United News of Bangladesh

Three people were killed and 30 others injured at Bashgari union in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi district, prior to the second phase of the union parishad (UP) polls across the country on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Salauddin, 30, son of Hekim Mia, Jahangir, 26, son of Abdul Haque Mia and Dulala, 45, son of Hazi Siraj of Bashgari village in the upazila. The deceased were supporters of Ashraful Islam, an Awami League-backed candidate for the post of chairman in Bashgari UP. Satyajit Kumar Ghosh, assistant superintendent of police (Raipura circle), said supporters of Ashraful Islam and Ratul Hasan Zakir, an independent candidate, attacked each other in front of Bashgari Union Parishad complex around 6 am, two hours before the beginning of the elections. The two groups fired gunshots and attacked each other with teta (a type of fish spearing), leaving three people dead and 30 others injured, he said. Read: Voting underway for second phase of UP polls The injured were taken to Brahmanbaria and Narsingdi Sadar hospitals. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble. However, voting is underway in Bashgari union parishad. Polling began in 835 of 848 UPs at 8am on Thursday and will continue till 4pm. More than 41,000 candidates, including 3,310 contenders for the post of chairman, are contesting in the countrywide second phase UP election. A total of 81 chairman candidates have already been elected unopposed. Similarly, all contestants -- for chairman and member posts, and reserved seats -- in five UPs were elected uncontested. Some 28,747 candidates are contesting for the member posts and 9,161 women for the reserved seats in the UPs. Read: UP polls creating panic instead of festivity: GM Quader But 203 member candidates and 73 women candidates for reserved seats were elected unopposed in this phase. There are nearly 16.6 million voters -- 8,405,831 men, 8,189,379 women and 16 transgender (Hijra) -- under 8,492 polling stations in these UPs.

Covered with a cloth the lone digital X-ray machine at Kushtia General Hospital has been out of service for past the two and a half years amid allegation that the company which installed it is ignoring calls to repair it. According to hospital sources, the 500MA X-ray machine, sanctioned by DGHS in 2017, was installed by Bengal Scientific & Surgical Company installed it at a cost of TK 3 lakh. Two years late the machine went out of service due to film printing problem but no initiative has been taken from that company to fix it, sources added. Read: Woman gives birth to quintuplets at Kushtia hospital, three die Abul Khair, a Diploma Medical Technologist (Radiogram), said the hospital has a total of 10 X-ray machines. But the hospital's most expensive and only digital X-ray machine has been out of order.  Hospital Superviser Dr Abdul Momen said the company was approached by the hospital authorities at least 10 times over the issue. But there was no response. Read: Valuables stolen from UNB Bagerhat Corr house  

A five-month-old baby was burnt to death and five people suffered burn injuries as a fire broke out in Hathazari upazila of Chattogram on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Rakib. Read: Fire engulfs chemical warehouse in Chattogram The injured, who were from the same family, were admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Hathazari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Rafiqul Islam said the fire broke out  in a house in Rangipara Ward-1 in the early morning and gutted 20 houses. Read:Fire that originated from warehouse in Chawkbazar building doused The burnt child was rushed to CMCH where doctors declared him dead at noon. According to fire services sources, the fire originated  from a short circuit and two units of fire fighters  brought the blaze under control after an hour of effort.

Four people were killed and two others injured when a truck rammed a CNG run auto-rickshaw at Darirampur in Trishal upazila of Mymensingh district on Wednesday. Two of the deceased were identified as Mina Akter, 40, wife of Azharul Islam and Sohrab Uddin, 50, son of Abdur Rahman of Trishal upazila. Read: 3 killed in Gazipur road accident The sand-laden truck hit the CNG run auto-rickshaw around 9 am, leaving two auto-rickshaw passengers dead on the spot and four others injured, said Moin Uddin, officer-in-charge of Trishal Police Station. The injured were taken to Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital where two injured people succumbed to their injuries in the afternoon.

An 18-year-old teenager died at Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital (SZMCH) on Tuesday night after a ward boy allegedly removed his oxygen mask. The deceased was identified as Bikash Chandra Das, son of Bishu Das of Sialkundi village in Gaibandha's Saghata upazila. Read:2 of a family among 3 die from electrocution in Bogura Selim Reza, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said that Bikash was admitted to the hospital around 7 pm on Tuesday after he sustained injuries in a road accident. "He was, in fact, brought to the hospital from Shaghata Upazila Health Complex, where he was initially taken to," the OC said. At SZMCH, the accused ward boy, identified as Dulu, took Bikash to the emergency ward and then to the surgery department after putting on an oxygen mask. Dulu allegedly demanded Tk 200 as tip from Bikash's family members for taking him to the surgery department. As Bikash’s relative gave him Tk 150, Dulu got infuriated and in a fit of rage removed the oxygen mask. Soon after the oxygen mask was removed, Bikash developed breathing problems and died around 10.30pm, according to the police complaint. Read:School teacher among 3 held for tonsuring folk singer's head in Bogura Dr Abdul Wadud, deputy director of the hospital, said, “Dulu is a part-time staff. However, a probe body has been formed to investigate the unfortunate death." “Efforts are on to arrest Dulu, who's on the run,” said the OC.

Medical services at Natore Sadar Hospital were disrupted for over three hours on Wednesday morning as junior-level employees abstained from work to protest against an alleged attack on a security personnel.  The third and fourth-grade staff of the hospital began their protest strike around 9 am, locking up the chambers of the hospital doctors, causing immense sufferings to patients, particularly those who came for checkup in the outpatient department. Read: RUB protest: Student on hunger strike tries to kill self in public  The doctors and nurses of the hospital also expressed solidarity with the protesters and joined the strike that culminated at 12pm.  On Tuesday, Sujon, the security guard of the hospital, sustained injuries after he was attacked by a young man, identified as Al Amin, over distribution of tokens at the hospital. He is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Read: Sylhet restaurant owners call off strike

A 45-year-old man who sustained injuries in pre-poll violence in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district Monday night, died at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital a day later. The deceased was identified as Sabuj Hossain, son of Mahatab Uddin of Chalna village in the upazila. Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Sujanagar police station, said a clash broke out Monday night between the supporters of Awami League-backed Union Parishad chairman candidate Amin Uddin and his rival Omar Faruk in Bhaina. Read: 2 hacked dead, 10 hurt in Meherpur pre-polls violence Several people sustained injuries in the violence and some motorbikes were also vandalised, the OC said, adding that both sides submitted complaints in connection with the violence. Of the injured, two men -- Sabuj, a supporter of Omar, and Anwar Hossain, a supporter of Amin -- were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital as their condition was said to be critical. Sabuj succumbed to his injures around 9pm on Tuesday. As the news of his death spread, Omar's supporters brought out a procession in the Chalna area, demanding a free and fair investigation into the violence and exemplary punishment to those responsible for the untimely demise of Sabuj. Read: 15 hurt in Pabna pre-polls violence  

A fire broke out at a chemical warehouse in Sadarghat of Chattogram city on Tuesday night. The fire broke out at the warehouse around 8.10pm and spread within minutes because of the presence of chemical substances, said Newton Das of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense. Read: Fire that originated from warehouse in Chawkbazar building doused On information, five fire tenders rushed to the spot but it took them nearly three hours to douse the flames. The warehouse management is trying to ascertain the extent of the loss caused by the fire. "A probe has also been ordered to find out the exact cause of the fire," Newton said.  

A wild elephant was found dead at Malakakocha along Balijhuri border in Sreebordi upazila of Sherpur district on Tuesday. Locals said the 30-year-old elephant might have died from electrocution in the early hours of Tuesday as it came in contact with an electric wire set up around the house of local farmer Amir Ali. Read: White lion dies at Gazipur safari park Later, the farmer removed the electric wire from the body of the dead elephant, they alleged. Rabiul Islam, range officer at Balijhuri Forest Department, visited the spot upon receiving the news and conducted the postmortem of the elephant. A case will be filed at Sreebordi police station in this regard, he said. Read: Imported cattle seized at Dhaka airport    

A woman was allegedly killed by her husband over a family feud in Shambagat village of Bagerhat's Fakirhat upazila on Monday night. The victim was identified as Arifa Begum, 18, wife of auto driver Helauddin of Dighlia upazila of Khulna district. Read:Missing madrasa student found dead in Bagerhat Police have arrested the woman's mother-in-law and stepmother in connection with the case, said acting officer-in-charge of Fakirhat Police station, ANM Khairul Anam. According to Khairul, Helal went to Arifa’s house on Monday night and hacked her to death, before fleeing from the spot. Police said that Helaluddin got married to Arifa in 2013. They have a one-year-old son. Family sources said Helaluddin used to physically assault his wife almost regularly. Read: Two 8-year-olds drown in Bagerhat "The body has been sent to the Bagerhat sadar hospital morgue for an autopsy, the OC added. The woman's mother Amena Begum has filed a complaint against five, including the Helaluddin in this connection. "An FIR has been lodged. We are trying to arrest all the accused," said the OC.