United News of Bangladesh

A suspected robber was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with Rab members in Banshkhali  upazila of Chattogram  early Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Md Alamgir alias ‘Alam Dakat’, 45, a member of a robber gang in Bashkhali upazila. Read: ‘Drug peddler’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’ Rab sources said when a team was patrolling Gondamara village in the upazila in the early hours of Wednesday  some miscreants suddenly opened fire on them, forcing them to fire back. At one stage, Alam was caught in the line of fire while the gang members managed to flee the scene. Later, he was later taken to a local hospital where  doctors declared him dead. Read: Two youths killed in Keraniganj ‘gunfight’ Four firearms, three sharp weapons, 13 bullets were recovered from the spot. Chattogram Rab Assistant Director (Media) Nurul Absar said there are nine cases against Alamgir with  different police stations of Chattogram including Banshkhali police station.

Two members of a family were killed by a lightning strike in  Lama Upazila  of Bandarban district Monday night. The deceased are Md Enam (45) and his nephew Md Shahid (18). Read:3 killed by lightning strike in Jamalpur Chairman of Faitang Union Parishad Jalal Uddin said Enam and Shahid cultivated paddy in ‘Bengali Para’ of Faitang Union. They used live in a bamboo house built on a tree to guard their crops . A streak of lightning struck them there around 11 pm, leaving them dead on the spot. Read:Panchagarh: 1 killed, 4 injured as lightning strikes tea stall At the same time, three cows of Basukumar Dey, a resident of Merakhola Hindu Para in Lama Sadar Union of the upazila and one cow of Abdur Rahman, a resident of Merakhola Muslim Para died by the lightning strike, he added. Officer-in-charge of  Lama police station Mohammad Alamgir said the bodies of the deceased were recovered and handed over to their relatives.

Notwithstanding the supply constraints, Bangladesh's Covid vaccination campaign reached the remote riverine islands of Kurigram on Tuesday morning. The health department, in collaboration with Unicef and the district information office, took this initiative, with an aim to get the vaccination rate up in the district. More than a thousand people got their first Covid shots at the government-run Sardob Primary School, where a vaccination centre has been set up, reports our local correspondent. Read:Vaccination campaign for school students to begin within a week: DGHS chief

A student of class nine took over Panchagarh Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s office for an hour as a symbol of empowerment of girl child on National Girl Child Day. Sadia Binte Awlad Ahona is a student of Panchagarh Government Girls’ High School and member of district’s Child Parliament who took over the responsibility from Panchagarh UNO Arif Hossain. The initiative was taken by Non-Government Organization Plan International and National Children Task Force (NCTF) to encourage empowerment of women, its implementation and spreading awareness on rights of women and children. READ: BUET team becomes Asia West Champion in Moscow programming contest The takeover is a part of the global #GirlsTakeover, a signature activity of Plan International. For one hour the whole sadar upazila administration officers and staffs came under supervision of the ninth grader as she held discussion on child marriage, violence against women and proposed recommendations to make the 10 unions, one municipality woman friendly. UNO Arif Hossain said he will take Sadia’s recommendations in consideration to turn the upazila woman friendly and stop violence against women. READ: Soborno Isaac Bari: Bangladeshi Descent Child Prodigy Becomes World’s Youngest Professor Emphasizing on girl child Sadia said “Women’s ability has been proven in all sectors and they can go far if equity is served”.

A 15-year-old girl, Ishrat Zahan Eeti, a tenth-grader student, has served as the deputy commissioner of Kurigram for a day, taking charge of the district on the occasion of International Day of Girl Child on October 11. Kurigram Deputy Commissioner Rezaul Karim handed over the charges to Eti, daughter of Yunus Ali of Harikesh village in Kurigram municipality, on Monday morning. The takeover is a part of the global #GirlsTakeover, a signature activity of Plan International

A mason has been permanently barred from working in Chattagram University and its adjoining areas as punishment for harassing a female student of the university. According to the CU authorities, mason Md Mased has been harassing the second-year student of Philosophy department for a week. On Monday, the student's classmates detained the accused from a building next to AF Rahman Hall as he was found teasing the girl on her way to tuition. Also read: Khulna University suspends teacher on sexual harassment claims University Proctor Rabiul Hasan Bhuiyan said Mased confessed to committing the offense. He has been barred from working in the campus and its adjoining buildings. Action will be taken against him if he works as a mason inside the university, the proctor added.

A 38-year-old man was killed by a wild elephant at Madhyam Guapanchak village in Anwara upazila of Chattogram district, police said on Monday. SM Didarul Islam, officer-in-charge of Anwara Police Station, said the man was mentally retarded and the wild elephant trampled him to death on Sunday night while he was roaming around the area. Also read: Monk killed in Rangamati elephant attack However, police are investigating the incident. At least 17 people died while 25 others had been injured in attacks by wild elephants in the upazila in the past two years. Besides, a number of houses were damaged during this period. Also read: Case against 12 for killing Asian elephant in Cox’s Bazar; 1 arrested

Three people including a man and his nephew died after being electrocuted in Sherpur upazila of Bogura district on Monday morning. The victims are Budu Chandra Bhuiyan(65), his nephew Palash Chandra Bhuiyan (35) and their neighbor Khitish Chandra Bhuiyan (30). Read:Khadem of a Dhanmandi mosque dies from electrocution Witnesses said that Budu got electrocuted when he came in contact with an electric wire while cleaning his backyard in the morning. The wire was connected to an illegally established temporary electric line for an adjacent Durga Puja temple, they added. Palash, Khitish and four others  got electrocuted too when they tried to save Budu. Read: Mechanic dies of electrocution in city The three died on the way while they were being taken to Upazila Health complex. Among the survivors, a man named Rubel Chandra Bhuiyan is still undergoing treatment at the medical facility while the remaining two were sent home after giving first aid, said Sherpur police station Officer-in charge  Shahidul Islam.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have arrested a suspected drug peddler along with 1.9 kgs of heroin from Basudebpur-Sluicegate Bridge area in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi. The arrestee is Selim Reza, 42, son of late Rafiqul Islam of Joragachhi Bottolahat area of Chapainawabganj Sadar. Read: 5 Rohingyas held with arms and drugs in Ukhia According to Rab, tipped off, members of Rab-5 of Chapainawabganj camp arrested Selim Reza conducting a drive on the Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj highway in the upazila around 8pm. Rab members also seized the heroin worth Tk 1.90 crore concealed in a bag. During interrogation Selim reportedly confessed that he has been involved in drug dealing for a long time. Read:Two held with Tk 10cr drugs in Chattogram Company commander of Rab Major Sanaria Chowdhury said a case has been filed with Godagari Model Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act.

A mayoral candidate in Feni's Chhagalnaiya municipality election was abducted allegedly by the supporters of  the current mayor at upazila gate area before submitting his nomination paper Sunday afternoon. Abducted mayoral candidate Abdul Halim, 38,  son of Siddique Ahmed of West Chhagalnaiya village in the municipality, was rescued by police in the evening  after four hours of abduction. Read: Woman sentenced to life imprisonment for husband’s murder in Feni Abdul Halim alleged he was going with some of his relatives to submit nomination paper for the post of mayor on the last day of submission. When he reached the upazila gate, some supporters of current mayor and Awami League leader Mostafa stopped him and started beating him. They later snatched the nomination paper from his hand and took him to an unknown place by an auto-rickshaw. So,  he could not submit his nomination paper as the last date of submitting nomination papers was Sunday. Later, police rescued him from the Banshpara area sent to Chhagalnaiya Upazila Health Complex. Chhagalnaiya Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police Sohel Parvez said that they  arrested two suspects --Shishir and Mezbah Uddin-- from the spot. Read:Snatching gold bars: 5 Feni DB officials remanded again Md Shahidul Islam, Officer-in-charge of Chhagalnaiya Police Station, said police are trying to arreste others involved in the incident. On Sunday, two candidates for the post of mayor, 11 candidates for the three posts of (reserved seat) women councilors and 44 candidates for the posts of nine councilors in  general wards submitted nomination papers.