Barishal
Barishal student ‘commits suicide’ after failing in exam
A college girl has allegedly committed suicide after failing in mathematics examination in Barishal city.
The deceased was identified as Malia Maria Mouli, 17, a resident of the city. She was a student of class XI of Barishal Govt Women’s College.
Read more: ‘Failing to save home’, woman attempts suicide in front of Press Club
Mouli hanged herself at her house in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar road on Sunday noon, shortly after she returned home from college, said Azimul Karim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Model police station.
She was later rushed to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared her dead.
Mouli’s father Mosharef Hossain, also a college teacher, alleged that Mauli did not take any private tuition from math teacher of her college and so she was deliberately given poor marks in the exam.
Read more: Dinajpur youth commits suicide in front of lover
Meanwhile, Prof Md Asad, the principal of the college, said, “If we find out about private tuitions by the college teachers, it will be informed to the education ministry.”
“We will investigate the matter if any complaint is lodged by the family,” said the OC.
Water transport workers to go on strike from Nov 26
Water transport workers announced to go on an indefinite strike across the country from November 26 at midnight to press home their 10-point demand, including increasing wages.
The workers’ demands include providing appointment letters, identity cards and service books.
To make this strike successful, a protest rally was brought out from the Barishal river port organized by the Divisional Vessel Workers Sangram Parishad on Saturday afternoon, said Nazrul Islam, president of the Parishad.
Read more: Inland water transport suspended as Cyclone ‘Sitrang’ approaches
Later they formed a human chain in the port area.
Among others, Bangladesh Trade Union Central District Committee General Secretary AK Azad, Labour Union Coordinator Mozammel Sikder and Harunur Rashid Sikder spoke on the programme.
Read more: Inland water transport operations resume as Sitrang weakens
First of its kind: Cat Show held in Barishal
Wearing expensive dresses and belts, around 40 domestic and foreign cats participated in a contest at a cat exhibition in Barishal.
Abir Bin Mizan, the coordinator of the Persian Cat Society of Barishal, organised a cat exhibition at a convention hall in the city on Friday.
He said, "My wife and I first opened a group to bring cat lovers together and got a huge response within a short time. And finally, I organized the first cat exhibition in Barishal today. This exhibition is mainly organised to increase people's love for cats."
Read more:Judge upholds Maryland ban on pet stores' sale of cats, dogs
Ishraque says motorcade attacked on the way to BNP’s Barishal rally
Nine people were injured when the motorcade of Ishraque Hossain, member of BNP’s foreign affairs committee, was attacked by miscreants on the way to the party’s divisional rally venue in Barishal city this morning (November 05, 2022).
Ishraque, also BNP’s Dhaka South City unit leader, was unhurt and reached the venue around 9 am. A number of vehicles were also vandalised during the attack, BNP activists said.
Ishraque said a group of miscreants attacked their motorcade when they reached Mahilara Bazar in Gouranadi upazila in the morning.
Also read: Thousands gather in Barishal city to join BNP rally
Nine activists and leaders of BNP, including Shahidul Haque, general secretary of No 38 Ward of Dhaka South City unit of BNP, and Mamun Bhuiya were injured in the attack.
Ishraque also said that they faced a number of obstructions on their way to Barishal.
BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said a group of Awami League and its associate bodies’ activists, numbering 50-60, intercepted the vehicle carrying Ishtiaque Aziz Ulfat, president of Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal, at Gouranadi Bus Stand in Barishal this morning. Later, they forced him to turn back to Dhaka, he said.
Read More: Barishal's Bangabandhu Park already a sea of BNP leaders, activists
Thousands gather in Barishal city to join BNP rally
Defying all challenges, BNP is ready to hold its fifth divisional rally in Barishal city on Saturday (November 05, 2022).
Thousands of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies from different districts under the Barishal division have already reached the city, to join the rally.
Party leaders and activists have erected a 50ft long stage at the Bangabandhu Udyan where the rally is scheduled to begin at 2pm.
Also read: Barishal's Bangabandhu Park already a sea of BNP leaders, activists
Besides, 120 loudspeakers were also installed in and around the podium, said Khandakar Abul Hossain Limon, joint convener of the committee to prepare the stage for the Barishal BNP divisional rally.
Bus, launch, speedboat, three-wheeler movements in Barishal division have come to a halt over the last couple of days, ahead of the BNP rally.
Sudden suspension of public vehicle movement on roads and waterways have caused immense public suffering.
Also read: Barishal transport strike ahead of BNP rally hits commuters hard
The official reason behind the suspension of bus, three-wheeler, launch and speedboat movement could not be known yet.
As part of its move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
The organisers said the rally is meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuel, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Read More: Ishraque says motorcade attacked on the way to BNP’s Barishal rally
BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government — a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League.
Saturday’s rally will be the fifth by the BNP at the divisional level. The first one was held in Chattogram, the second one in Mymensingh, and the third and fourth in Khulna and Rangpur, respectively.
Barishal's Bangabandhu Park already a sea of BNP leaders, activists
Leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) started arriving in Barishal two days early to join the party's divisional rally on Saturday (5 November).
Defying a two-day long transport ban, thousands of party leaders and activists were seen in Barishal city's Bangabandhu Park on Friday.
Read: Barishal transport strike ahead of BNP rally hits commuters hard
Visiting the park on Friday afternoon, UNB found the place overcrowded as thousands have already arrived there and they are cooking their lunch.
Monir Hossain, former organizing secretary of Khanjapur Union Jubo Dal of Gournadi Upazila of Barisal district said, 500 leaders and activists have come from our upazila to join the rally. Lunch has been arranged for all of them. "We have made all cooking arrangements for two days," he said.
BNP activists arriving two days early to join Barishal rally
Defying a two-day long transport ban, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have started gathering at Barishal city’s Bangabandhu Park to attend the party’s divisional rally on Saturday.
Separately, visiting Barishal’s central bus terminal in Nathullabad, UNB found the place overcrowded as hundreds of commuters had arrived there to leave for their destinations one day in advance, fearing the transport strike, which is set to begin from Friday morning.
“I had a plan to go to Dhaka on Friday, but I came here a day early keeping Friday’s transport strike in mind,” said Subarna Pal, a commuter.
Read: BNP rally: Commuters suffer as launch, speedboat services suspended in Barishal
BNP leaders and activists from different parts of Barishal division started arriving at Bangabandhu Park on Thursday morning.
“I’ve come here two days earlier due to the transport strike. Finding no other place, I’m staying at my relative’s house,” said Sadikur Rahman, a Jubo Dal activist from Patuakhali.
On Thursday afternoon, some Bangladesh Chhatra League activists allegedly vandalised three banners of BNP’s divisional rally in the city’s Zila School intersection.
“Awami League activists suddenly swooped on us today, injuring us and tearing our banners and posters apart. They are doing so to prevent us from holding our rally, which we won’t do, no matter how adverse the situation may be,” said Afroza Khanam Nasrin, a former Organising Secretary of Central Chhatra Dal.
Read: BNP gets Bangabandhu Udyan for its Barishal rally on November 5
Moazzem Hossain Alal, Joint Secretary General of BNP, said that the arrival of their activists cannot be stopped through a transport ban.
“Thousands of our activists have already gathered at the venue, which means that our rally is going to be a success despite numerous efforts from the government to foil it. We’ll go on with our programme, no matter what happens,” said Alal.
Now three-wheeler workers call strike on Nov 4, 5 in Barishal ahead of BNP’s rally
Three-wheeler workers in Barishal have called a strike on November 4 and 5 demanding authorities to allow three wheelers operate on the highway.
The strike has coincided with the upcoming rally of BNP while bus owners in the district have announced a similar strike on the same dates.
Read more: BNP rally begins defying transport strike in Rangpur
Parimal Chandra Das, general secretary of three- wheeler workers union, confirmed the matter to UNB on Sunday.
Earlier on October 26, Barishal district bus owners group had threatened to enforce a strike on the same dates.
The bus owners said they will enforce the strike on these days if the three-wheelers are not banned from the highways by November 3.
Meanwhile, Moniruzzaman Faruk, convener of Barishal City BNP, said bus movement was stopped during the rally in Khulna and Rangpur and only three-wheelers were available.
“Now, the three-wheeler workers have also announced their strike before our November 5 rally. The ruling party is engaging all to obstruct people from joining the rally.”
But government will fail to prevent BNP activists and the supporters from attending the rally and Barishal will turn into a human sea on November 5, said the BNP leader.
A similar strike was also enforced ahead of BNP’s divisional rallies in Rangpur and Khulna, but thousands of party leaders, activists and supporters participated in the rallies overcoming the obstacles.
As part of its move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced programmes of a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities.
Read more: Bus owners threaten strike on Nov 4, 5 in Barishal ahead of BNP’s rally
The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government--a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
The rally in Barishal will be the 5th one by the BNP at the divisional level as four others were held in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna and Rangpur.
Bus owners threaten strike on Nov 4, 5 in Barishal ahead of BNP’s rally
Barishal District Bus Owners Group has threatened to enforce a strike on November 4 and 5 ahead of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) divisional rally which the party claimed a plan to thwart their programme.
The bus owners said they will enforce the strike on these days if the three-wheelers are not banned from the highways by November 3 but BNP leaders alleged that the strike was planned to prevent the party members from joining the rally,
Kishore Kumar Dey, general secretary of the group, said they have decided to go on strike demanding a ban on the movement of battery-run three wheelers on busy highways.
“Battery-run three wheelers are operating on the highways despite a ban from the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry. The number of buses plying on the Dhaka-Barishal highway has increased since the opening of the Padma Bridge, thus the risk of road accidents has also increased,” he said.
No buses will leave Barishal Bus Terminal on November 4-5 if movement of three-wheelers from the highways could not be stopped within November 3, Kishore added.
Read: Bus strike called off in Khulna
Later, the Bus Owners Group submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Barishal in this regard.
Replying to a question, Kishore said that the announcement of their strike has nothing to do with BNP’s upcoming rally.
“We had no idea about BNP’s rally. We’ve been ho;ding meetings regarding the strike for the last one week,” Kishore added.
Asked about the strike, BNP’s divisional Organizing Secretary Bilkis Jahan Shirin said that it is a part of a conspiracy to deter the party members from attending the rally.
“Why do they have to suspend public transport on November 4-5 in particular? It’s nothing but a plot to foil our programme,” Bilkis said.
Cyclone Sitrang weakens into depression
Cyclonic Sitrang crossed the Barishal-Chattogram coast near Bhola around midnight on Monday (October 24, 2022) but weakened rapidly into a depression by giving precipitation, the weather department said in its latest bulletin on Tuesday.
Sitrang moved north-northeastwards very fast and crossed the Barishal-Chattogram coast, and now lies over Dhaka-Cumilla-Brahmanbaria and adjoining areas as a land depression, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).
The maritime ports of Mongla, Payra, and Chattogram have been advised to lower danger signal number 7 and hoist local cautionary signal number 3 instead.
Read 110 evacuated from isolated char in Bhola ahead of Sitrang landfall
Meanwhile, the maritime port of Cox’s Bazar has been advised to lower danger signal number 6 and hoist local cautionary signal number 3.
Under the influence of the new moon phase and steep pressure gradient, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, noakhali, Feni, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by the wind-driven surge height of 3-5 feet above the normal astronomical tide.
All fishing boats and trawlers over the north Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter until further notice.
Read Cyclone Sitrang: Educational institutions in 3 divisions declared closed
The front part of the cyclone started lashing Bangladesh from Monday evening, while its centre made its landfall in the early hours of Tuesday.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 54 kilometres of the cyclone’s centre at that point was about 62 kilometres per hour rising to 88 kilometres per hour in gusts or squalls.
As Sitrang started lashing the country’s coastal areas, nearly all of Bangladesh suffered under inclement weather with uprooted trees or falling branches killing people and disconnecting power transmission lines, and incessant rainfall causing waterlogging in urban areas.
Read Cyclone Sitrang: Many areas in Dhaka, Narayanganj plunge into darkness following disruption in power supply
Authorities scrambled to move at risk populations to the nearest of some 7,000 cyclone shelters that were opened up, mostly in the 19 coastal districts. According to reports coming in late on Monday night, over 2 lakh people were evacuated to these shelters by the time of Sitrang’s landfall.
Authorities in the three southern divisions, meanwhile, declared the closure of all educational institutions till further notice, with some of their premises pressed into operation as cyclone shelters.
Most parts of the country, including Dhaka, witnessed moderate to heavy rains throughout Monday under the impact of the cyclonic storm.
Read Cyclone Sitrang: Fire service on high alert, opens monitoring cell
Authorities prepared more than 7,000 cyclone shelters to evacuate people, while all fishing boats and trawlers over the north Bay and deep sea have been asked to remain anchored.
Authorities in Chattogram and other hilly districts warned that landslides could occur if continuous downpour continued.
UNB correspondents from across the southern coastal region reported heavy rains and tidal surges since Monday morning.
Meanwhile, many areas in capital Dhaka and neighbouring Narayanganj plunged into darkness, following a huge disruption in power supply that authorities blamed on Cyclone Sitrang.
Read IGP orders police to be alert in dealing with impact of Sitrang
According to officials of the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) and Desco, the two entities which control the distribution network in Dhaka and Narayanganj, many areas experienced blackouts for hours following a fault in the Sympur, Ulan and Maniknagar grid line.
“Due to the grid disruption, power supply went off in Dhanmondi, Sher-e-Banglanagar, Kakrail, and Kajla in Dhaka city and also in some areas in Narayanganj city," Bikash Dewan, managing director of DPDC, told UNB.
He said many areas also experienced blackouts due to the collapse of trees on the power distribution lines due to the impact of cyclone Sitrang.
Read Cyclone Sitrang: Power entities open control rooms