United News of Bangladesh

Jailed retired Supreme Court Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik has been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital following surgery to stop internal bleeding from ruptured testicles. Manik sustained the critical injuries on Saturday after unruly people attacked him on the premises of the Sylhet court while he was being taken to a judge. The court sent him to jail.  Jail authorities said he was taken to Osmani Medical College Hospital for surgery on Saturday night, according to Sylhet DIG (Prisons) Md. Sagir Mia. He said Manik's condition was critical due to internal bleeding from an assault, which resulted in one of his testicles rupturing. Sagir Mia also mentioned that Justice Manik was already in poor health at the time of his detention at the border. He emphasised that medical care should have been arranged before presenting him before court. Upon arrival at the hospital, Manik was immediately taken to the operation theater, where he underwent a 45-minute surgery. According to hospital Director Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan, the operation was successful, and Manik is now stable and under observation in the ICU. He said that they had been informed by prison authorities about Justice Manik's injuries and the potential need for surgery. Upon examination in the operating room, it was found that his scrotum had been damaged, which they managed to repair successfully. He is now under close monitoring. Earlier on Saturday afternoon, justice Manik was taken to the Sylhet Chief Judicial Magistrate-1 Alamgir Hossain’s court. On the court premises unruly people threw shoes and eggs at him. Some even assaulted him. It remains unclear whether his injuries occurred during this attack or before his detention. The crowd also chanted derogatory slogans, calling him a "fraud." After being presented before court, Justice Manik was formally arrested under Section 54 and sent to prison. The army provided security during his transfer from the court to the prison, preventing any further attacks. On the night of Friday, 23rd August, Justice Manik was apprehended by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) while attempting to flee to India illegally through the Dona border in Kanaighat Upazila, Sylhet. It is reported that he was trying to escape by paying a large sum of money to locals. Following his arrest, locals allegedly assaulted him and stole his money. In the early hours of Saturday, BGB members handed him over to Kanaighat Police Station. Police have confirmed that a case has been filed against him in Dhaka.

Police arrested former Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi from a residence in Shantinagar area under Paltan police station in Dhaka early Sunday.   A message sent from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) headquarters said a police team conducted a raid in the house and arrested him. Gazi, chairman of Gazi Group and a former prime minister Sheikh Hasina are among 105 suspects accused in the killing of 17-year-old Roman Mia, a student in tenth grade at Naba Kishaloy High School in Narayanganj. Gazi was elected as the Awami League candidate for the Narayaganj-1 seat in the 12th parliamentary elections. On Aug 5, after the fall of the government, a Gazi Group factory was attacked and looted in the Ruposhi area of Rupganj. The former minister has been shown arrested in the case, the DMP said.  

The Ministries of Religious Affairs and Road, Transport and Bridges have decided to donate a one-day salary of all officials, staffers and others under all divisions, departments and organizations to aid the flood-hit people. An amount equivalent to one day's salary of all ranks of officials and others will be donated to the Chief Adviser's Relief Fund in support of the flood victims, said public relations officers of the ministries. Meanwhile, the ongoing floods have claimed the lives of 18 people, with more than 51 lakh people affected across 11 districts, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief provided this update on Saturday. Till Saturday, a total of 3,513 shelter centers have been opened where 3,01,993 people and 21,695 cattle took shelter.

The National Committee to protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) on Sunday called for dredging and excavation of all rivers in the country to deal with annual floods. Besides, the civic organisation demanded to investigate the corruption and looting of the last 15 years in the name of river digging and excavation and punish those responsible.  Mohammad Shahid Mia, the president of the organisation and its general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey made this demand to the government in a statement.  According to the statement that Bangladesh is the downstream country where the upstream water will come naturally during the monsoon.  It also said that most of the country's rivers, including big rivers, are endangered due to encroachment and pollution, neglect and severe navigation crisis.  There are also problems with India over trans-boundary river water like Farakka Dam and Teesta Barrage. Apart from this, due to climate change, excessive rainfall and cyclone-floods are hitting us occasionally. In this situation, it has become essential to increase the water capacity of rivers to deal with floods. The NCPSRR leaders said, all rivers should be dug and deepened so that the water capacity of all the rivers of the country increases.  At the same time, the leaders of the National Committee urged to strengthen the diplomatic activities to collect the fair share of the water of 54 transboundary rivers flowing over Bangladesh-India. Mentioning that there has been corruption and looting in the last 15 years in the name of river digging and rescue of defunct waterways, the statement said, a high-level national investigation committee comprising with experts should be formed to bring corrupt ministers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, engineers and related contractors under the law. 

Though the overall flood situation in Cumilla remained stable, water levels in Burichang and Brahmanpara upazilas have increased following the collapse of the Gumti River embankment. As a result, the sufferings of residents of the two upazilas have aggravated and the lack of boats and ferries has further complicated the delivery of relief supplies to the affected people. The Gumti River is still flowing 81 centimetres above the danger level. Many flood-hit areas remain inaccessible, making it challenging for relief teams to reach those in need. Despite efforts by government officials, political parties and various social and cultural organisations to deliver aid, the relief distribution process is facing difficulties for lack of transportation. Some seven lakh are still stranded by the devastating flood in the district and suffering from the food crisis. Over 50,000 flood victims have taken refuge in 724 shelters across in the whole district. The district administration has said that despite easing in rainfall, the flood situation remains critical.

Dhaka Metro Rail resumed its operations on Sunday morning after a suspension of over a month due to damage caused during the recent student-led mass movement. Nasir uddin, director (operations) of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, confirmed the matter to UNB saying that the operations resumed around 7:10am from Dhaka’s Uttara Station. He informed that the metro rail will operate from now on following the previous schedule.

The authorises on Sunday morning opened the 16 spillway gates of the Kaptai Hydropower Plant as water levels of the Kaptai Lake reached above the danger level. Earlier on Saturday, the water level had risen to 108 ft above Mean Sea Level (MSL), indicating the danger mark. ATM Abduzzaher, manager of the Kaptai Hydropower Plant, confirmed the matter to UNB saying that they have already opened the gates by 6 inches each at 8:10 am on Sunday to release water. This decision to unlock the gates were taken after monitoring water levels, which increased rapidly due to heavy rainfall over the previous four days, leading to flash floods in the upstream areas. Although there was no rainfall in the last two days around Kaptai Lake and the surrounding upazilas, the water level in the lake continued to rise hourly, driven by the earlier downpours and runoff from the hills. The release of water through the spillway gates is expected to discharge approximately 9,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water. Depending on how the situation evolves, the plant may increase the gate openings to manage the lake’s water levels effectively. Engineers at the power plant explained that Kaptai Lake’s maximum water-holding capacity is 109 ft MSL, with 108 ft being the threshold for the danger level. By Saturday afternoon, the lake's water level had neared this critical point, necessitating the controlled release of water to prevent potential flooding in the upstream and downstream regions. Currently, the hydropower plant is operating its five units, generating electricity by discharging 32,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) of water into the Karnaphuli River. The increase in water release is expected to raise the water level in the Karnaphuli River as well.

Publication house Adarsha, which previously got banned from Bangla Academy’s Ekushey Book Fair for publishing books of three writers, organized a discussion on Saturday afternoon at Bangla Academy’s AKSB auditorium. The three books, on which the Bangla Academy raised objections and refused to permit Adarsha to participate in the 2023 Ekushey Book Fair, were ‘Bangalir Mediocrity Sondhane’ written by Faham Abdus Salam, ‘Unnoyon Bivrom’ written by Zia Hasan, and ‘Oprotirodhyo Unyaner Obhabonio Kothamala’ by Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad. The discussion event on Saturday featured all three writers as speakers. As the keynote speakers at the event, Faham Abdus Salam discussed the future of Bengali nationalism, while Zia Hasan discussed the transformation of Bangladesh’s economy after the recent revolution. Writer Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad also spoke at the event, alongside guest speakers Ehsan Mahmood, Salah Uddin Shubhra, Mahbub Morshed and Mahabub Rahman, the CEO of Adarsha Publications. “Bengali nationalism has failed miserably in Bangladesh, and there are many reasons for this failure. The idea of Bengali nationalism has been imposed on the people from the beginning, in which, a man who did not directly participate in the Liberation War has been positioned as a god,” writer Faham Abdus Salam said at the event. He added, “Different groups have been represented differently in Bengali nationalism, and people had to do certain things, otherwise they cannot be called ‘Bangali’. Coexistence can never be created with such ideas. Those who did not obey those ideologies were refrained from being labelled as true Bengalis.” Writer Zia Hasan in his speech proposed several solutions to the economic challenges, such as lowering the cost of living, reducing the size of the government per the plan, and restoring the rule of law. “Various economic challenges, including price inflation, were caused by seven key drivers of the Bangladeshi economy during the dictatorship period. This is based on my study; others may disagree. In the near future, our economy will confront significant problems, but I believe those can be solved,” he said. Writer Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad said, “The blessings of our independence should be available to everyone, from the mountains to the plains - regardless of party allegiance. Now is the moment to make Bangladesh's progress sustainable, and we also need to work to improve the condition of our right to express and free thinking.” The speakers and audiences paid tribute to the martyrs of the student-led movement and mass uprising, which led to the historic resurgence in the country on August 5.

Tomorrow- August 25 - marks seven years since the military operations in Myanmar, which drove 700,000 across the border into Bangladesh. "Genocide Remembrance Day will be held at Camp-26 and Camp-27 in Cox’s Bazar from 9am to 11am on Sunday," Osman, a Rohingya leader, told UNB on Saturday. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.3 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Not a single Rohingya is repatriated so far, though there were attempts to begin repatriation in the past years. Despite the world saying “never again” people are once more witnessing killings, destruction, and displacement in Rakhine. Parties to the armed conflict are issuing statements denying responsibility for attacks against the Rohingya and others, acting as though they are powerless to protect them. Ahead of the day, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed grave alarm and raised profound concerns about the sharply deteriorating situation across Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State where hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while trying to flee the fighting. Over the past four months, tens of thousands of people, many of whom are Rohingya, have fled a major offensive by the Arakan Army to take control of Buthidaung and Maungdaw towns from the military. In one of the deadliest attacks along the Naf River bordering Bangladesh on 5 August, dozens were reportedly killed, including by armed drones. It remains unclear which party to the conflict was responsible. “Thousands of Rohingya have been forced to flee on foot, with the Arakan Army herding them repeatedly into locations that offer scant safe haven,” Türk said. “As the border crossings to Bangladesh remain closed, members of the Rohingya community are finding themselves trapped between the military and its allies and the Arakan Army, with no path to safety.” Despite repeated warnings and calls for action, the ongoing violence underscores the prevailing sense of impunity and the persistent challenges in ensuring the protection of civilians in accordance with international law, the High Commissioner said. General Secretary of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) Dr Mohammad Habib Ullah on Saturday called for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission in Myanmar to uncover the true causes and extent of the genocide.

An 18-year-old student was fatally stabbed, and another was injured in a mugging incident in the Rampura area of Dhaka on Saturday evening. The deceased, identified as Hafiz, was a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidate and a student at Siddheswari College. The injured, Akash, is a second-year student at Dhaka Udyan Government College in Mohammadpur. The attack occurred around 7 pm at Rampura Wapda Road. Hafiz was rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead at 8:30 pm. According to Akash, the two lived in the West Rampura Wapda Road and were gathering funds to support flood victims. They were discussing their efforts at a nearby tea stall when they were suddenly attacked by a group of 5-6 individuals. The identities of the attackers remain unknown, and no further details have been confirmed regarding those involved in the assault. The investigation is ongoing.