United News of Bangladesh

A team of Joint Forces recovered a one-shooter gun along with two rounds of bullets from the house of Natore district unit of Jubo League in Sadar upazila early Friday. Natore Sadar police station’s Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam said the joint force led by Executive Magistrate Saddam Hossain conducted the drive at the house of Basirul Rahman Khan Ehia Chowdhury, president of the Awami League’s youth body Jubo Lague, in Chowdhury Para area around 5am. During the drive, the firearm and bullets were recovered, he said, adding that the Jubo League leader was not found there. Basirul is accused of several cases on charges of attacking students during the mass upsurge and he has been absconding since Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5.

Detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested former Shipping Minister and Awami League Presidium Member Shahjahan Khan from Dhaka’s Dhanmondi early Friday. Md Rabiul Hossain Bhuiyan, joint commissioner (north) of the DMP’s Detective Branch (DB), confirmed the matter to UNB on Friday morning. He said a DB team raided a house in Dhanmondi and arrested him from there at around 3am.   Last month, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) decided to launch an investigation into the former minister who was elected from the Madaripur-2 constituency. Earlier in 2014, the ACC summoned him over allegations related to irregularities in plot allocation and the accumulation of illegal assets. His affidavit for the 11th parliamentary election revealed his huge wealth, including two cars, 96 bhori of gold belonging to his wife and two buses registered under his wife's name. He also served as the chairman of the standing committee of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-2) recovered three abandoned shotguns, 98 rounds of cartridges, and a police belt on Thursday from the Beribadh area under Mohammadpur Police Station in Dhaka. These items were part of the weapons and ammunition looted from various police stations in the capital on August 5. The recovery was made during a special operation to retrieve illegal arms across the country. Acting on secret information, a team from RAB-2 conducted the raid at approximately 8:30 pm, successfully recovering the abandoned items. The recovered weapons and ammunition have since been handed over to Mohammadpur Police Station, according to Senior ASP (media) Shihab Karim of RAB 2 Battalion Headquarters This operation is part of an ongoing effort by RAB to maintain law and order and to bring those involved in criminal activities and illegal arms possession to justice. RAB has intensified its surveillance and remains committed to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable under the law.

Two members of a family were stabbed to death in an attack allegedly by a youth over a trivial matter, prompting locals to lynch the attacker in Nagarpur upazila of Tangail on Thursday night. The victims were identified as Abdus Sattar, 50, his brother’s son Mohammad Asadul , 28, and the alleged attacker Taleb Mia, 30. They all were residents of Dhubbaria village under the Nagarpur upazila. Locals and police said the altercation began over a trivial matter between Abdus Sattar and Taleb. During the confrontation, Taleb used a sharp weapon to strike Abdus Sattar. When Sattar’s nephew attempted to save him, Taleb also attacked him, leaving the two critically injured. Hearing screams, neighbours rushed to the spot and took the injured to Upazila Health Complex where they were pronounced dead by doctors, they said. Enraged by this, locals caught the accused and lynched him on the spot. Nagarpur police station’s Officer in Charge HM Jasim Uddin said the bodies of the deceased uncle and nephew remain at the health complex, while Taleb’s body was at the scene. The police were deployed to the area to avert any further trouble, he added.

The High Court on Thursday directed authorities concerned to exhume the body of Harris Chowdhury, political secretary to former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, for a DNA test to ensure his identity. The HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam passed the order following a writ petition filed by Harris Chowdhury’s daughter Samira Tanzina Chowdhury. Barrister Mahdin Choudhury moved the plea before the court while deputy attorney general Redwan Ahmed Ranjib and Assistant Attorney General Mujahidul Islam Shaheen appeared for the state. The High Court also issued a rule questioning why the authorities should not be directed to exhume the body buried under the name “Mahmudur Rahman” at the Jamia Khatamun Nabiyyin Madrasa Graveyard in Savar for DNA testing to confirm the identity, why a death certificate should not be issued in Harris Chowdhury's name if the DNA test is positive, why the Interpol Red Notice against him should not be withdrawn, and why he should not be buried with due honor as a freedom fighter in his home district according to his last wishes. The Home Secretary, Local Government Secretary, Registrar General (Births and Deaths), CID Director, Dhaka District Superintendent of Police and Savar Model Police Station OC have been asked to respond to the rule. Earlier, in 2021, media reports stated that on September 4 of that year, Abul Harris Chowdhury, the former political secretary to Khaleda Zia and a former BNP leader, was buried under the name “Mahmudur Rahman” in a graveyard in the Jalalabad area of Savar, Dhaka. Harish Chowdhury's daughter alleged that the intelligence department of the recently outed government had created a drama questioning her father's death.  But the darkness about his father's death is not over. “A writ has been issued to determine that there should never be any question about it,” she said. "It is very shocking and painful as a child to have doubts about my father's death. People still ask if he is really dead, and we are being harassed because of it. So, we turned to the court to put an end to this,” she said.

Two separate cases have been filed against 23 people including former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Law Minister Anisul Huq on charges of crimes against humanity. The cases were filed with the Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday, accusing several unidentified individuals. Other notable accused are former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, former Agriculture Ministers Matia Chowdhury and Abdur Razzaque, former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, former State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former Additional IGP and DB Chief Harun-Or-Rashid, former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former RAB Director General Md. Harun-Or-Rashid, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, and Chhatra League General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan. Supreme Court lawyer Gazi MH Tamim filed the complaints on behalf of Md. Khairul Islam, brother of Saiful Islam Sekul, who was shot dead on August 5 during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and by Md. Shahidul Islam, father of Mehdi Hasan, who was shot dead on July 20. The office of the Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal has received the complaints. The complaints were filed under section 3(2) and 4(1) /(2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act-1973. The complaints state that under the orders and planning of the accused, others carried out genocide and crimes against humanity by indiscriminately firing with domestic and foreign firearms, killing unarmed students and civilians involved in the Anti-discrimination Movement with the intent to eliminate them. The former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country amid the mass uprising on August 5.

At least 150 people were injured in a series of clashes between students of Barisal University (BU) and Government Brojomohun (BM) College over a trivial matter from 12am to 5am Wednesday. Several buses of the both institutions and administrative building, student dormitories and other establishments were vandalized during the five-hour long clash. Most of the injured from both sides have been undergoing treatment at Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital. Army personnel have been deployed in and around the BM College to avert any further trouble. Sources and witnesses said some BM college students went to the house of BU student Tasnuva Chowdhury Joya on Baptist Mission Road in Barishal city on Monday morning as there has been a dispute between her family and a neighbor over a land. An altercation broke out between Joya and the BM College students over the matter and at one stage she informed her BU fellows seeking help. The bU students boarding on a bus rushed to the spot and allegedly attacked the college students. On Tuesday afternoon, students from the both institutions formed counter human chains demanding justice for the injured. The BM college students started desperately to find the BU students in the city and beat up two of them in Bouttal area around 10pm on Tuesday. At one stage, the injured took shelter in Bouttal police outpost and informed their fellow students who rushed there in a bus. The BM college students allegedly beat up BU students there, leaving some 20 injured. Being informed, over 1000 BU students coming in buses and trucks gathered in Banglabazar area with brickbats, sticks and other objects and then went to the BM College on foot, two kilometers off the spot and carried out massive vandalism on the campus from 1 am to 3 am. The BU students vandalized the administrative building, three student dormitories, classrooms and other establishments. Though initially the BM students tried to resist but later retreated due to low numbers of the students. Around 3am, the Army members rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after one hour efforts. Two army members were reportedly injured in the clash. Kotwali Model Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman said over 100 people were injured in the series of clashes and 23 of the injured were admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital. Dr Unmesh Roy, head of BU's Bangla department, said over 100 students of their university received treatment at the hospital. Now there are 33 people admitted. Students of BU returned to the campus from the BM College area by 6:30 am. Besides, Acting Vice-Chancellor Mohsin Uddin received the six students, who got trapped on BM College campus during the clash, she informed. BM College Principal Aminul Haque said they communicated with acting VC Mohsin who assured them of bearing the cost of renovating the damaged structures on the college campus.

A murder case has been filed against over 430 people including Selina Hayat Ivy, the former Mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, in connection with the death of Monirul Islam, who was shot dead during the student-less mass movement in Siddhirganj. Nazmul Haque, the brother of the deceased, filed the case at Siddhirganj police station on Tuesday night, confirmed officer-in-charge of the police station Abu Bakar Siddique. This is the first murder case filed against Ivy after the ouster of Awami League government in a mass upsurge. Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, AL leader Shamim Osman ,130 named and 300 unnamed people were made accused in the case. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ministers and senior AL leaders including  Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Shamim Osman, were sued in multiple cases across Narayanganj after the fall of Hasina government on August 5. But Ivy was not made accused in any of those cases. Ivy drew attention recently for paying homage to Banglabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreath on August 15 despite most political leaders going into hiding. “My brother, Minarul Islam, a garment worker, reached the scene around 6 pm on July 20, near Mujib Fashion. As he got caught in the chaos, Shamim Osman shot him with a firearm. My brother collapsed to the ground, and his companions rushed him to Khanpur Hospital in an auto-rickshaw. However, the attending doctor declared him dead,” said Nazmul.

Two men were killed in a stabbing incident early Wednesday morning near the central bus terminal in Pabna, allegedly over a drug-related dispute. The attack occurred in front of Halim Hotel in the terminal area, leaving 45-year-old Milon Hossain Modhu and 44-year-old Monju Pramanik dead. Modhu was known for collecting tolls from transport workers, while Monju worked as an auto-rickshaw driver. According to relatives of the victims and hotel staff, the two men had gone to the hotel for breakfast when they were attacked. As they stood in front of the hotel, several assailants stabbed them, leaving them critically injured. Bystanders rushed the victims to Pabna General Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead. Local residents reported that the victims were allegedly involved in facilitating drug transactions for known dealers from Mahendrapur village, who had political connections with some members of the Awami League. Recently, a power shift among those controlling the drug trade may have led to this fatal conflict. Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Rowshan Ali confirmed that the bodies have been recovered and sent to the morgue at Pabna General Hospital for autopsy. Police are investigating the exact motive behind the killings and will provide more details once the investigation progresses, the OC added.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday premitted police to question former IGP Shahidul Haque for seven days in remand and another ex-IGP  Chowdhury Abdullah-Al-Mamun for eight days in two separate murder cases. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Aktaruzzaman passed the orders after hearing their remand prayers. Earlier on Tuesday night, detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested the two forrmer police chiefs and took them into their custody. Of them, Shahidul was shown arrested in a case filed over the killing of businessman Abdul Wadud with New Market police station and Chowdhury Mamun also faced another case filed, for allegedly killing a grocer, with a Dhaka court. However, former IGP Shahidul claimed himself innocent and demanded justice during the hearing of the remand. “I built the police as people's police. I don't know anything about this, let alone murder. I want justice,” he appealed. Though New Market police station’s Sub Inspector Morad Khan and Detective Branch’s Inspector Moktaruzzman produced the former IGPs before the court with the prayers for remands, the defendants’ lawyers appealed for bail. However, the court granted remand for them rejecting the bail prayers. Grocer Abu Sayed was killed in a police firing at Bosila under Mohammadpur Police Station on July 19 during the quota reform movement. On August 13, SM Amir Hamza, a relative of the victim, filed the case with the court. Seven people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, were accused in the case. The court accepted the statement of the plaintiff and ordered Mohammadpur Police Station to accept the complaint as a FIR.       On July 19, businessman Abdul Wadud was killed in police firing in the Nilkhet area under New Market police station during the anti-discrimination student movement. His brother-in-law Abdur Rahman filed a murder case against 130 people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.