United News of Bangladesh

A youth who went missing while swimming at Kuakata sea beach in Patuakhali has turned up in the Indian city of Chennai. The missing tourist Firoz Shikder, 27, himself contacted his family from Chennai on Saturday at 5 pm after remaining missing for the last seven days, said his brother Masud to UNB. On May 27, Firoz, a resident of Amkhola village in Patuakhali, went missing as he was swimming with some of his friends at Kuakata. Also read: Missing gold trader found dead after 5 months Quoting his brother, Masud said,”Firoz was pulled into the deep sea during high current and somehow found a log to hold on to. After some 24 hours of floating some Indian fishermen rescued him and handed him to Indian Coast Guard.” The Indian Coast Guard took Firoz to Chennai state and he is currently under the custody of the Indian government. Also read: Kishoreganj ferry tragedy: Woman drowns, child goes missing Abdul Khaleque, Assistant Superintendent of Kuakata tourist police said Firoz’s brother has informed them about the incident and they are looking into the matter.

Two people were killed and three others were injured after a bus and a pickup van crashed into each other at the Shallabari area of Kapasia in Gazipur on Saturday morning. The deceased were identified as Zinnah, driver of the pickup van and its passenger Delwar. However, the identities of the injured are yet to be known. The accident occurred around 7am when a Dhaka-bound bus and a Kishoreganj-bound pickup van collided head-on at the Shallabari area of Dhaka Kapasia Road in Gazipur, said AFM Nasim, officer-in-charge of Kapasia police station. Also read: Man killed in Kurigram road accident The driver and passenger of the pickup were killed on the spot and 3 others were injured. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent them to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy, added the OC. Also read: Road accidents claim 7 lives in 3 districts The vehicles were seized, said the OC, adding that legal action will be taken in this regard.

A 14-year-old schoolgirl committed suicide in Nagdaho area of Phulbari upazila of Kurigram district Saturday morning. The deceased was identified as Srabonti Roy Khushi, 14, daughter of Santosh Chandro Roy of the area. She was a class VII student of Rabaitari Girls High School. Police said that her mother scolded Khushi for not giving attention to her studies. Being agitated, Rina locked the door of her room and hanged herself from the ceiling with a scarf around 6.30am. Also Read: KUET student commits suicide at home Later, with the help of neighbours, Rina's mother broke the door of the house and brought the body down, said Md. Fazlur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Phulbari police station. An unnatural death case has been filed in this regard, added the officer.  

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that the current Awami League the government has failed to protect the rights of the country's minority communities. "This government always tries to speak out against communalism…but unfortunately attacks have been made on the members of Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities and their lands and homes during its rule,” he said. Speaking at a prayer programme at Dhakeswari National Temple, the BNP leader said the government could not ensure the security of the minority communities and prevent attacks on them. He said the USA in its report on ‘International Religious Freedom’ has clearly stated that the Awami League government has failed to protect the rights of the minority communities in Bangladesh. “This is the reality.” Also Read: BNP, Biplobi Workers Party agree to oust govt thru movement: Fakhrul The Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Kalyan Front arranged the programme, marking BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s birth anniversary and paying tribute in memory of the organisation’s convener Gautam Chakraborty who died recently. Mirza Fakhrul said there is no democracy in the country while people have lost all democratic rights. He said their party has been trying to unite the country’s 17 crore people to restore democracy, human rights, and peace in the country and uproot all the seeds of communalism.  The BNP leader also said they want to truly establish that Bangladesh the nation dreamt of in 1971. “So, we have to continue our struggle for the restoration of democracy. We pray that democracy, the truth and beauty be established in our country,” he said. Criticising the government for resorting to repressive acts, Fakhrul said BNP Chairperson Khaleda has been kept under house arrest out of political vengeance. He also said their party’s around 600 leaders and activists were made disappeared while over 1,000 others were killed and 35 lakh opposition leaders and activists have been implicated in ‘false’ cases.

Widely discussed Awami League leader and Laxmipur union chairman Selim Khan has been expelled from the party. Chandpur district Awami League at an extended meeting removed the criticized chairman, who excavated sands illegally from the Meghna River, from his post on Saturday. Nasir Uddin Ahmad, president of Laxmipur union Awami League confirmed the matter to UNB. Also Read: Laxmipur UP Chairman Salim Khan can’t extract sand from Meghna: SC Party sources said Selim Khan has been expelled from the party permanently for tarnishing the image of the party. Earlier on May 29, the Appellate Division canceled the High Court judgement allowing Selim Khan to extract sand from the Meghna River in Chandpur. END/UNB/Corr/GR/ssk/2022

Law Minister Anisul Huq said BNP cannot accept the Padma Bridge as Sheikh Hasina has built the much-hyped bridge with the money of the people. “Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Dr. Kamal Hossain along with their accomplices made the conspiracy to stop World Bank financing on the Padma Bridge. But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced building the bridge with the government fund. Now she has done it,” Anisul said. Anisul made the remarks while addressing the Kasba upazila Awami League council at the T Ali Degree College ground in Brahmanbaria on Saturday. Also read: BNP, other political parties to be invited to Padma Bridge inaugural function: Quader Urging the BNP leaders not to talk too much, he said, “We have no objection about your politics. But, if you said you will make another August 15, we will respond to it by the law of the country. You will get punished as per the law. We want all political parties to operate their political activities maintaining the democratic system. You can’t do anything by hatching conspiracy.”     Brahmanbaria district Awami League president R.A.M Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury inaugurated the council while central Awami League presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak was the chief guest. While addressing, Jahangir Kabir Nanak said 1975 will not come back to Bangladesh. “The poisonous teeth of conspiracy will be removed,” he said. Also read: Padma Bridge is a blessing for southern people: Minister Jatiya Sangsad whip and Awami League organizing secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon, Brahmanbaria-1 lawmaker B M Forhad Hossain, lawmaker Umme Fatema Nazma Begum (reserved for women's seat), central Awami League relief and disaster affairs secretary Sujit Roy Nandi and district Awami League senior vice-president Md. Helal Uddin, among others, spoke at the council. Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq and Kashba upazila chairman Rashedul Kaiser Bhuiyan have been announced as the president and secretary, respectively, of Kashba Awami League.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have arrested seven people over attempting to kill a college teacher by severing his right wrist at Shalghar Modhua village in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia on Friday. The arrestees were Mosharof Hossain Mosha, 26, son of Md Soleman, Nazim Uddin, 27, son of Mokaddes Hossain, Md Samad, 27, son of Abdul Khaleque, Muhaimen  Hossain, 27, son of Aiyub Ali, Halim, 40, son of Samed Ali, Md Palash, 23, son of Abdul Khaleque and Md Mukul, 42, son of Gopal Sheikh. All the arrestees are residents of the same village. Also read: Man dies at lover's home; one held RAB members have seized three rounds of bullet, magazines and a foreign pistol from their possessions. The arrestees have confessed to their involvement in the crime during primary interrogation. In a press briefing on Saturday, Squadron Leader Mohammad Ilias Khan, company commander of Kushtia Camp of RAB-12, said Tofazzel Hossain is an assistant professor of Economics Department at Bashgram College of the upazila. He came under attack as a sequel to previous enmity between two groups over establishing supremacy at Kushtia Sadar upazila’s Bongshitola area on May 31. Also read: Rape attempt on woman on moving bus: Driver, helper held Victim’s son Nazmus Sakib filed a case with Kushtia Model Police Station accusing 26 people, including 5/6 unnamed onews, for the attack the next day. Critically injured Mofazzel is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka

A woman in Kurigram allegedly committed suicide over a family feud on Saturday morning. The deceased, Shahera Begum, 35, was the wife of Mohubor Ali of Hatiar Babur Char in the district's Ulipur upazila. According to locals, Shahera hanged herself from the ceiling of the family house over the long-standing feud with her husband. READ: Kurigram: 5 Indians freed after jail term for illegal entry Imtiaz Kabir, officer-in-charge of Ulipur police station said legal action would be taken in the case after an investigation.

One person was killed and another injured when a speeding truck knocked them down in the Zia Bazar area of Kurigram's Sadar upazila early on Saturday, police said. The deceased was identified as Alam Mia, who worked as a helper of a lorry driver. The lorry driver has been hospitalised. The accident occurred around 5am when the Nageshwar-bound truck from Chilmari hit Alam and his boss as they got off their lorry, leaving Alam dead on the spot, said  Nazmul Islam, duty officer of Sadar Police Station.  READ: Road accidents claim 7 lives in 3 districts "We have seized the killer truck but its driver managed to flee. Efforts are on to nab him," the officer said.

At least seven people were killed and two injured in three road accidents in Keraniganj, Jashore Sadar, and Dinajpur  Friday, according to police. In Dhaka's Keraniganj, five people were killed and another injured as a CNG-run auto-rickshaw collided with a lorry at Teghoria. The deceased were identified as CNG driver Tamal, 17, and his passengers Zunayed Hossain, 22, Nayeem Hossain Fahim, 21, and Samad, 20. However, the identity of another deceased could not be ascertained immediately. The accident occurred when five friends, workers of a factory in the Hasanabad area, were on their way to visit the Padma Bridge on an auto-rickshaw, Mohammad Shah, officer-in-charge of Hasara Police Station, said. In Jashore Sadar upazila, a 22-year-old assistant of a truck driver was killed after their vehicle fell into a roadside ditch in Shyamnagar. The deceased Munna was from the upazila. The accident occurred as the driver of the brick-laden truck lost control of his vehicle near, which overturned and pinned Munna underneath, Assistant Sub-Inspector Munir Hossain, in-charge of Sajiali Police Outpost, said. In Dinajpur, a 32-year-old woman was killed, and her husband injured after a tractor-trolley hit their motorcycle. The deceased was identified as Shamim Akhter Panna from Kabirajpara, Dinajpur Sadar, Abdul Jalil, sub-inspector of Pulhat Police Outpost, said. "The paddy-laden tractor-trolley crashed into the motorcycle, leaving the woman dead on the spot and her husband injured." Also read: Road accidents claim 14 lives in 4 divisions