recorded at 9.4 ˚C at Tetulia in Panchagarh around 9 am on Sunday and it was the same on Saturday.” The temperature in Tetulia was recorded at 9 ˚C on December 16 and December 17, the lowest in this season, he said. Read:Motorbike Riding in Winter: How to beat the cold weather? “The cold wave accompanied with dense fog will aggravate by end of December,” he added. The affluent are buying warm clothes, while the poor – day labours, workers, peasants and floating people – are getting worried. Poor people are seen lighting fire with straw and tree leaves to fight the cold at night.  Morning time drivers are using headlights because dense fog blankets the roads in were seen driving vehicles after turning on their headlights in the daytime due to thick fog in the morning. Lack of work has compounded the woes of the day labours. Like the previous year, the local administration has distributed 22,000 blankets in the five upazilas of the district, which is less than the demand. The administration estimates a three lakh poor and destitute in the district who need help. Khatibur Rahman, a resident of Boda upazila, said “Cold wave is a curse for us as it is difficult for us to arrange warm clothes. That’s why we keep ourselves warm by lighting fire.”

A 70-year-old woman died and her daughter sustained bun injuries in a fire that broke out at a slum in Akbar Shah area of Chattogram city on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Rezia Begum, wife of Fazlul Haque of Hajiganj upazila of Chandpur district. Read:Fire spreads panic in CCU patients at Barishal hospital; 1 dies of heart attack The fire originated a slum near CDA rail line from a short circuit early in the morning and spread qucikly, said Zahir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Akbar Shah Police Station. On information, three firefighting units went to the spot and extinguished the blaze after one hour. Rezia and her 40-year-old daughter Khadiza got stuck in a room. Local people managed to pull Khadiza out but they failed to recuse her mother. Read: Five burned to death in Bogura factory fire Fire service men recovered the charred body of Rezia. The body was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital. Five shanties were also gutted in the fire, said Senior Station officer of Chattogram Agrabad Fire Service, Mohammad Enamul Haque.

Two people were killed in a road accident in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur district on Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as van-puller Zahurul Islam of Bhatpail Nayapara village in Fulbari upazila and fish trader Saidul Islam of the same village. The accident occurred at Tatakpur as a bus of Shyamoli Paribahan hit a van around 7 am, said officer-in-charge (OC) of Birampur Police Station Sumon Kumar Mahanta. The two victims died on the spot, he said. Their bodies were recovered with the help of Birampur Fire Service members, the OC said.

A person was killed and two others were injured as an air compressor exploded at Bhajanpur in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh. The deceased was identified as Mamun Hossain, 28, a truck driver and the son of Touhid Hossain of Jaburi Duar village in Satmera union of the Sadar upazila. The incident occurred in front of Bhajanpur petrol pump on Saturday morning. Bhajanpur Union Parishad Chairman Muslimuddin said that the truck driver Mamun went to Rabiul's shop to inflate the wheels of the truck. The shop mechanic Nazmul was blowing air on the wheel with the compressor. Suddenly the air machine exploded with a loud noise leaving Mamun, Nazmul and Rabiul seriously injured. They were rushed to Panchagarh Sadar Hospital where the doctor on duty declared Mamun dead. The injured Rabiul and Nazmul were later shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital giving first aid. Tetulia Police officer-in-charge (OC) Abu Chayem Mia said that one person was killed and two others were injured in the blast.

An expatriate's wife hung herself from a ceiling fan in Sylhet's Bishwanath Saturday evening. Hena Begum (30), daughter of Tafazzul Ali, was from village Joynagar Noapara in Khajanchi union of the upazila. The 30-year-old, the mother of two young children, lived at her husband's house in village Satpara of Chhatak upazila, Sunamganj. As her husband Rafique Miah lives in Saudi Arabia, Hena had been staying at her parents' house for about a month with her children. Khajanchi union parishad Chairman Talukdar Gias Uddin said, "It is believed that Hena Begum committed suicide after having a dispute with her husband over visiting her in-laws' house." The body was sent to the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College for autopsy, Bishwanath Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gazi Ataur Rahman said.

A supporter of an Awami League rebel candidate was allegedly beaten to death in a clash between supporters of a boat and a 'rebel' candidate in Pabna's Atgharia upazila on Saturday. The incident took place at Raipur village of the upazila on Saturday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Selim Hossain, 35, son of Jamshed Ali of Srikantapur village. According to eyewitnesses, AL rebel KM Shahin, an independent candidate from Srikantpur village of the upazila, went to Raipur village for electioneering with his supporters on Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, supporters of ‘Boat’ attacked them, leaving Selim critically injured. Later he was taken to Pabna General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Regarding the allegation, Mohaimin Hossain Chanchal, general secretary of Upazila Awami League, a candidate for the boat symbol, said it was a false allegation. A circle is spreading this false out of jealousy. Confirming the matter, officer-in-charge (OC) of Atgharia Police Station, Hafizur Rahman, said the matter is being investigated.

Six people were arrested over the killing of an autorickshaw driver in Gazipur on contract of receiving Tk 1 lakh. The arrestees were identified as Shafiqul Islam, Afridi, Hanif from Bankharia area in Sreepur and Rakib, Rajib Sheikh, Jewel Rana from Mirzapur. All of them were arrested by Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), said Mohammad Maksudur Rahman, Superintendent of Gazipur police on Saturday. On December 9, Shariful Islam, an auto rickshaw driver’s throat slit body was recovered from Bankharia forest area in Gazipur. Arrestee Shafiq and Afridi have already given their confessional statements of being involved in the murder before a Gazipur cour, said SP Maksudur. He told UNB that arrested Rajib Sheikh, brother-in-law of Shariful’s wife Karima, contracted the murder to assailant Azmat alias Tarek to avenge his defeat in marrying Karima. According to the arrestees, Azmat, a friend of Shariful, was involved in the killing mission, he said. On the day of the murder, last December 9, Azmat and his associates lured Shariful into the forest for smoking cigarettes, drugged him and later hacked him to death. Four took directly part in the killing including Tarek, said SP Maksudur. The next day, a case was filed at Sreepur police station upon a complaint lodged by Shariful’s brother. SP Maksudur Rahman said the arrestees were identified using information technology.

A Jagannath University student was killed in a road accident in Noakhali’s Sonaimuri on Saturday noon. The deceased was identified as Sabrina Akter, a 2017-18 session student of Mass Communication and Journalism Department at Jagannath University (JnU). The accident occurred at around 12 pm when she was hit by a truck while crossing the road at Sonaimuri in Noakhali, said Sabrina's father. Ibrahim Khalil, sub-inspector of Sonaimuri police station, said she was hit by a truck carrying bricks and died on the spot. “We have informed the Highway Police about this, they will take necessary legal action,” SI Ibrahim added.

Police arrested a man on Saturday in connection with killing alocal Union Parishad chairman candidate, as well as one of his close aides while they were returning home by bike in Natghar village of Nabinagar upazila late on Friday night. The arrestee was identified as Sohag, 33, son of Idris Mia from Kurighor village, said Mollah Mohammad Shahin, Addittional Superintendent of Police (administration). He said efforts are on to detain the other unidentified assailants involved in the murder. ASP Molla Mohammad Shaheen said, the deceased were Md Ershadul Haque, 35, son of the incumbent Natghar UP chairman Abul Kashem, and Badal Sarkar, 23, son of Santosh Sarkar of the village. Ershad was supposed to contest the local UP election. On Friday night, the two young men were returning to their homes on Friday night after attending a programme when they were stopped by the assailants. "Following a heated exchange of words, the assailants whipped out guns and shot the duo, leaving Badal dead on the spot and Ershad critically injured. Ershad succumbed to his injuries on the way to Dhaka for treatment," the police officer said. “Efforts are on to arrest the masterminds of the killings. The motive behind the killings is not clear yet," the additional SP said.

Another batch of 552 Rohingyas reached Bhasan Char in the eighth phase on Saturday. With the latest batch, 61 more Rohingyas were returning to Bhasan Char after visiting their relatives in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps, taking the total number to 613, according to the media wing of Chattogram Navy. The Rohingyas, including 225 Rohingya men, 144 women and 244 children, left Patenga Boat Club for Bhasan Char in three naval ships around 10:15 am, the Navy said. With this, the total number of Rohingya population at the Bhasan Char reached 19,030, said Nawsher Ibne Halim, in-charge of Bhasan Char Rohingya Camp. Also read: Rohingyas want nothing more than safe return: UN expert Md Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhasan Char police station, said health workers conducted medical tests of the Rohingyas after they reached there around 1:20 pm. After the Navy briefed them about life in Bhasan Char there, they were relocated to cluster 56 and 66, said Nawsher. In the eighth phase on Friday, these two groups of Rohingya refugees left for Chattogram from Ukhiya and some more are slated to be relocated, said Shamsuddauja, additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in Cox's Bazar on Saturday. But he could not confirm the exact number of the refugees to be relocated in this phase. The 613 Rohingya refugees spent the Friday night at makeshift transit camps at BAF Shaheen College field after reaching Chattogram, he said. Also raed: Rohingya sue Facebook for $150bn over Myanmar hate speech On November 25, a batch of 379 more Rohingyas was relocated to Bhasan Char in the seventh phase after remaining suspended for eight months. Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them have come to this country since August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the Muslim ethnic minorities.