United News of Bangladesh

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday sent police constable Mohammad Sujan Hossain, an accused in a case over the killings of seven people during the anti-government movement in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area on August 5, to jail after showing him arrested. A bench of three-member judges led by ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder passed the order following a hearing in this regard, said prosecutor BM Sultan Mahmud. However, no lawyer for the police constable stood at the court. Prosecutor Sultan said the case was filed against Sujan with Shahbagh police station on charge of killing seven people during the anti-government on August 5. On January 1, the prosecution submitted a petition seeking an arrest warrant for Sujan, who was arrested earlier, and to produce him before the court on Sunday, he said, adding that the court issued the arrest warrant later. Read: BNP lodges complaints with ICT over 2276 crossfires,153 enforced disappearances As per the order, the accused was produced while the court set January 23 for submitting a progress report of the case, the prosecutor said. A video footage shows that the constable, who was posted at Armed Police Battalion during the movement, was firing indiscriminately from several angles at the protesters in Chankharpul area on August 5. Later, the video footage went viral on social media, triggering several criticisms.

The High Court has directed the authorities concerned to take effective steps to mitigate air pollution in Dhaka and implement nine previous directives within seven days. The bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order on Sunday and asked the authorities to submit report to the court by January 26.      Senior Advocate Manzil Morshed, representing the petitioner, appeared before the court alongside Advocates Sanjay Mondal and Salim Reza, while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan represented the state.  The petition was originally filed in 2019 by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking urgent action to combat air pollution in the capital. Environment Adviser seeks Chinese cooperation in air quality management Following the petition, the court issued a rule and asked the authorities to form an expert committee and take preventive measures.  Despite some progress in reducing air pollution by mid-2023, Dhaka recently topped global rankings for poor air quality again due to lax enforcement of court instructions, said Advocate Manzil Morshed.  The court reiterated its nine-point directives for immediate implementation:  Those are covering soil, sand and waste transported by trucks or other vehicles, ensuring construction materials such as soil, sand and cement are covered, sprinkling water on roads regularly by city corporations and ensuring compliance with tender conditions for road and construction works.  Seizing vehicles emitting black smoke, halting the movement of vehicles past their permissible lifespan under the Road Transport Act, closing illegal brick kilns and shutting down unlicensed tire factories and ensuring proper disposal of market and shop waste by the city corporation were among those.  Advocate Morshed said although the court’s directives had been partially implemented consistent failures have allowed air pollution to reach alarming levels again. 

The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested three alleged burglars in connection with the theft of gold from a jewelry shop in Dhanmondi’s Shimanto Shambhar market here. The arrests were made during raids in different parts of Cumilla from Thursday to Saturday, DB Joint Commissioner Mohammad Nasirul Islam said at a press briefing at the DMP media centre on Sunday. Based on information provided by the arrestees, the detectives also recovered 50 bhori of stolen gold from a jewelry shop in Cumilla, he added. On January 3, members of the gang broke into the shop by cutting its shutter and stole around 159 bhori of gold within eight minutes, Nasirul said. Factional clash in Anti-Discrimination Students Movement in Dhaka leaves 9 injured The shop owner filed a case with Dhanmondi Police Station in this regard. Analysing CCTV footage, investigators identified the suspects. Nasirul confirmed that eight to nine individuals were involved in the crime, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining culprits.

Law enforcers have launched a hunt for the pirates who seized an oil tanker and looted 350 metric tonnes of furnace oil, authorities said on Sunday, three days after the incident. The tanker was carrying over 360 metric tonnes of furnace oil when it was attacked on Friday in Dhaleshwari-Shitalakkhya confluence near Char Mukterpur in Munshiganj. No arrest has been made until today and law enforcers are yet to recover the looted oil. The oil tanker, heading towards Gazipur from Narayanganj, was seized in the confluence around 6am on Friday. The armed pirates ambushed the running ship ‘OT Bin Zaman-1’ near the spot (confluence) while it was taking a turn. The six crew members, including the captain, were overpowered at gunpoint and their mobile phones and other valuables seized. The pirates blindfolded the crew with black cloth, locked them in the engine room, and took control of the tanker. After looting 350 MT out of 360.036 MT of furnace oil, worth around Tk 3.5 crore, the hijackers abandoned the tanker, owned by King Fisher Shipping Company, near the Meghna Bridge around 8:30pm and fled the scene. Summit Group is the owner of the furnace oil. Read: French destroyer in EU mission rescues 29 mariners from oil tanker stricken in Red Sea attacks The vessel's captain Saizul Islam said they had set sail from Summit Power in Narayanganj’s Madanganj area at 6am on Friday to deliver it to Summit Power in Gazipur. He said that six masked pirates with arms boarded the vessel initially and called one by "Dalim" during the attack. Fazlul Ahmed, manager of the shipping company, said that they lost contact with the ship, prompting them to alert the law enforcement.

A clash broke out between two groups of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement over a dispute regarding the Mirpur Thana Committee of the group in Dhaka. Nine individuals were reported injured in the incident. The injured received primary treatment at the emergency department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University (BSMMU) and were later discharged. The incident took place at around 8:30 PM on January 10 at the central office of the organization, located in Rupayan Tower, Banglamotor, Dhaka. Abu Naser, the Deputy Director of BSMMU, confirmed the matter to UNB. Abu Naser stated, "At around 8:30 PM last night, nine injured individuals arrived here. They had cuts and wounds, but none of them required hospitalization. Therefore, they were given primary care and discharged." He also mentioned that the injured individuals were handed over to Hamza Mahbub, the Crisis Management Coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

The Appellate Division has upheld the High Court's decision to dismiss five labour-law related cases against Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus. A three-judge bench of the Appellate Division, led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam, issued the ruling, rejecting the state’s appeal for permission to challenge the High Court's verdict. During the court proceedings, Additional Attorney General Mohammad Anik Rushd Haque represented the state, while Senior Advocate Mustafizur Rahman Khan represented Dr Yunus. The Appellate Division's full order says that there were no legal flaws in the High Court's ruling and order. As a result, the court found no need for legal problem in the decision, leading to the dismissal of the state’s leave to appeal. Five labour court cases were filed against Dr Yunus in 2019, alleging wrongful dismissal linked to the formation of a proposed trade union during his tenure as Chairman of Grameen Telecommunications. High Court rejects ex-NBR Official Matiur’s writ petition to travel abroad In 2020, Dr Yunus petitioned the High Court for the cancellation of the cases, and the High Court issued a rule to that effect. After the final hearing, the High Court delivered its verdict on October 24, 2024, canceling the proceedings of all five cases. The state subsequently sought permission to appeal the decision, but the Supreme Court dismissed the leave to appeal application on December 8. Senior Advocate Mustafizur Rahman Khan said, "The Appellate Division has issued its full order, dismissing the state’s leave to appeal against the High Court’s ruling. As a result, Prof Yunus and the relevant officials of Grameen Telecommunications at the time have been relieved from the cases, and the legal proceedings against them will no longer have any effect."

Police have arrested three members of a mugging gang from Kalshi of Dhaka’s Pallabi. The suspects, identified as Md. Raihan (21), Md. Shuvo, and Md. Rana Islam (22), were arrested by a team from Pallabi Police Station during an operation around 10:15 pm on Friday, said to Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Saturday. The arrests followed a complaint lodged by Md Anwar Mia, a deliveryman for Transcom Distribution Company. DMP files 3,447 cases for traffic rule violations in 2 days On January 2, while returning with cash collected from deliveries, Anwar Mia was intercepted near the Kalshi intersection rickshaw stand at Bawniyabadh. The assailants, armed with local weapons, forcibly took Tk 65,108 belonging to the company before fleeing. After the complaint was filed, police launched an investigation and used intelligence and technology to track down and arrest the suspects, said the DC. Deaths of 4 family members in Savar: 2 drivers arrested During primary interrogation, the arrestees admitted their involvement in the robbery and confessed to being active members of a professional mugging gang.

The Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed 3,447 cases for traffic rule violations during operations conducted in various areas of the capital in the last two days. The drives were conducted on Thursday and Friday, said Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the DMP Talebur Rahman. DMP files 2,206 cases for traffic rules violation The authorities also dumped 158 vehicles and towed away 79 others as part of the crackdown. The Traffic Division’s crackdown on traffic rule violations will continue in the coming days to maintain order on the roads, he added. DMP files 2,243 cases for traffic rules violation

Police arrested two drivers on Saturday following the accident in Savar involving an ambulance and two buses that led to the deaths of four members of the same family. The arrestees are ambulance driver Zahid Hasan and Shyamoli Paribahan driver Zahirul Islam, said Savar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saugatul Alam. 4 of a family killed, 15 injured as ambulance, 2 buses catch fire in Savar Both drivers admitted to the reckless driving, which led to the accident. Following their appearance in court, they were sent to jail. Efforts are also ongoing to arrest the driver of another bus involved, identified as a Jhumur Paribahan vehicle, said the OC. CCTV footage revealed that the ambulance, Shyamoli Paribahan, and Jhumur Paribahan buses were racing from Nabinagar to Fulbaria in Savar when the collision took place at approximately 1:45 am Thursday. 7-year-old loses parents, brother in Savar ambulance fire The ambulance, which had been travelling ahead of the buses, was struck from behind by the two vehicles almost simultaneously. The impact sent the ambulance onto a roadside island, triggering an explosion of the ambulance’s gas cylinder. The explosion set all three vehicles on fire. Four members of a family from Ghatail upazila of Tangail, who were inside the ambulance, died from the fire. Police filed a case at Savar Highway Police Station, accusing several unidentified individuals involved regarding the matter.

Detectives arrested a bus driver and his helper with 4,000 yaba tablets during an anti-narcotics drive in the capital’s Jatrabari area on Friday. The arrestees were identified as bus driver Md Zakir Hossain, 45, and helper Md Shahin Chowkidar, 30. A team from the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police stopped a bus named ‘Saint Martin Road Master’ at Sayedabad Janapath intersection around 9:05 am on Friday following a tip-off, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of DMP Talebur Rahman said. Red Alert issued to arrest ex-OC Shah Alam During a search, detectives recovered the yaba tablets from a bag the driver was carrying. The bus was also seized, the DC added. Police said the duo had been smuggling yaba from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka under the guise of passenger transport. A case has been filed under the Narcotics Control Act with Jatrabari Police Station, and further legal actions are underway.