United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has donated Taka 14 lakhs to the family members of seven martyrs who were killed during the anti-discrimination student movement, at a function at District Sadar Municipal Auditorium on Friday. On the occasion of distribution of money to the martyrs ‘families, Jamaat-e-Islami Shariatpur district unit organized a view-exchanging meeting with the families of the martyrs. Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Shariatpur district Maulana Abdur Rab Hashemi presided over the meeting. Central Assistant Secretary and former Member of Parliament AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad was present as the chief guest in the program moderated by District Jamaat Naib Amir KM Maqbul Hossain. Maulana Khalilur Rahman, former District Amir and Member of Faridpur Region, was present as a special guest. In his speech, Hamidur Rahman Azad said that our second freedom has been earned in exchange of the blood of the students. There is a quarter working to destroy this freedom, so you all need to be aware. “National unity should be formed if necessary. The country cannot be left to any occupier. We must build resistance against murder, torture and terrorism. Those involved in murder should be brought under the law and exemplary punishment should be ensured, he added. He also said that Jamaat-e-Islami will work for the families of those killed in the mass uprising. The Jamaat leader assured to bear the medical expenses of the injured.

Sadharon Sanatani Peshajibi Forum, an association of professionals who are followers of Sanatan Dharma, or Hinduism, has demanded justice for  Bangladeshi girl Shwarna Das, 13, who was killed by Border Security Force (BSF) of India on September 1. A statement signed by Debashish Mallik Simanto, convener and coordinator of the forum, also condemned the practice of indiscriminate firing at the border on mere criminal suspicion (without evidence). “We strongly criticized the Indian side for trying to mislead people by spreading misinformation on social media and demanded that the Government of India (Centre and State) conduct an impartial investigation into the extrajudicial killings of the BSF personnel who are directly involved in the incident. “Since this atrocious human rights violation occurred on the international border, we also recommend the concerned authorities of Bangladesh government to seek the intervention of the international community to ensure the maximum punishment of the offenders and also to provide compensation to the victim's family to ensure fair trial,” read the statement. “We the members and well-wishers of the organization declared that such killings of people at any border irrespective of caste-religion-gender are extremely alarming and condemnable,” it added. The statement further stated that “only because of the culture of impunity, the real criminals are getting away and the killing of innocent people is increasing every year. With this incident of Shwarna Das murder, we are starting to specifically monitor such killings on the border. India and Bangladesh will have to answer to us if such brutal incidents happen in the future or if any political tricks are played with Swarna Das murder or if our recommendations are not taken into consideration. All members and well-wishers of Sadharon Sanatani Peshajibi Forum will not hesitate to strictly adopt all possible legal means for this accountability.” Shwarna Das, daughter of Porendra Das from Kalnigar village in Paschim Juri union under Juri upazila of Moulvibazar district, was shot dead by BSF troops on September 1. Porendra Das said that his eldest son lives in Tripura, India. Shwarna and her mother attempted to cross into India to visit his son on Sunday night through the Lalarchak border with the assistance of two local brokers. Upon reaching the fence on the Indian side around 9 pm, BSF personnel opened fire, resulting in Swarna’s immediate death. Swarna’s mother narrowly escaped the incident.

The recent flooding that has submerged Feni and ten other districts in Bangladesh has led to calls for international intervention. On Friday, prominent figures and citizens gathered in Feni to demand justice and compensation from India at a rally titled ‘Strike for Water Justice’. The event, organized by the Feni Citizens’ Platform ‘Amra Fenibasi’, drew participants from various sectors, including experts, journalists, and students. The rally, held at the Shaheed Minar premises in Feni, was presided over by Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stamford University and an environmental scientist. During the event, Shahadat Hossain, Editor of Daily Feni and General Secretary of the Feni District Committee of Citizens for Good Governance (Sujan), presented the '11-Point Feni Declaration'. The program was moderated by Burhan Uddin Faisal, one of the organizers of the ‘Amra Fenibasi’ platform. Key speakers included water and river expert Mohammad Ejaz, Mihir Biswas from the Buriganga Save Movement, and environmental activists Humayun Kabir Suman, among others. Notably, Professor Liaquat Ali Bhuiyan, a central leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, also expressed solidarity with the cause towards the end of the event. Professor Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar criticized India, stating that the flooding was not merely a natural disaster but a result of intentional actions by India. He highlighted the severe mental, physical, and financial damage suffered by the people of Feni and other affected districts and called on the international community to demand proper compensation from India. He also advocated for the removal of dams and barriers on all shared rivers. Mohammad Ejaz emphasized that the recent floods were a direct consequence of India's ability to disrupt Bangladesh’s water resources at will, citing the 68 dams constructed by India on 54 shared rivers. He accused India of deliberately controlling the flow of the Feni River and criticized the government of Sheikh Hasina for failing to address the issue effectively. Mihir Biswas asserted that the people of Feni are resilient and will continue to fight against water aggression from India. He urged India to adopt fair practices regarding water distribution. Humayun Kabir Suman suggested that the flooding was more politically than naturally driven and called for India to be held accountable in international courts. Journalist leader M. Abdullah denounced India for its broader aggressive actions, including border killings and trade aggression, and warned that continued misconduct would come at a cost. The ‘11-Point Feni Declaration’ includes demands such as: 1. Removal of all dams and barriers from transboundary rivers. 2. Accountability for the intentional dam breach by India in Feni's Parshuram region, with international court proceedings supported by the UN. 3. Immediate reconstruction of the protective dam at Mohuri Char. 4. Ensuring fair water allocation for Bangladesh and stopping illegal water extraction from the Feni River. 5. Proper compensation for all flood-affected citizens. 6. Compensation and incentives for agriculture, fisheries, poultry, and other businesses. 7. Rapid assessment and repair of damages to education and infrastructure sectors. 8. Immediate measures to prevent riverbank erosion and reconstruction of the Musapur Closure. 9. Addressing global climate change impacts and seeking compensation from responsible countries while enforcing climate change mitigation measures in Bangladesh. 10. Preventing obstructions in water bodies under the guise of development and restoring navigability to filled canals and rivers. 11. Effective measures to prevent river and environmental pollution and halt deforestation. Local youth organizations such as Feni District Volunteer Family, Youth Net Global Feni Branch, Eco Revolution, and others also participated in the event, underscoring the broad community support for the cause.

Against the recent conspiracy centring the national anthem, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi has organised a nationwide human chain and protest rally on Friday. In Dhaka, the members of Udichi and some other cultural organizations protested by singing the National Anthem on the road opposite the Jatiya Press Club. The recent controversial discussion centering the National Anthem sparked since Tuesday when Abdullahil Aman Azmi, son of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's former Amir Ghulam Azam, demanded to change the National Anthem of Bangladesh in a virtual press conference, calling it 'paramount to the existence of freedom'. Netizens started protesting strongly on social media opposing the sentiment, and Udichi announced the program of singing the National Anthem with a collective voice. Speakers at the event said they will not tolerate any conspiracy against the country's National Anthem. They also promised a united front against all malicious forces if such attempts are made. Udichi president Professor Badiur Rahman said, "The 1971 Liberation War is our greatest pride - and we will protest any conspiracy against it. Our national anthem, national flag is our achievement which was earned in exchange of the blood and sacrifice of our millions of martyrs." "This glorious achievement cannot be tarnished in any way, and whenever we see any conspiracy against our Liberation War, National Flag and National Anthem - we will raise our voice and protest," he added. Following the speeches, the protestors performed the National Anthem and some other patriotic songs together. The event also took place simultaneously in different parts across the country, as part of Udichi's nationwide protest against the conspiracy.

A man and his son-in-law died in a road accident on Bogura-Rangpur Highway in Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj upazila on Thursday night. The deceased were Jahidul Islam, 40, and Shamim Mandal, 25. Both were residents of Gobindanagar and Komarpur villages respectively under the upazila. Gobindaganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shariful Islam confirmed the matter. Witnesses said the accident occurred around 11 pm when the duo fell off a motorbike while crossing a lane on the highway in front of a Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, leaving them critically injured. Later, they were rushed to Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead upon arrival, they said. The bodies were handed over to the families of the deceased after completing legal procedures, said the OC.

Four people, including three of a family, were killed in a fatal road accident on Dhaka-Chattgraom highway in Chauddagram end of Cumilla district early Friday, said police. Dewan Nazmul Huda, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chauddagram police station, confirmed the casualties saying that a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of the Star Line Paribhan crashed into a microbus from behind on the same lane in Nunkora area on the highway around 6am. The impact of the incident left three killed on the spot and one succumbed to his injuries on way to Chauddagram Upazila Health Complex, he said, adding that there were four people including microbus driver inside the vehicle and all of them died.   The bodies were taken to Mia Bazar Highway Police Station but the identities of the victims could not be known immediately, the OC said.

A local Union Parishad (UP) member was killed and several others were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over establishing supremacy in Khulna’s Terokhada upazila on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Md Faruk Mir, 40, son of Md Gaus Mir of Madhupur village and also a UP member. Some of the injured were identified as Nur Mollah, 40, Jasim Mir, 40, Gaus Mir, 70, and Illias, 50. Locals and police said there has been a longstanding dispute between Mir and Sikdar groups in taking control of the area. Supporters from both sides equipped with sharp weapons got engaged in a bloody clash at local Kola Bazar around 7:45pm on Thursday, leaving several people, including Faruk, critically injured, they said. The injured were rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the UP member succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, said Gazirhat police outpost In-Charge Manirul Islam. He informed that additional police personnel were deployed to ward off any further disturbance in the area.

A news article titled "Registration required to visit St. Martin's Island" is being circulated in various media outlets, which has drawn the attention of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In reality, neither the Ministry nor the Department of Environment has made any decision requiring registration to visit St. Martin's Island, according to a press release on Thursday. A seminar was held in Cox's Bazar on banning single-use plastic in St. Martin's Island on Thursday. In the seminar, detailed discussions were held with stakeholders on preserving the environment and ecosystem of St. Martin's Island. Although the need for a registration system to visit the island was discussed, no decision was announced by the Department of Environment in this regard. In other words, no such decision has been made by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or the Department of Environment, it said. For the sake of disseminating accurate information to the public, media outlets are requested to issue corrections accordingly, the release said.

The High Court (HC) on Thursday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned why directives should not be given to appoint receivers to oversee Beximco Group, owned by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Private Investment Affairs Adviser Salman F Rahman, after confiscating its properties.  An HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul-Islam passed the order after hearing a writ petition submitted by Supreme Court (SC) senior lawyer Masud R Sobhan.  In the rule, the court wanted to know why directives won’t be given to provide information about all organizations including Beximco Pharmaceuticals owned by the group.   Moreover, the HC wanted to know why directives won’t be placed to provide information to Bangladesh Bank on how much loan the group has defaulted on, to appoint receivers to oversee the group’s properties after confiscating these, and to bring back the group’s laundered money.  The Bangladesh Bank governor, the finance secretary and Salman F Rahman were asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.  Representing the petitioner, lawyer Masued stood for himself while Deputy Attorney General Redwan Ahmed and Assistant Attorney General Muzahid Islam Shaheen stood for the state. 

Mahfuzur Rahman Mishu, Special Correspondent, Jamuna TV and Faisal Karim, Senior Reporter, Ekhon TV, have returned to Bangladesh after completing this year's Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship (SAJP). They found it to be a tremendously fulfilling and transformative experience, said the British High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday. In a meeting with the British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke, they shared how they could apply what they had learned from the fellowship in their fields of work in Bangladesh. The fellowship is fully funded by the UK government.  Applications for the next cohort are now open.