District
Freedom fighters accuse Jibannagar UNO of misbehaving, demand transfer
Freedom fighters demanded the transfer of Jibannagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Chuadanga on Tuesday.
The freedom fighters of Jibannagar upazila organized a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to inform the journalists about the indecent behavior of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer in the hall room of Jibannagar Upazila Muktijoddha Complex building.
Golam Mortuza, a freedom fighter and former Jibannagar upazila AL president, said: “UNO Md Rokunozzaman has been misbehaving with local freedom fighters since joining. He’s often late in providing certificates to the freedom fighters. We, freedom fighters, have to go to him all the time for allowances and other issues.”
Earlier, the local freedom fighters called for a human chain demanding the transfer of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). However, they postponed it at the last minute after getting assurance from the additional deputy commissioner and decided to hold a press conference at the Jibannagar Upazila Muktijoddha Complex building.
Freedom Fighter Dalil Uddin said, "The UNO always treats us badly. As freedom fighters, we don’t deserve this.”
UNO Md Rokunozzaman declined to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kabir Hossain said: "We have talked to the freedom fighters and also reached out to the local MP. The matter will be resolved within the next seven days.”
45-year-old man’s body recovered from pond in Chandpur
Police on Tuesday recovered the body of a 45-year-old unidentified man from a pond adjacent to Beltali Beribandh in Matlab North upazila of Chandpur.
Locals said the body was floating in the pond. Passersby saw it and informed the police.
The body of the man was recovered this afternoon and was sent to Chandpur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Matlab North Police Station Md Mohiuddin.
There were no injury marks on the body, said the OC.
The cause of death will be confirmed after receiving the post-mortem report, he said. Efforts are on to identify the deceased. An unnatural death case has been filed with the police station in this regard.
UPDF man shot dead in Khagrachhari
A member of The United People's Democratic Front's (UPDF) Prasit Khisa Group, was shot dead by rivals at Karbari Tila in Dighinala upazila of Khagrachhari on Tuesday.
The deceased was Tridib Chakma alias Shimu (40). The incident happened around 3:00 pm today, said Dighinala Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Ali.
In a press release issued on behalf of UPDF Prasit Khisa Group, Angya Chakma claimed that the shooting was carried out by armed men of the UPDF Democratic Front, a breakaway faction.
Amar Chakma, central organising secretary of UPDF Democratic Front denied the allegation and said none of their members was involved in the killing.
2 siblings burnt to death in sleep in Shariatpur
Two siblings were burnt to death and another was injured in sleep on Monday night as a fire broke out in their house at Shakhipur Union in Shariatpur.
The deceased were identified as Arafat, 8, and Samia, 13. The injured sibling, Mim, 12, is in critical condition.
Police quoting the family said the three siblings went to sleep after Tarawih prayers last night, and a fire broke into their room at around 10 pm.
Locals rescued and rushed them to Vedorganj Upazila health complex. They were later transferred to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery.
Arafat and Mim died while undergoing treatment there.
GM Amir Hossain, in charge of Vedorganj fire service, said they are suspecting an electrical short circuit caused the fire.
Man burned to death in Bhola cotton warehouse fire
A man was burned to death in a fire at a cotton warehouse in Western Para Sagar Bekari area of Bhola Sadar Upazila on Monday night.
The deceased was identified as Ibrahim, 45.
The fire also burned down three adjacent houses.
Bhola fire service and civil defense inspector Md. Suman said that four fire service units brought the fire under control after one and a half hour effort.
It is initially believed that the fire broke out from an electrical short circuit in the cotton warehouse, he added.
However, the extent of damages has not been confirmed yet.
Man killed over land dispute in Natore
A man was killed and three others were injured in an attack by rivals over a land dispute at Kalikapur village in Singra upazila of Natore on Sunday.
The deceased is Abdur Rahman, 45.
Rafiqul Islam, an inspector at Singra police station, said that there was a dispute over a crop land between Abdul Karim, a farmer and his neighbour Abdur Rahman.
Quoting locals, he said Abdul Karim's people suddenly attacked Rahman after Iftar on Sunday, leaving him seriously injured.
Abdur Rahman died while undergoing treatment at RMCH Hospital at 2 am on Monday.
The injured were rescued and admitted to Natore Sadar Hospital and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).
3 villages of Magura in fear after goons burn down 40 homes
Following the murder of a man at Magura’s Sadar upazila, a former chairman of Beril Polita Union Parishad and his cohorts retaliated by committing extensive looting, vandalism, and arson in Monirampur, Barajoka, and Ramdergati.
Additional Superintendent of Magua Police, Mohammad Kalimullah said quoting locals, more than a hundred people, including Alfaz Molla, Mannan Molla, Gani Sheikh, Rezaul Sheikh, Sabuj Molla, Arab Ali Molla, Saiful Molla, Yar Ali Molla, and Habibullah Fakir, armed themselves with local weapons and targeted around 50 houses in the villages.
The attackers beat the women at home, looted household goods such as cows, goats, televisions, refrigerators, and motorcycles, ransacked houses, and set them on fire using petrol.
In total, they burned down approximately 40 houses, looted 4 cows, a television, a fridge, rice, and other household goods, and killed 5 goats.
The houses of about fifty people, including Moktar Sheikh, Lutfar Sheikh, Haresh Sheikh, Siddique Molla, Jalil Molla, Omar Molla, Daud Molla, Kader Molla, Farid Molla, Matiyar Shikder, and Channu Molla, were looted and set on fire. A shop was also set ablaze.
The police intervened and fired blanks to disperse the attackers, and two units of the Magura Fire Service worked for two hours to extinguish some of the flames.
Additional police have been deployed in the area to prevent any further incidents.
Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Kalimullah, along with the police administration, the Deputy Commissioner, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer, and the Officers in charge of Sadar Thana, visited the spot.
The police have already arrested 11 people, including the current chairman Enamul Haque Raja, former chairman Khandkar Mohabbat Ali, UP members Fatuar Rahman, Morad Molla, Muhidullah Fakir, and Zahid Molla, for being involved in fueling the incident and direct attacks and murders.
Atar Molla was allegedly killed by his opponent on Thursday evening. The police buried his body at the local Eidgah Maidan on Friday afternoon.
9 to die for 2012 double murder in Meherpur
A Meherpur court on Sunday sentenced nine people to death for killing two siblings in Gangni upazila of Meherpur district in 2012.
The condemned convicts are—Abdul Halim, Atier Rahman, Jalal Uddin, Shariful Islam, Sharif Hossain, Dabir Uddin, Azizul Haque, Farid Hossain and Manirul Islam Moni.
Meherpur Additional District and Session Judge Ripti Kumar Biswas handed down the punishment.
The court also fined Tk 20,000 to each, in default, to suffer six months more in rigorous imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, a big consignment of phensidyl was seized at Kazipur in Gangni upazila of the district on June 5, 2012.
There was an allegation against two brothers—Abujel, 35 and Rafiqul Islam, 40, two sons of Kiamuddin---that they were behind the seizure.
In a sequel, the convicts called upon the two siblings to an unknown place saying to settle down the issue on June 15, 2012.
Later, the two siblings were found dead at a chili field along the bordering area at Mandal Para in Kazipur village.
Jarina Begum, sister of the two siblings, lodged a complaint with Gangni Police. Police later registered a case in this connection.
Sub-inspector Asaduzzaman of Gangni Police Station submitted chargesheet against 14 people.
After examining records and witnesses, Meherpur Additional District and Session Judge Ripti Kumar Biswas also acquitted five people as allegations brought against them could not be proved.
‘Smuggler’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with BGB in Netrakona
A suspected smuggler was killed and another injured in a reported gunfight with members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) along Baromari Laxmipur border in Durgapur upazila of Netrakona district on Friday night.
The deceased was identified as Aminul Islam, 28, son of Abdul Barek of Laxmipur village in the upazila.
Tipped off about drug smuggling, a team of BGB-31 Battalion led by Habildar Minhaz Uddin conducted a drive in the bordering area around 8:30 pm, said Commanding officer of BGB-31, Lieutenant Colonel Arifur Rahman.
Sensing presence of some beetle-nut smugglers, the BGB members challenged them.
At one stage, the smugglers attacked the border guard members, forcing them to retaliate that triggered a gunfight, Arifur said.
Aminul died on the spot during the exchange of fire while Jaidul sustained injuries.
Jaidul was taken to Durgapur Upazila Health Complex where doctors suggested to shift him to Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital.
Habildar Minhaz was also slightly injured.
Preparations are on to file two separate cases in this connection, said Superintendent of Netrakona Police Foyez Ahmed.
Honey collection begins in Sundarbans
The season to collect honey from the Sundarbans began on Saturday.
The honey season was formally inaugurated at noon by collecting honey in Satkhira range area of the west Sundarbans.
Honey collectors were given permit (pass) after training on the premises of the Government Primary School adjacent to the Burigoalini Forest Office of the West Forest Division. With the pass, the honey collectors will go to the deep forest to collect honey.
The patrolling of the Forest Department has been strengthened to collect honey in the Sundarbans without any hindrance and the collectors were advised to move carefully to protect themselves from the attack of wild animals, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans West Division Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain.
A target has been set to collect 3,000 quintals of honey and 800 quintals of wax in the Sundarbans this year, he said.
Most of the honey is found in the Satkhira range of the Sundarbans.
According to the Forest Department, 1,012 permits were issued for the collection of honey and wax in 2021. Against the permits, 6,797 honey collectors went to the Sundarbans and collected 3,376.90 tonnes of honey and 113.09 tonnes of wax. Tk 25,64,363 revenue was earned from honey and Tk 10,25,850 from wax.
In 2022, the revenue from honey was Tk 36,93,600 and from wax it was Tk 15,31,200. That year, 2,320 quintals of honey and 696 quintals of wax were found in the Sundarbans.