Local people blocked Kushtia-Rajbari road for nearly half-an-hour protesting the death of a schoolgirl in a road accident in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia district on Monday. Samia Arfin Shohagi, 7, a schoolgirl and daughter of Sohan Sheikh was killed and two others were injured as a motorbike hit them in front of Charaikol Government Primary School in Kumarkhali upazila in the afternoon, said Md Mohsin Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali Police Station. The injured Halima Akter Munni, a class II student, and Naimul Hossain Nayan, son of Hekmat Ali were undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Agitated local people put up barricades on Kushtia-Rajbari highway demanding installment of a speed breaker in front of the school and punishment of the motorbike driver, disrupting traffic movement. Also read: Biker, pillion rider dead in Kushtia road accident Later, the traffic movement came to normal after half-an-hour as the local people cleared the road following police intervention. Police seized the motorbike and arrested the driver. Legal steps will be taken after getting written complaint from the victim’s family.  

A biker and his pillion rider were dead as the motorcycle carrying them collided with a trolley in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia on Saturday night. The deceased were identified as motorcycle rider Irfan, 34, and Ashiq, 24, of the district. Read more: 2 inc. wife of expatriate killed in road crash after receiving him at airport The accident occurred around 9:30 pm when the motorcycle collided with the goods-laden trolley in Shyamnagar market area of the upazila, leaving the duo seriously injured, said Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mojibur Rahman. They succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital, he added. The bodies were sent to Kushtia General Hospital morgue. Read more: Road accidents in Kurigram, Savar leave 5 killed, 5 injured Police seized the trolley. However, the driver fled the scene immediately, said the OC.

At least seven people were injured in a clash between supporters of Argentina and France during the final match of FIFA World Cup 2022 at Hatsha Haripur Bazar in Kushtia’s Sadar upazila early Monday.  According to police, locals had arranged the live telecast of the final match on big screen where both the supporters of Argentina and Brazil had gathered. The Brazilian supporters left the place seeing Argentine supporters cheering after Argentina scored two goals during the first half. The Brazilian supporters returned and started celebrating after France scored two goals during the second half. “The clash erupted when an Argentine supporter fell on a Brazilian supporter. The two sides started a brawl and at one point attacked each other. Later, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control,” said Johurul Islam, Officer In-charge (OC) of Kushtia Model Police Station.  The injured were admitted to Kushtia General Hospital for treatment, the OC added.    

A 14-year-old madrasa boy was electrocuted while trying to tie the Brazil flag to a tree near his house on Tuesday. "The accident occurred in Pitambar Bashi village of Panti Union of the upazila. Read more: Argentine fan electrocuted to death while hanging flag in Laxmipur "Mithu Sheikh, son of Shahid Sheikh in the area," Md. Mohsin Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali police station, said. Mithu was a student of class nine of Dansa Mahur Ali Dakhil Madrasa. Read more: Cox's Bazar: Football fan falls to death while hanging Brazil flag Mithu climbed the tree to hang the Brazilian flag on the top of the betel nut tree around 1:20 pm. At that time, he got electrified and fell from the tree. Locals rescued him and took him to Kushtia General Hospital where doctors declared him dead, added the OC.

Over 1,300 seats for undergraduate courses at the Islamic University in Kushtia remained unfilled after two rounds of allotment in the 2021-22 academic session. Not even 60 percent of the candidates who secured admission in the university's first round of seat allocations, against 1,990 seats, got admitted. Through the unified admission test, 664 students gained admission from the first and second merit lists, IU Academic Section Office officials said on Friday. Read more: Harassment of IU student: fellows demand punishment of BCL activist Among the 1, 326 seats, 683 seats remain vacant in the science faculty; 395 in arts, social science and law faculties and 248 in the business administration faculty, IU academic section Director ATM Emdadul Alam told UNB. The vacant seats would be fulfilled by enrolling students from the next rounds of allotment, he added.

With one of the most eagerly anticipated World Cups just around the corner now, supporters of Brazil and Argentina have already started challenging and bickering with each other with the speculation of who is going to the final. The flags of Argentina and Brazil fly everywhere. Like football fans from all over the world, football lovers in Bangladesh's Kushtia are also excited.   To make this World Cup memorable, supporters of Brazil and Argentina from Bakchi Satpankhia of Kumarkhali's Jagannathpur Union and Shyamganj of Gopgram Union of Khoksa Upazila aln being htheir favorite team's flags on the trees and poles on both sides of the roads for a month. Football lovers here are carrying out various activities including flying banners, erecting festoons, hoisting flags at various places to show their support and love for their favourite teams. As a part of this work, they made two giant flags of Brazil and Argentina. Among them, the Argentine flag is about 1050 hands long while Brazilian fans hang about 850 hand-long flags. Read more: Argentina Squad analysis for 2022 World Cup in Qatar Since 2010, the local residents have been creating such flags. People of different ages from different areas are flocking to Gopgram to have a glimpse of these flags. Argentina supporter Shamim said, "This year, the players of the favorite team, Argentina, are playing well. I hope we will beat Brazil in the final and take the cup.' On the other hand, Rashidul, a supporter of Brazil, said, 'We are five-time champions. This time we will take the cup. But I want to see Argentina as a rival in the final. Read more: Right backs, left backs are Brazil’s weak spots at World Cup Syed Ashiqur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Khoksa police station, said, there is no problem with that people will support their respective teams but care should be taken so that the law and order situation does not deteriorate. "Law enforcers are aware of this," the OC added.          

Police recovered the body of a teenage girl from a rail track in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia on Saturday night, police said. The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately. Locals informed police after finding the body lying on the CMB rail gate area of Kumarkhali on the Kushtia-Rajbari railway line, Md Mohsin Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kumarkhali Police Station, said. On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body. Read more: Woman dies after being hit by train in Dhaka As the accident occurred on the railway line, legal action will be taken by the railway police, added the OC. Ashiq, a resident of the local area, said “We suspect the teen was run over by the Rajbari-bound Tungipara Express train as it left Kushtia just before the body was found." Read more: 50-yr-old woman crushed by train in Rajshahi

A Kushtia court on Thursday sentenced six people including a Union Parishad (UP) chairman and his son to life term imprisonment for killing a man around seven years back. Kusthia Additional District and Sessions Judge-1 Md Tajul Islam also fined the convicts Tk 20,000 each, in default of which they will have to serve one more in jail, said Anup Kumar Nandy, public prosecutor of the court. Besides, the court also acquitted 15 people as the allegations brought against them could not be proved. Read more: 7 get life term for murder in Chattogram The convicts are Sadar upazila’s Alampur UP chairman and former general secretary of the Sadar upazila unit Awami League Akharuzzaman Biswas, 52, his son Mahmudul Hasan, 30, his brothers Habil Uddin Biswas, 49 and Babul Biswas, 46, Rashedul Islam Biddyut, 34 and Masud Gayen, 38. Of them, Rashedul and Masud were tried in absentia. According to the case statement, the convicts stabbed rival group activist Molla Masud Karim to death centering the UP polls in Dahkula village under the Sadar upazila on April 28, 2016. On the following day, victim’s brother Mahbubul Karim Molla filed a murder case. Police pressed chargesheet against the accused on January 4, 2017. Read more: Four get life term in Barishal for killing youth The court handed down the judgment after completing all procedures in the case, the PP added.

A schoolteacher was hacked to death at her house in Kushtia town on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Roksana Khanam, 52, wife of Khondker Mostafizur Rahman of the area and a senior teacher of English at Kushtia Zila School. Read more: Mirsharai Jubo League man hacked to death Nawroz Kabir Nishat, nephew of the deceased, said they found the door of Roksana’s flat locked from inside when they went to call her up around 9:30am. “Getting no response, we called 999 and police asked us to broke the door open. We found the blood-stained body of our aunt on her bed and saw injury marks on her head. All the furniture and clothes were found scattered. We immediately informed police about the incident, who reached the spot around 11:00am,” Nishat said. Delwar Hossain Khan, Officer In-charge (OC) of Kushtia Sadar Police Station the miscreants entered the house through the veranda and left in the same way. The body of the deceased has been sent to Kushtia General Hospital morgue for an autopsy. “We are currently investigating the matter,” said Delwar. The No: 285, six-storied house in Block-D of Kushtia Town’s Housing Society was owned by Roksana, where she used to live alone due to having no children and her husband being away for his work. Read more: Man hacked to death over trivial matter in Chattogram Md Eftekharul Islam, Principal (Acting) of Kushtia Zila School, expressed shock upon learning about the incident. “Besides being a good teacher, Roksana was a good human being too. I can’t imagine her having enmity with anyone. We demand a thorough investigation of the murder and exemplary punishment for the killers,” Eftekharul said.

A 37-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by his wife following a family feud in Kushtia town early Monday. The deceased was identified as Md Sabbir, a resident of the town. At one stage of altercation, Sabbir’s second wife Rozina Khatun stabbed him at their home in Milpara area around 2am and fled the scene, said Delwar Hossain Khan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kushtia Model police station quoting witnesses. He was rushed to Kushtia General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 7am. Sabbir and Rozina got married a month ago, he added. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue. And efforts are on to arrest Rozina, said the OC.