A mobile court here on Monday fined a weekly ‘haat’ (Bazar) lessee Tk 20,000 on charge of keeping open weekly ‘haat’ at Shibalaya in Manikganj defying government directive. 

AFM Feroz Mahmud, Shibalaya Upazila Nirbahi Officer and executive magistrate of the mobile court, fined the lessee after conducting raid in Borongail ‘haat’ of the upazila in the afternoon. 

Local administration issued directive to stop functioning of all kinds of weekly ‘haat’ of the district to check the outbreak of Coronovirus. 

However, Mir Shaheen, leaser of Borongail ‘haat’, kept the weekly hat open defying the government restriction. The lessee was fined because he defied government prohibition.

Police arrested a young man from Muladuli area in Iswardi upazila on Monday over the alleged gang-rape of a Class-V girl after abduction.

The arrestee is Jahid Hossain, 20, son of Nizam Uddin of Sheikhpara village in the area.

Arbinda Sarkar, inspector (investigation) of Iswardi Police Station, said police in a drive arrested Jahid at noon.

Jahid and Shanta Hossain, 22, son of Azibar Pramanik, abducted the girl and took her to a mango orchard around 8pm on Friday while she was going home and raped her there in turns, he said.

Locals rescued the girl and took her to Iswardi Upazila Health Complex first and later she was shifted to Pabna General Hospital on Sunday.

The inspector also informed that the victim’s mother filed a case against the duo on Monday.

Police were trying to arrest the other accused, he added.

Civil society leaders have demanded that both government and international agencies should give special attention to Cox’s Bazar during the current coronavirus crisis as the district is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas.

They have also underscored the need for massive mobilisation of social capital so that there are people’s initiatives like that in very first day of August 2017 Rohingya influx.

They raised the demand at a virtual press conference and sharing meeting on Monday organised by Cox’s Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF), an alliance of 60 local and national civil society and NGOs. 

Journalists from both Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka joined the online programme.

Nayeem Gowhar Warha of Disaster Forum, Abdul Latif Khan of NAHAB, Jasim Uddin of ADAB and Rafiqul Islam of FNB participated in the programme as experts and guest speakers.

Three co-chairs of the CCNF -- Abu Morshed Chowdhury of PHALS, Bimol Dey Sarker of Mukti Cox’s Bazar and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of COAST -- moderated the programme.

The participants urged the government to resume mobile and internet networks with 4G facilities in all Rohingya camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar at least for the time being so that there are people’s self-preparation, no rumours and misinformation, and so that Rohingyas can communicate with health facilities.

Speakers also said international agencies should consider the whole district as a host community area and awareness should be raised about social distancing.

They insisted that Rohingyas and foreigners should in no way be considered the root of the coronavirus crisis.

A woman and her minor daughter were found hanging from the ceiling of their house at East Gomdandi in Boalkhali upazila on Monday.
 
The deceased were identified as Sharmin Akter, 27, wife of Selim, and their one-and-half-year-old daughter Taslima.
 
Helal Uddin Faruki, officer-in-charge of Boalkhali Police Station, said Selim, a human-hauler driver, used to live in the house with his second wife and daughter.
 
Locals found Sharmin and her daughter hanging from the ceiling in the afternoon and informed police.
 
Later, police recovered the bodies and sent those to local hospital morgue for autopsy.
 
Police suspected that Sharmin killed her daughter first and then killed herself over family feud.
 
Selim went into hiding after the incident.

A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing machine which is used for detecting coronavirus or COVID-19 and other complicated diseases reached the Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) on Monday morning.

KMCH Director Dr ATM Manzur Morshed said it will take  one week for the installment of the machine and other relevant works.

Blood, sweat and cough of suspected corona patients will be tested by the PCR machine, he said.

The local administration initiated  a process to collect samples of suspected infected people from their homes, said Civil Surgeon Dr Sujat Ahmed.

Besides, 30 beds have been prepared in Khulna Diabetic Hospital for the isolation of coronavirus infected patients, he said.

Two people have been admitted to  the isolation unit of KMCH, Dr Sujat said.

UNB Barishal Correspondent report: A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine reached  Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital(SBMCH) on Monday for detecting Coronavirus patient, said Prof. Dr Asit Bhushon Das, a professor of the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College.

The PCR machine will be installed at the academic building of the hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, a new patient has tested positive for COVID-19 in Bangladesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 49 on Monday. Bangladesh has so far confirmed five deaths.

The global death toll climbed to 33,993 on Monday.