United News of Bangladesh

Mobile courts run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has fined nearly Tk 29 lakh and seized around 60,000 kilograms of polythene in drives against polythene use in 31 days till Saturday across the country.  Speaking to reporters, additional secretary and chief of the monitoring committee Tapan Kumar Biswas  said since November 3, 216 mobile courts were conducted across the country that imposed fine of  Tk 28,73,300 on 438 establishments.  A total of 59,959 kilograms of illegal polythene were seized during the period, he added.  On Saturday, a raid was conducted in Palashi and Hatirpool areas’ kitchen markets led by Tapan Kumar Biswas. 5 brickfields in Feni fined Tk 58 lakh; 2 others evicted He said, “The number of mobile courts has increased to enforce stricter measures. Legal actions will be taken against the  offenders.” Pollution caused by polythene has reached alarming levels, obstructing the flow of rivers and canals and degrading soil fertility, he said. He urged citizens to adopt sustainable practices including carrying their own bags while shopping and using alternatives such as jute or cloth bags.  He emphasised the role of public awareness and media cooperation in enforcing the polythene ban adding, “We need everyone's cooperation to succeed in banning polythene.”  Officials from the environment ministry, department of environment, law enforcement agencies and market committee representatives participated in the drive. The monitoring team also inspected shops and encouraged traders to switch to eco-friendly alternatives.

A Chhatra League (BCL) leader has been arrested by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in connection with an attack on the motorcade of Khaleda Zia during an election campaign in Karwan Bazar in 2015. The arrested Md. Abul Hasan (40) is the senior vice president of Tejgaon Thana Chhatra League. He was arrested early Friday at 4:15am from Dhaka’s Monipuripara area. Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of DMP (media), confirmed the information. According to Tejgaon Police, on April 20, 2015, Khaleda Zia participated in a campaign at Karwan Bazar in support of BNP’s mayor candidate Tabith Awal for the Dhaka North City Corporation election. The attack on her motorcade occurred during this campaign. Abul Hasan was named as a suspect in a case filed at Tejgaon Police Station on August 22, 2024, regarding the incident. Police said that a regular case is pending against the arrested person at Tejgaon Police Station, and legal proceedings are underway against him.

A special army operation in Rangamati’s Banduk Bhanga Range uncovered two UPDF (Main) training camps on the hills in Paglichhari and Zamchuk areas on Friday, according to ISPR. The camps were found abandoned, as the UPDF (Main) operatives fled during the operation, it said.

The government has urged the  followers of Maulana Muhammad Zubair and Maulana Saad to maintain peaceful coexistence in their respective Tablighi Markaz at district and upazila levels.  The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification to this effect on Thursday. The notification also requested both sides to refrain from creating any obstacles or disturbances in each other’s Markaz. It also said that the previous directives issued concerning Dhaka’s Kakrail Mosque must be followed. The decision follows a violent clash between the two factions over control of the Tongi Bishwa Ijtema grounds in Gazipur on December 17, which tragically resulted in at least four fatalities. Govt issues directives for Tabligh Jamaat activities to maintain peace Later, the government held discussions with both groups and decided to vacate the Ijtema grounds. Until further notice, police imposed restrictions on meetings, rallies and protests in and around the Ijtema venue. But, on Thursday (Jan 2), these restrictions were lifted. A notification signed by Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Nazmul Karim Khan announced the withdrawal of the orders. The notification says that all directives, enforced since 2 PM on December 18 within a three-kilometre radius of the Bishwa Ijtema grounds, were revoked as of 5 PM on Thursday. This development marks a step towards resolving tensions between the two factions and ensuring peaceful use of the Markaz facilities across the country.

The Detective Branch (DB) of Police has rescued Kazi Raisul Islam alias Selim, 45, Chairman of the Moukoron Union Parishad of Patuakhali district, who had been abducted from the Ekuria area of Dokkhin Keraniganj on Wednesday. Selim was rescued on Thursday afternoon from a building located south of Doleswar Government Primary School in Dokkhin Keraniganj. In connection with the abduction, police arrested five members of a kidnapping gang from various areas of Dokkhin Keraniganj. The arrested individuals are Mohammad Farhad, 34, Toufiq Rahat, 20, Ripon Mahmud Nayan, 27, Md. Amir Hossain, 65, and Mohammad Didar, 25. According to sources from the Detective Branch (DB), the UP chairman left Patuakhali for Dhaka at approximately 11:30 pm on December 31, 2024. On January 1, at around 6 am, Selim called his wife and informed her that when the bus he was traveling on reached Ekuria BRTA area, 15 to 20 unidentified individuals boarded the bus. Read: Police detain 5 members of human-trafficking syndicate, 66 rescued They intimidated the driver, conductor, and other passengers, forced Selim off the bus, and abducted him in a private car. One of the kidnappers then contacted his wife and demanded a ransom of Tk 1 crore, threatening to kill Selim if the money was not paid. Since the incident, the victim's mobile phone has been turned off. Later, the DB's Organized Crime, Car Theft Prevention, and Rescue Team, under the Mirpur Division, conducted raids in the area following the report of the victim's wife. According to DB sources, the kidnappers held Selim captive for two days, during which he was subjected to severe physical torture. Further legal action is currently underway, DB added.

The Detective Branch (DB) of Police has rescued Kazi Raisul Islam alias Selim, 45, Chairman of the Moukoron Union Parishad of Patuakhali district, who had been abducted from the Ekuria area of South Keraniganj on Wednesday. Selim was rescued on Thursday afternoon from a building located south of Doleswar Government Primary School in Dokkhin Keraniganj. In connection with the abduction, police arrested five members of the kidnapping gang from various areas of South Keraniganj. BGB detains two Indian nationals for illegally entering through Sylhet border The arrested individuals are Mohammad Farhad, 34, Toufiq Rahat, 20, Ripon Mahmud Nayan, 27, Md. Amir Hossain, 65, and Mohammad Didar, 25. According to sources from the Detective Branch (DB), victim UP chairman left Patuakhali for Dhaka at approximately 11:30pm on December 31, 2024. On January 1, at around 6am, Selim called his wife and informed her that when the bus he was traveling on reached Ekuria BRTA area, 15 to 20 unidentified individuals boarded the bus. They intimidated the driver, conductor, and other passengers, forced Selim off the bus, and abducted him in a private car. Three senior police officials sent compulsory retirement One of the kidnappers then contacted his wife and demanded a ransom of Tk 1 crore, threatening to kill Selim if the money was not paid. Since the incident, the victim's mobile phone has been turned off. Later, the DB's Organized Crime, Car Theft Prevention, and Rescue Team, under the Mirpur Division, conducted raids in the area following the report of the victim's wife. According to DB sources, the kidnappers held Selim captive for two days, during which he was subjected to severe physical torture. Further legal action is currently underway, DB added.

Two Indian nationals were detained by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) for illegally entering Bangladesh through the border. The detainees are Blooming Star, 32, a resident of India’s Shillong and Lokas, 55, of the same area. 64 Indian fishermen released from Bagerhat jail They were detained on Wednesday from the Dumdumia and Kalaora borders by the Sylhet Battalion (48) of BGB, said Lieutenant Colonel Hafizur Rahman, commanding officer of the battalion. He said that the individuals were caught by a border outpost patrol team while crossing from India into Bangladesh without authorisation. 3 arrested with 340 sacks of Indian sugar in Sylhet: Police They were handed over to the relevant police stations for further action, he added.

The Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has filed 1,908 cases for traffic law violation during drives conducted in different areas of the capital on Wednesday. As part of the operation, 43 vehicles were dumped, and 72 others were wrecked. The drives were carried out to ensure adherence to traffic regulation and maintain discipline on the roads. Read: DMP files 1,695 cases for traffic rules violation DMP's Traffic Division has announced that such operations will continue to uphold traffic discipline in s Dhaka Metropolitan area.

The government has sent three senior officials of the Bangladesh Police on compulsory retirement. According to separate notifications, issued on January 1, three Additional Inspector Generals (AIGPs) -- Malik Fakhrul Islam, Selim Md Jahangir and WM Belalur Rahman --have been relieved of their duties by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 65 senior police officers, including DIGs and SPs, transferred The notifications specify that the retired officers will be entitled to post-retirement benefits as per the regulations.

A Chattogram court on Thursday rejected the bail prayer of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote and former ISKCON leader, in a sedition case. Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge Md Saiful Islam passed the order after a hearing on it, said Public Prosecutor Md Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan. Earlier, a group of 11 lawyers from Dhaka’s Supreme Court went to Chattogram to join the bail hearing of Chinmoy while the judge entered the courtroom around 9:45am. An additional number of law enforcement agencies, including police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Army were deployed around the court to ensure a tight security measure. As per the schedule, the court held the hearing today and rejected the bail prayer of Chinmoy. Besides, the justice seekers were allowed to enter the court upon showing documents. On December 3, a Chattogram court set January 2 as the next date of hearing in the case after the prosecution had sought time due to the absence of the defendant’s lawyer. Read: Ex-ISKCON leader Chinmoy among 164 sued in another case On October 25 last year, a large gathering of the Sanatani community was held in Chattogram under the leadership of Chinmoy Krishna Das. On October 31, a sedition case was filed against 19 people, including Chinmoy, on charge of belittling the national flag. On November 22, another large rally was held in Rangpur under the leadership of Chinmoy who was arrested in Dhaka on November 25 in the sedition case. The Chattogram court rejected Chinmoy's bail petition, ordered him to be sent to jail, and the decision sparked clashes between his followers, law enforcers and lawyers on the court premises. Read more: Chinmoy Das’ bail hearing deferred to January 2 At one stage of the clash, one lawyer, Saiful Islam Alif, was hacked to death outside the court premises. Several cases have so far been filed against Chinmoy and others following the murder of the lawyer.