Khulna
Tidal surges inundate low-lying areas as embankment collapses in Khulna
Low-lying areas in Paikgachha upazila headquarter in Khulna have been flooded following the collapse of an embankment due to tidal surges on Sunday.
Bangabandhu Chattar, kitchen market area and some other low-lying areas were inundated, causing sufferings to local residents.
The front part of the newly constructed town protection embankment collapsed due to tidal surges caused by depression in the Bay of Bengal.
Read:Low-lying areas in Sundarbans inundated due to tidal surge
Locals alleged under the supervision of the Paikgachha Municipal Authority, the dam was constructed in Charbharati area of the Shibsha River in an unplanned manner to protect the municipality from flooding which was inaugurated on April 23 this year.
In just a few days, fish farming started inside of the dam.
A number of trees of the afforestation project implemented around the vast area of Shibshar's Charbharati started to die as the water cannot recede due to construction the embankment, they said.
Read: Depression: Tidal surges likely to inundate low-lying areas of coastal districts
Paikgachha upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Momtaz Begum directed the local municipality to remove the dam. As the dam was not removed, eventually it could not withstand the extra pressure of the tidal surges in Shibshar.
However, Paikgachha Water Development Board Assistant Engineer Md Raju Howlader said they have not built any embankment in Shibshar. That was not approved by the Bangladesh Water Development Board. So they are aware of the dam collapse.
Lightning kills two brothers in Khulna
Two brothers died after being struck by lightning in Dumuria upazila of Khulna district on Friday night.
The deceased were identified as Nazmul Malangi, 30, and Enamul Malangi, 25, sons of Hasen Malangi of Senpara village in the upazila.
The tragedy occurred around 9pm on Friday when the two went to their fish enclosure for checking the same amid heavy rains, locals said.
Also read: Lightning strike kill 9 men at work in Sirajganj
Both the brothers died on the spot, said Sheikh Rabiul Islam Robi, chairman of Sharafpur union of the upazila.
Also read: Lightning strikes kill three in Kushtia, Natore
Speeding truck crushes cop to death in Khulna
A police officer on highway patrolling duty died after being hit by a speeding truck on the BKSP bypass in Khulna city in the small hours of Thursday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Haque, 55, a resident of the city. He was posted at Khanjahan Ali police station of Khulna city.
Read:2 killed, 10 injured in Gopalganj road crash
The accident occurred around 12am when the truck hit sub-inspector Abdul on the high-speed corridor while he was on patrolling duty in the area, said Md Kamal Hossain Khan, officer-in-charge of Khanjahan Ali police station.
Later, he was rushed to Khulna Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 1am, he added.
Read:2 killed in Bogura road crash
The body has been kept in the hospital morgue, said the OC.
5 get death sentence for raping teenage girl in Khulna
A tribunal in Khulna today (September 7, 2022) sentenced five men to death for raping a teenage girl in Khalishpur of the district in 2011.
The death row convicts are-Ali Akbar alias Hridoy, Mehedi Hasan alias Ibu, Sohel, Abdullah and Mohon.
Khulna Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 Judge Abdus Salam Khan pronounced the judgment.
Read:Primary school teacher sued for raping 9th grader in Kurigram
On March 23 in 2011, convict Mohon abducted the girl from the Bihari Camp in Khalishpur and took her to a banana orchard in Charer Haat.
Ali Akbar and some others raped the girl there, leaving her unconscious near the camp.
Later, a case was filed at Khalishpur police station.
Read: 23 year-old girl invited by ‘friend’ to visit Sylhet, raped by 7
On June 20 of the same year, the investigation officer of the case sub-inspector (SI) Kazi Rezaul Karim submitted a chargesheet against the five.
Among the convicts, Sohel, Abdullah and Mohon were tried in absentia.
Lightning strikes kill two in Manikganj, Khulna
A man and woman died after being struck by lightning strikes in Manikganj and Khulna districts on Monday.In Manikganj, a 50-year-old woman was killed when a thunderbolt struck her in Manikganj's Ghior upazila on Monday noon.The deceased was identified as Anwara Begum, wife of Ishak, a farmer of Charbaijuri village in Payla Union.
Read: ‘Robber’ lynched in ChattogramMd Aminur Rahman, officer in charge of Ghior police station, said Anwara was struck by lightning while collecting grass for cows in the field next to her house.She died on the spot, the OC said, adding that they are investigating the matter.In Khulna, a fisherman was killed by a lightning strike in Koyra upazila of Khulna district on Monday.Shahidul Gazi, 59, died on the spot while working in his fish enclosure at Patlia Bill, said local UP member Aybur Rahman Sana.Lightning strikes in BangladeshLightning strike is one of the deadliest natural disasters in Bangladesh, claiming over 200 lives every year.
Read: Fatal level crossing: Mother, son killed as train hits human hauler in Faridpur According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020.That means 216 people die every year on average from lightning strikes -more than in floods, cyclones and other calamities.More than 70 percent of the total lightning strikes occur between April and June, say experts.
Drought dashes dreams of Khulna farmers
Farmers in the coastal district of Khulna are a worried lot because of something they had no control over -- drought.
With aridity delaying the Aman paddy cultivation process by nearly one-and-a-half months, the 80,000-plus farmers in the district fear that they may not be able to even recover the production cost this year.
According to the department of agricultural extension (DoAE), only 16,055 hectares of land have so far been cultivated with Aman paddy -- barely one-fifth of the targeted 93,070 hectares.
According to the weather department, almost four to five times less rainfall was recorded this year in Khulna as compared to last year.
Read: Jute growers paying for drought that resulted in discoloured fibre
In 2021, a total of 388.89 mm of rainfall was recorded in June, 506 mm in July and 213 mm in August.
But this year, 94.36 mm of rainfall was recorded in June, 91.27 mm in July, and 161.19 mm till August 23.
In the current season, 3,630 hectares of land in the district have been cultivated with Aush paddy, 1,316 hectares with jute, 35 hectares with tomato, 273 hectares with watermelon, 295 hectares with beans, and 8,265 hectares with winter vegetables.
Farmers say Aman paddy needs plenty of water. "I only know how I am managing water to irrigate my 10 bighas of land to keep the planted beans alive,” said Abu Hanif Morol, a farmer from Kharnia village of Dumuria upazila.
Farmers of Bamandia, Panchpota, Gonali, Bhadradia and Tipna villages are irrigating their Aman fields with water from the Bhadra river -- but channelising the river water is increasing their production costs.
Md Hafizur Rahman, deputy director of Khulna DoAE, said Aman is being cultivated with water from the river in Fultola, Terokhada, Rupsha, Batiaghata, Dumuria, Dighalia and Dakop upazilas.
"Meanwhile, in Paikgacha and Koira upazilas, farmers were unable to use the river water as it is still too saline," he said.
Read: Drought-like situation frustrates Aman growers in Naogaon
“Already 100% seedbeds for Aman have been prepared but the production will still be less than projected due to a drought-like situation, " said the Khulna DoAE official.
Lack of rainfall has slowed down the entire Aman cultivation process, said Paikgacha upazila agriculture officer, Jahangir Alam."Farmers have been advised to get in touch with the Rural Electrification Board."
Mizanur Rahman, deputy assistant agriculture officer of Dakop upazila, said apart from the delay in Aman cultivation, production of watermelons and vegetables has also been hit in Pankhali union.
17 get life terms for killing father-son duo in Khulna
A court in Khulna on Sunday sentenced 17 people including an incumbent Union Parishad (UP) chairman to life imprisonment in a sensational double murder case.
Khulna Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Md Nazrul Islam Hawlader also fined the convicts Tk 5,000 each, in default, they will have to serve one more year in jail.
The court handed down the judgment in presence of all the accused.
According the case statement, all the accused equipped with sharp weapons stormed into the house of Piru Sheikh, a resident of Pahardanga village in Terokhada upazila of the district, and stabbed him at the instruction of Abdur Rahim over previous enmity on August 6, 2019, leaving him injured.
The killers also hacked Piru’s son Nayem to death on the spot when he was desperately trying to save his father, the statement said.
Piru Sheikh succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka around two months after the incident.
Later, Piru’s wife filed a murder case against 17 named people and 12 unnamed ones at the local police station.
Read: 2 to die, 2 get life term jail for killing businessperson in Ctg
Police pressed the charge sheet accusing 19 people at the court on January 29, 2020.
The court acquitted two accused from the charges as allegations brought against them were not proved, Md Ahaduzzaman, public prosecutor, told UNB.
He said they are satisfied with the verdict delivered by the court and demanded immediate execution of it.
Rejecting the judgment, plaintiff Mahfuza Begum said they will appeal to the High Court seeking capital punishment of the convicts.
55-year-old woman goes missing in Khulna
A 55-year-old woman has been missing since Saturday night in Daulatpur of Khulna district, police said on Wednesday.
The woman has been identified as Rahima Khatun, a resident of Maheshwarpasha village of Daulatpur Thana.
Read: Teen tourist goes missing in Bay of Bengal
A case has been filed against several unnamed people at Daulatpur police station in this regard following a complaint lodged by the woman's daughter, Sub-inspector Lutful Haider, investigating officer of the case, said.
Earlier on Saturday, Rahima went out of home to collect water from a tubewell around 10:30 pm. As she did not return, the family members searched for her in the possible places she might go. But they did not find her anywhere.
Police are conducting a drive to find her, said the SI.
BNP offices vandalized in Khulna, leaders’ houses attacked
Attackers swooped on houses of several BNP leaders, vandalised and torched the party’s Khulna offices during clashes over holding rallies in the city’s Khalispur, the opposition party said on Sunday.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) blamed the violence on the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League, the associate bodies of ruling Awami League.
Khulna Metropolitan BNP convener Advocate SM Shafiqul Alam Mana alleged in a press briefing on Saturday night that Khalishpur BNP office was vandalized and various ward offices were torched.
Read: 15 hurt in AL-BNP clash in Khulna
The attackers also vandalized the BNP leaders' houses.
Nearly 50 activists of BNP were injured during the attack following the clashes, he added.
Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khalishpur police station, said the police put a restriction on holding rallies of AL and BNP at the same place in Baikali junction on Saturday afternoon.
However, BNP leaders and activists took out a procession in Khalishpur following the ban, said the OC.
As the BNP procession progressed, a clash broke out with AL leaders and workers, leaving several people injured, he added.
“Additional police were deployed in the area to bring the situation under control.”
15 hurt in AL-BNP clash in Khulna
At least 15 activists of the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP were injured in a clash between the rival parties in Khulna on Thursday.
Around 7pm on Thursday, the AL's Dighalia union unit was holding a programme near Pother Bazar intersection where the local unit of the BNP had also been holding a rally at the same time.
As BNP members tried to move ahead in a procession through the area, a clash ensued between the activists of the two parties in front of the AL office. The groups attacked each other with brick chips.
Also read: 7 hurt in AL factional clash in Magura; over 50 houses vandalised
Later police soon took control of the situation, said Pratap Ghosh, sub-inspector of Dighalia police station.
Khan Najrul Islam, president of Dighalia AL unit, claimed that BNP activists attacked his party members, leaving seven of them hurt. "They have been admitted to upazila health complex and Khulna Medical College and Hospital."
Also read: AL-BNP clash leaves 20 injured in Feni
Meanwhile, Amir Ejaz Khan, convener of the district BNP, claimed that eight of his party members were injured as AL activists attacked them while leaving after a rally.