United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will remain on high alert to ensure peaceful celebration of Durga Puja in all puja mandaps in the capital, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Mainul Hasan on Wednesday. Necessary security measures have been taken and already police are working to ensure security centering the Durga Puja, he said while talking to reporters after attending a meeting on the law and order situation, held at DMP headquarters. Plainclothes police, Swat, Crisis Response team, Quick Response team, Crime Scene Van and bomb disposal units will also remain alert round the clock to take action instantly. He also urged the Puja Udjapan Parishad to make their CCTVs active in the Puja Mandaps and deployed their volunteer teams to ensure foolproof security. The DMP commissioner also asked people to make a call to the national emergency service 999 in case of any emergency.

The Supreme Court (SC) authorities launched a helpline service to ease suffering of justice or service seekers on Wednesday. A media release, signed by Md Shafiqul Islam, public relations officer of the SC, was issued in this regard. Justice or service seekers, who face trouble in finding service at the SC or any section of the registrar, have been asked to contact the number +8801316154216. An official from the SC registry office will respond to the calls and provide the service seekers with necessary assistance. Except for the public holidays, the service will remain available from 10 am to 4 pm every day. On September 18, Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed placed a 12-point directive, before officials beginning assistant registrars to above, of the SC to simplify services.

A Dhaka court has approved petitions to show former law minister Anisul Haque, former PM’s investment adviser Salman F Rahman, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, and former ICT state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak arrested in connection with two separate murder cases under the jurisdiction of Badda Police Station. In another murder case filed at the same police station, Ekattor TV CEO Mozammel Haque Babu was shown arrested. On Wednesday morning, the accused were presented at Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court, where Badda police submitted petitions for their arrests in three murder cases. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arafat-ul Rakib granted the police's request to show all the accused arrested. During the proceedings, both Dipu Moni and Mozammel Haque Babu applied for bail, but the court rejected their requests. Advocate Morshed Hossain Shaheen represented the defendants, while Inspector Md. Asaduzzaman of the CMM Court's general registration section and BNP-aligned lawyer Omar Faruq Faruqi opposed the bail on behalf of the state.

Dhaka, Sep 25 (UNB) - Television presenter Farzana Brownia on Wednesday filed a case accusing five people including the head of news at Channel i, Shykh Seraj, on charge of fraud and extortion.The case was filed at the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque.According to court records, the magistrate accepted Brownia’s statement and instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the allegation. The court set November 12 as the deadline for CID to submit its report.The four other accused are Zahir Uddin Mahmud Mamun, Mukit Majumdar Babu, Abdur Rashid Majumdar Parvez, and Riaz Ahmed Khan. Farzana Brownia’s complaint also mentioned that all five people are involved in the Awami League's politics.According to the case statement, Brownia had been employed as the Marketing Manager at Channel i, with a monthly salary of TK 1 lakh. She also served as the presenter and director of the show "Swarnakishori" (Golden Youth). The dispute arose in 2018 during the quota reform movement, when she publicly supported students involved in the protests.On October 11, 2018, she was abruptly banned from the television channel without formal notice. When she verbally protested, the accused informed her that she would continue receiving her salary until she was officially dismissed in writing.Based on this understanding, Brownia claims she is owed Tk 79 lakh in unpaid wages, covering the period from October 2018 to September 2024. Despite sending a legal notice through her lawyer, the accused did not respond and instead allegedly threatened her, demanding Tk 50 crore as extortion.

Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested a suspected smuggler along with five gold bars weighing 2.30 Kg from the Kanchabazar area of Benapole while attempting to smuggle them to India on Wednesday afternoon. The arrestee is Kadam Ali, on of Azizur Rahman of Putkhali village under Benapole Port Police Station. Lt. Colo Saifullah Siddiqui, the commander of the Jashore 49 BGB Battalion, confirmed the matter. According to the BGB, they received secret information that a large consignment of gold was about to be smuggled to India and that a smuggler was present in the Benapole Kanchabazar area. Acting on this information, a BGB team conducted a raid there and caught Kadam red-handed. Later, after searching his body, they recovered five gold bars worth Tk 2.30 crore . A case has been filed against the arrestee, and he has been handed over to the Benapole Port Police Station. The seized gold bars have been deposited at the government treasury branch in Jashore, said the BGB official.

Police arrested two drug dealers in the capital's New Market area early Wednesday. The arrestees were Mohammad Imran Hossain Raj and Mohammad Bashir. During the arrest, authorities seized two bottles of whisky, 49 cans of beer, and two mobile phone sets from their possession. The motorbike used for transporting the drugs was confiscated. Legal proceedings are underway against the detainees, said DMP AC (media) Jahangir Kabir.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested general secretary of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Sajibur Rahman from Narsingdi’s Raipura early Wednesday. Sajibur, 24, is the son of Robi Ullah of Dukundichar village under Raipura upazila of Narsingdi. Mashihur Rahman, assistant superintendent of police at RAB-9, confirmed the matter saying that being tipped-off, members of RAB-9 and RAB-11 conducted a joint drive and arrested him from Raipura around 1:30 am. He is accused in a case filed with Sylhet’s Kotwali police station, he said, adding that the arrestee was handed over to the police station. Efforts are on to arrest the rest of the accused in the case, the RAB officer added.

A case has been filed in Chattogram over allegations of derogatory remarks about Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, and Nahid Islam, Advisor for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, made on Facebook. Hafiz Mohammad Saifuddin, Joint Convener of the Chhatra Dal in Fatikchhari, filed the case in Judge Zahirul Kabir Chowdhury’s court at the Chattogram Cyber Tribunal On Tuesday. The court accepted the complaint and instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the matter. The accused, Moktar Hossain (52), is the son of the late Delwar Hossain from the GM Chowdhury house in West Nanupur, Fatikchhari. The plaintiff's lawyer, Nasir Uddin Ahmad Khan Roni, stated that the court has acknowledged the plaintiff's testimony and directed the CID to conduct an investigation. The case details that on August 15, Mohammad Hasan made a 7-minute and 37-second statement on his Facebook account, containing objectionable comments directed at Islam and the Muslim community, inciting potential unrest within the community. The video allegedly features the accused using offensive language aimed at Dr. Muhammad Yunus and making inappropriate remarks about Nahid Islam, the government's advisors.

General Waker-uz-Zaman, Chief of Army Staff, said on Tuesday that Bangladesh Army is working impartially and professionally to improve law and order, recover weapons in joint operations, prevent extrajudicial activities, and uphold the rule of law. He reaffirmed that the army is a symbol of trust for the nation and its people, urging vigilance against ongoing rumors on social media, while emphasizing integrity, truthfulness, and fairness in duty. The army chief made the remarks while addressing all ranks of army personnel stationed at Chattogram Cantonment, providing guidance and insights, said a media release of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). In his opening remarks, he offered prayers for the martyrdom of Lieutenant Tanjiim Sarwar Nirjan and expressed his condolences to the bereaved family. He emphasized that the brave sacrifice of this young officer in service to the motherland would be deeply honored by the Bangladesh Army. General Waker then shed light on the current security situation in the country and offered various directives regarding the army's operations. Later, the army chief visited the Naniarchar Zone Headquarters in the Rangamati Region of the Hill Tracts. During this visit, he instructed maintaining stability, ensuring the safety of the local population, and assisting in their socio-economic development, while remaining prepared to protect the country’s sovereignty. His visit to the remote hill army camps boosted the morale of the stationed personnel and other security forces.

The recent violence in Narayanganj during July and August have claimed the lives of 55 people, with several hundreds injured, according to a district civil surgeon list sent to the government. The movement, which involved students, workers, children, and homemakers, has resulted in significant loss of life across the country. District Civil Surgeon Dr Mashiur Rahman said they prepared a list of the martyrs and injured and sent it to the Ministry of Health, confirming 55 deaths and over 600 injuries. However, the Ministry of Health on Tuesday released a national death toll from the protests, stating that 708 people across the country had lost their lives, including 26 from Narayanganj. A review of the list reveals that the names correspond with data from local hospitals and reports from the Civil Surgeon’s office, reflecting casualties from Narayanganj residents. Mashiur Rahman noted that many individuals from Narayanganj lost their lives in Sylhet, and vice versa, making it difficult to determine the exact number of casualties directly linked to Narayanganj. However, he emphasized that they have documented 55 fatalities and over 600 injuries from the region. The Ministry is responsible for verifying this data, which is described as a preliminary draft. It includes information gathered from health departments and medical facilities across various districts. The list details the names, identities, contact numbers, and addresses of the deceased, although it does not specify where each individual was killed. To facilitate corrections and additions, the Ministry announced that the list will be open for public review from September 23 to October 6. Among those named in the Ministry's report from Narayanganj are: Ahasan Kabir (Sharif), Al Amin, Al Mamun Amanat, Farhana Fayaz Ratul, Hazrat Bellal, Jamal Hossain Shikdar, Mabrur Hossain Rabbi, and several others.