Cumilla
Cumilla: 25 including cops injured in AL-BNP clash
At least 25 people including policemen, were injured in a clash between activists of the ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition BNP in Nangalkot upazila of Cumilla district on Wednesday morning, police said.
The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, said Kazi Abdur Rahim, additional superintendent of Cumilla police.
During the clash, the activists also vandalised a police car and set a motorcycle on fire.
Read: 7 hurt in clash between BNP, police in Feni
Around 11am, BNP leaders and activists gathered near Lotus Chattar in Nangalkot Sadar to hold a rally. At the same time, Awami League leaders and activists took a place in the railway station area of Nangalkot.
Several chases and counter-chases took place between the parties that left at least 25 people injured, added the officer.
Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble, he added.
Three Bangladeshis killed in Saudi road crash
Three Bangladeshi expatriate workers were killed as a private car carrying them plunged into a ditch near Taif city in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, according to their relatives here.
The deceased were identified as Md Faruq Khan, 23, his brother Md Parvez, 21, and Md Saddam, 21, of Cumilla district. They used to work at an aluminum factory in Taif city.
Read:Bangladeshi expat killed in UAE road crash
Faruq’s family member Md Farid said the accident occurred on Thursday afternoon (Bangladesh time) when the car driving from Qassim city plunged into a roadside ditch losing its control over steering near Taif city. The three died on spot and two others were injured.
The injured are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, he said on Friday.
Faruq and Saddam went to Saudi Arabia three years ago while Parvez six months ago to earn their bread.
Assistant Director of Cumilla Manpower Export Directorate Debobrata Ghosh said they will assist the victims’ families to bring the bodies back to the country.
6 teen gang members held over murder in Cumilla
Members of Rapid Action Battalions (Rab) have detained six members of a teen gang named ‘Ratan Group’ over the killing of a teenage boy in Cumilla city.
A team of Rab-11 detained the teenage boys after conducting drives at Debidwar and Sadar upazilas on Saturday night, said Md Sakib Hossain, commander of Crime Prevention Company-2 of the battalion, at a press briefing on Sunday.
Read:Govt to lower age bracket for children to punish teen gangs
The detainees were handed over to Kotwali Model police station, the officer added.
On Friday afternoon, Ratan Group members hacked Shahadat Hossain, a member of teen gang ‘Eagle Group’, indiscriminately in front of Our Lady of Fatima Girls High School in Cumilla city following previous dispute, leaving him seriously injured.
Later, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Police arrested 12 more people in connection with the killing.
3 of family die from electrocution in Cumilla
Three members of a family including a child were electrocuted in Muradnagar upazila of Cumilla on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Hosne Ara Begum,60, her son Tara Mia,30 and her grandson Rifat Hossain, 8, said Jashim Uddin, a local UP member.
Rifat went to collect some vegetabls from a land beside their house at Elkhal village.
He got electrocuted when a electric wire connecting Doulatpur with Elakhal fell on him from a pole around 1:30 pm.
As his uncle Tara Mia and grandmother Hosne Ara rushed to save him they got electrocuted too, said UP member Jashim Uddin.
Read: Father, son die from electrocution in B’baria
Later locals informed Doulatpur power office to cut the power connection but they died in the meantime, he said.
Kamruzzaman Talukder, officer-in-Charge of Bangra Bazar police station, said the bodies were recovered and legal action will be taken in this regard.
Couple among three killed in Cumilla road accident
Three people including a couple were killed as a private car carrying them crashed into a roadside tree on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Illiotganj area of the district Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Gias Uddin Mahmud Farazi, an employee of Feni land office, his wife Jahanara Begum and Jahanara’s sister Salma Akter.
Read: 2 killed in Cumilla road accident
Premdhan Majumdar, in-charge of Illiotganj highway police camp, said the accident occurred around 7 am when the private car driven by Gias Uddin hit a roadside tree and fell into a roadside ditch amid a heavy downpour, leaving all of the three dead on the spot.
Dozen killed on roads in 5 districts
Twelve people were killed and fourteen others injured in several road accidents in Bogura, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Cumilla and Pabna districts on Friday.
In Bogura, two unidentified people were killed and ten others injured in a head-on collision between two buses belonging to ‘Kaliyakour Paribahan and Naogan Travels Paribahan’ at Ghoga bridge area on the Dhaka-Borgua highway at around 3:30pm, said Siddikur Rahman, an officer of Sherpur Fire service and civil defense station.
The injured were undergoing treatment at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College, said Baniul Alam, in-charge of Sherpur highway police camp.
In Gazipur, three motorcycle riders were killed and a minor child was also injured when a private car hit their bike on the Konabari flyover in Gazipur on Friday noon.
The deceased were identified as Raju Islam, 26, Md Shamim, 26 and Shahin Islam, 31; all the victims hailed from Konabari’s Dewliyapara area.
Md Shakhawat Imtiaz, a Sub-Inspector (SI) of Konabari police station, said the three youths met the tragic end when the private car hit their bike while crossing the Konabari flyover on Friday noon.
In Narayanganj, a private university student was killed and three others were injured when a bus of ‘Soudia Paribahan’ crashed into a private car carrying the victims in Narayanganj’s Dariyakandi area on Friday.
The deceased was identified as twenty-year-old Mahima, a third-year student in the English department of East West University while identities of the injured could not be known immediately, said Nabir Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kanchpur Highway Police Station.
In Sirajganj, two people were killed when an unidentified truck hit their pickup van on the Hatikumrul-Banparra highway in Tarash upazila Friday early.
The deceased have been identified as pickup van driver Kiron Mridha, 28, son of late Abdul Karim of Duttakanai village in Gurudaspur upazila of Natore district, and his assistant Jahangir Alam, 47, a resident of Sirajganj municipality.
Md Lutfur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Hatikumrul highway police station, said the accident happened at around 7: am when the unidentified truck crashed into the pickup van that got stranded on the highway after it had gone out of order.
The accident left the duo dead on the spot; he said adding that the victims were repairing the vehicle during the accident, said the OC.
In Cumilla, a former headmaster of a government primary school was killed when a speedy motorcycle hit him while crossing road in Aungaura area on the Gouripur-Homna regional in Daudkandi upazila road at noon.
The deceased was identified as Md Jahirul Hoque, 82, former headmaster of Gouripur Government Primary School and also a resident of Aungaura village.
In Pabna, three motorcycle riders were killed in a head-on collision between their motorbike and a pickup van at Nagardemra of Sathia upazila in the district on Friday afternoon.
The identities of the deceased could not be ascertained immediately, said Asif Mohammad Siddikul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sathia police station.
The accident occurred at around 5:30 pm when the vehicles collided head-on at Chhoto Pathaihat Gorostan area in the upazila, he added.
Mentionable, At least 2,329 people, including 291 women and 381 children, were killed and 4,361 others injured in 2,159 road accidents across the country in the first half of the current year, says a new report by the Road Safety Foundation.
The road accidents took place on highways, national, inter-district and regional roads between January 1 and June 30 across the country.
Comment on ‘nomination trade’: Janipop chairman, 2 others sued under DSA
A case has been filed against three people including Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, chairman of election observation group Janipop, under the Digital Security Act (DSA) over their comments involving an Awami League candidate in the Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) elections.
Convener of Cumilla City Jubo League Abdullah Al Mahmud Shahid filed the case with Cyber Tribunal Judge Zahirul Kabir on Wednesday.
The two other accused are- BNP chairperson's adviser and former MP Monirul Haque Chowdhury and host of UK-based YouTube channel ‘Table Talk UK’ Hasina Akhtar.
READ: HC stays trial against journo Kajol in 3 cases under DSA
The court directed the Cyber Crime Unit of police to investigate the allegations and submit a report by July 12, said plaintiff's lawyer Advocate Iftekhar Simul Chowdhury.
As per the statement, Kalimullah commented in a recent talk show on YouTube that AL candidate in the Cumilla City Corporation election, Arfanul Haque Rifat, bought the nomination spending Tk 13 crore first, then Tk 20 crore, and finally Tk 60 crore.
The discussion was aired on YouTube on May 22 where Kalimullah and two others took part there.
The plaintiff also alleged that the accused have tarnished their long standing political reputation by presenting such false information.
Cumilla City Corporation elections will be held on June 15.
Beauty of road divider in Cumilla attracts people
The natural beauty of the Dhaka-Chhattogram four-lane highway has increased due to flowers and greenery at the road divider of the highway in Cumilla part.
Flowers of many varieties including Sanalu, 'Krisnachura, Jarul, and Togor have increased the beauty of the newly-built highway. The flowers and greeneries are not only increasing the beauty of the highway but also playing a role to save the balance of the environment.
Tens of thousands of passengers and drivers of the Dhaka-Chhattogram four-lane highway are enjoying the beauty of the road divider in Cumilla. The natural scene has also attracted the local people. Many people from different corners of Cumilla are coming to enjoy the lovely scenario of the road divider.
Cumilla civic polls: Symbols allotted to mayor candidates
With barely 20 days to go for the Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) polls, the returning officer in the district has allotted electoral symbols to the candidates for the mayor's post.
Among the five CCC mayoral candidates, Awami League’s Arfanul Haque Rifat got the boat symbol. Independent candidates Monirul Haque Sakku got the table clock symbol, Nizam Uddin Kaiser the horse symbol, and Kamrul Ahsan Babul the deer symbol. Islami Shashontantra Bangladesh’s Rashedul Islam got the fan symbol.
READ: Withdraw Kalkini UNO, OC for failure to maintain polls environment: EC
Returning officer Shahedunnani Chowdhury allotted the electoral symbols at Cumilla Shilpakala Academy on Friday morning.
Atik Ullah Khokan, joint general secretary of the Cumilla city Awami League, received the boat symbol on behalf of the party’s candidate Arfanul Haque Rifat.
Cumilla City Corporation polls are slated for June 15.
EC: EVMs to be customized in presence of candidates in Cumilla polls
The Election Commission will customize electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Cumilla City Corporation election in presence of candidates or their representatives.
The commission sought applications from the candidates to witness the customization process of EVMs to be held in Dhaka ahead of the city election slated for June 15 next.
According to a notification issued by election returning officer Md Shahedunnabi Chowdhury on Tuesday, an interested contender can send one or two technology experts as representatives to see the customization process.
READ: Poll panel still lacks capacity to use EVMs in all 300 seats, says CEC
The candidates for the mayor, councilors and reserved seats in the city polls will have to apply within Thursday.