United News of Bangladesh

Two people have died from electrocution at Shidhalkura in Damudya upazila Saturday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Jahangir Bepari, son of Jahirul Haque Bepari and Farid Matbor, son of Mannan Matbor. According to the locals, Jahangir and Farid were electrocuted while they were doing electrical work at a house. Also read: Teenager electrocuted in Kurigram The victims were rushed to the Upazila Health Complex by their family members where doctors declared them dead upon arrival. Officer In-charge (OC) of Damudya Police Station Sharif Ahmed said steps will be taken once anyone lodges a complaint about the matter.

Low-lying areas in six unions of Roumari upazila  have been inundated by flash flood triggered by the recent rains and onrush of upstream water, rendering 20,000 people marooned. Aman seedbeds and other paddy fields were submerged following the rise in water level of the Brahmmaputra and Jinjiram Rivers in India. Also read: Rain damages 412 hectares of croplands in Kurigram: DAE The flood-hit areas include Dharmapur, Chatkaraibari, Khetarchar, Gachbari, Italukanda, Kauniarchar, Kajaikata in Datbhanga union, Goytapara, Boalmari, Begularchar, Chatlakanda, Taluachar, Jhunkichar of Shoulmari union, Mandalpara, Natanpara, Chandarpara, Izlamari, Charaijalamari, Madartila, Char Isakuri, Boraibari, Chuliarchar, Jhaubari, Patadhoa Para, Bauar Gram, Dhublabari in Roumari union, Baishpara, Faluarchar, Baghmara, Baladmara of Bondaber union, Puraton Jadurchar, Kheuarchar, Namabakbanda, Dakkhin Algarchar, Char Lathial Danga, Pakhiura dhanarchar in Jadurchar union, Char Ghughumari, Khauria and Sukherbati in Char Shoulmari union. Abu Syed of Madartila village said his the paddy fields went under water due to the recent flash flood. “I have to harvest immature paddy to avoid huge loss.” Abdul Kaiyum, of Mandalpara village, said he brought one bigha of land under vegetable cultivation and now all  vegetables went under water due to the heavy rainfall. Also read: Over 200 houses damaged as nor’wester lashes Kurigram Salim Uddin, a farmer of Isakuri village, said I have brought my three bighas of land under paddy cultivation after harvesting maize but all my dreams dashed due to the rains. Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, Roumari Upazila Agriculture Officer, said the loseds caused by the rains might be little as many farmers have harvested their paddy from the field but vegetable crops land and Aman seedbed were badly damaged due to rains. Azizur Rahman, Project Implementation Officer of Roumari Upazila, said they are observing the overall situation closely. “Necessary steps will be taken if flood situation worsens further.”

A class VIII student was hospitalized after being beaten by the  headmaster of his school in Sunamganj’s Derai upazila recently.  The victim was identified as Tamim Rahman, son of Selu Mia of Tongor village of the upazila.  The incident occurred when Tamim, a student of Abdul Matlib High School of the village, along with another student went to the school to attend an exam.  Both of them were seriously beaten by headmaster Lutfur Rahman as they tried to sit on the same seat.  READ: Sunamganj court reunites 45 estranged couples According to the victim’s father,  Tamim sustained injuries on head and other parts of the body.  The other student also sustained wounds on his back and hands.  “Teachers can take disciplinary action if any student breaks the rules and regulations. But this type of beating is inhumane. I’ve submitted a written complaint to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO),” Selu Mia said.  “I am sorry for the incident. I went to the hospital to see the injured student,” said headmaster Lutfur. Derai UNO Mahmudur Rahman Mamun said that proper steps will be taken after investigation.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen Saturday inaugurated Sylhet Arts College in Kumarpara, Sylhet city. At the opening ceremony, the foreign minister said:  "Sylhet has a long tradition of nurturing arts and culture. Sylhet Arts College will play an important role in upholding this tradition and instil the same spirit in the next generation." "Elsewhere in the country, there are separate arts colleges and institutions for teaching music and dance. But Sylhet Arts College will offer lessons in different branches of arts and culture at the same time."

Two children drowned in separate incidents in Brahmanpara upazila of Cumilla on Saturday.The deceased were identified as Hossain, 1, son of Md Farhad of Shidlai village and Tanim, 4, son of Md Zakir of Nagaish village.According to hospital sources, Hossain was playing in the courtyard at noon and suddenly slipped into the pond adjacent to the house. Read: Fire breaks out at moving ferry, doused quicklyWhen his family members did not see him in the courtyard after some time they started searching for the child and later his body was found in the pond.Later, he was rushed to Brahmanpara Upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead on arrival.Meanwhile, Tanim drowned in a pond at Nagaish village on Saturday.

A 17-year-old teenage boy was electrocuted in Nageshwari upazila of Kurigram district on Saturday noon. The deceased was identified as Ariful Islam Raju, son of  Yakub Ali Mandal, a former UP member of Telianikuti village in the Bamandanga union. Read: Plastic factory worker electrocuted in Kamrangirchar Abed Ali, a UP member of Bamandanga Union, said Raju went to unplug the connection of their electric irrigation pump near Muria High School next to his house. Suddenly, he got a massive electric shock. When the students came out of the classroom, they found him hanging with electric wire and informed his family members. Later, he died on the way to the Upazila Health Complex. Officer-in-Charge (Investigating) of Nageshwari Police Station Tasbirul Islam said that the body was handed over to the family without autopsy as there was no complaint.

A 26-year-old Medical Technologist (Lab) of Matlab Uttar Upazila Health Complex in Chandpur allegedly committed suicide on Saturday morning, police said. The deceased was identified as Monira Kamal, wife of Ziarul Islam Nader of Kachari Bazar area of Nilphamari district. Monira, a mother of a son, used to live with her father and aunt at the health complex's staff quarters. Read: BCL leader’s body recovered from Brahmaputra River She joined as a Medical Technologist on 14 February 2022. The deceased’s father Momin Uddin Montu said Monira had been suffering from mental problems for some time. “On Friday night, she went to sleep. In the morning, after not seeing her, I searched a lot and found the body hanging on the 3rd floor of the quarters and informed police,” Montu added. Read: In debt, Bogura farmer commits suicide On information, police recovered the body and sent it to District Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said Shahjahan Kamal, officer-in-charge of Matlab Uttar police station.  

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has recovered 10 digital video recording (DVR) machines from the IT room of the BM container depot at Sitakunda in Chattogram. The CID team collected information and pictures and the burned DVR machines from the IT room on Saturday. A total of 118 CCTV cameras were installed in the depot area for monitoring, most of which were damaged during the explosions, said CID inspector Mohammad Sharif. Also read: Sitakunda fire: 8 BM Container Depot officials sued “Though most of the machines were burned, we collected them and handed them over to Sitakunda police. Now we will try to retrieve the information from the machines by experts ,” he added. Meanwhile, the cleaning activities of the debris inside the container depot are going on to make it functional again. According to sources, "the debris and the damaged containers are being removed by using cranes, excavators and bulldozers.” Also read: Ctg container depot fire fully doused after 85 hrs Depot authorities are removing these with their own manpower and equipment, sources added. Earlier, on Saturday night, at least 46 people were killed including firefighters and over 200 injured in a devastating fire and explosions at the BM container depot in Sitakunda.

Police recovered the body of a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader from Brahmaputra river in Kochandhara area of Jamalpur Sadar upazila on Saturday morning. The deceased was identified as Zahid Faisal Fahim, 25, BCL vice-president of Nandina wing and resident of Kanil village of the upazila. According to police, Fahim went on a boat trip to Narundi Kochandhara area of Brahmaputra with three friends on Thursday afternoon. On their way back the boat capsized. Though others managed to swim ashore, Fahim drowned. On information, Jamalpur Fire Service divers started a rescue operation on Thursday evening. Till Friday night they were not able to recover his body. Read: Engineer killed in Dinajpur road crash On Saturday morning, locals spotted his body floating in the river and informed the police. Officer-in-charge (OC) of Jamalpur Sadar Police, Kazi Shah Newaz, said Fahim's body was recovered from Brahmaputra river on Saturday morning and an unnatural death case was registered. The family had no complaints, so the body was handed over to them without an autopsy, he said.  

The family of Puja Sarkar, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission scientist who was killed in a road crash last Sunday at Boliarpur on the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar, is still lamenting the early death of their daughter as today is the birthday of Puja. When lamenting, Atul Sarkar, father of Puja, said “Today is my daughter Puja’s birthday and when she was six-year-old, her mother Alpona died at the age of 29. She also died at the same age. Puja was six-months pregnant and my whole family was preparing to celebrate her birthday. But all our hopes go shattered due to the death of my daughter.” “Puja was passing hectic days in her office as she was scheduled to go for maternity leave recently. I invited her with her husband on the occasion of 'Jamai Sasthi’ a Bengali custom but she said she will come during maternity leave,” said Atul while talking to UNB over phone. Also read: 3 BAEC officials among 6 killed in Savar road crash Like everyday Puja was heading towards her office at Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) from her Hatkhola road residence in the capital, he said. “After the demise of her mother from Cancer, I brought her up alone. She was a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School & College. She was a meritorious student. She obtained first class and earned second position in Physics while studying at Jahangirnagar University. She served as a teacher at Daffodil University for eight months and during the teaching profession she got the job at BAEC,” said Atul, a retired deputy general manager of Janata Bank. "If my Puja survived she would be a successful scientist," said Atul. He also claimed that the bus was unfit and the driver had no driving licence. Besides, the bus was plying on the road without any route permit. “How can a driver drive a bus on the road without any route permit? Is there any law in the country?” Expressing wonder, Atul also said no one has raised a movement protesting the accident. “No child should die like this,” he prayed. Also read: Mother, daughter killed in Kushtia road crash Four people including Puja, a scientific officer of BAEC, engineer Kawsar Hossain, 33, testing officer Arifuzzaman, 32, and bus driver Rajib, 30, were killed when a speeding bus ploughed through a road divider after its driver lost control over the steering and then crashed into a minibus carrying BAEC staff and a cattle-laden truck at the same time on the fateful day, SI Sabur Khan, in-charge of Aminbazar police outpost said. Forty people were injured during the accident. Maruf Hossain Munna, a driver of the ‘Safe Line Paribahan’ bus from Jhenaidah, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday. Later, another BAEC official Farhana Islam succumbed to her injuries at Combined Military Hospital on Wednesday.