United News of Bangladesh

Two siblings drowned in a pond in Kalia upazila of Narail district on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased were Taslima Khatun, 15, a 10th-grade student at Bardiya Girls’ Secondary School, and her brother Kawsar Sheikh, 8, a 2nd-grade student at Shibanandapur Government Primary School. According to local sources and family members, the siblings were last seen in the afternoon heading toward the pond area with their neighbour Nahar Begum. 3-year-old boy drowns while fishing with father in Lalmonirhat As evening approached and they did not return home, the family began searching for them and recovered the bodies from the pond, said Officer-in-Charge of Naragato thana Ashiqur Rahman. The children’s mother, Baby Begum, alleged that her children were murdered. “My daughter knew how to swim. They couldn’t have drowned,” she said. The bodies were sent to Narail Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. An unnatural death case has been filed.

A 9-year old child who sustained severe burn injuries in an air conditioner (AC) blast in Jatrabari area of Dhaka on September 20 succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning. With this, the death toll from the explosion rose to two. Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said Tanvir breathed his last around 7am while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit. He suffered 45 percent of burns.  Tongi Fire: Shop employee succumbs to burn injuries Earlier on Wednesday, his father Tuhin, who was also injured in the blast, died while undergoing treatment with 47 percent of burns at the High Dependency Unit of the institute.     On September 20, four members, including the duo, of the family were burnt in the AC blast and rushed to the hospital’s emergency department. Tanvir’s mother Eva Akter, 30, and younger brother Tauhid, 7, are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Former Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun passed away at a hospital in the capital on Monday morning. He was 78. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 8:10am, said Zannat-ul -Farhad, assistant inspector general (AIG-Media) of Prisons headquarters. He fell sick at the central jail on Sunday afternoon and was admitted to the hospital, she said adding that Nurul Majid enjoyed facilities as a classified prison, he said. The former minister had been suffering from ‘Uncontrolled Bowel and Bladder’ disease for long, the prisons official said.   AC blast at Jatrabari: Burn victim dies at DMCH As his condition worsened, he was shifted to the ICU where he died. Nurul, son of late Abdul Majid of Gotashia village under Monohardi upazila of Narsingdi district, was elected an MP from Narsingdi-4 in 2008, 2014, 2019 and 2024 with Awami League tickets. He was arrested by a team of the Rapid Action Battalion on 25 September 2024 on charges of murder during the July movement.

Another firefighter who had sustained burn injuries while extinguishing blaze at a chemical warehouse in Tongi died at National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital on Saturday. Khondaker Jannatul Naeem ,37, warehouse inspector of FSCD,  breathed his last around 10 am at the hosptial, said Anwar Islam of FSCD headquarters(media cell). With this, three firefighters of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) died from burn injuries in the fire incident. Tongi warehouse fire: Another firefighter dies at DMCH Earlier, two other firefighters-Shamim Ahmed Nurul Huda succumbed to their injuries on September 24 and 24 respectively. Naeem, born in 1988 in Sherpur’s Nokla upazila, joined the Fire Service and Civil Defence in August 2016 and served in several stations including in Manikganj, Narayanganj, Chattogram, and lastly Tongi. He is survived by his wife, a child, and his parents.

Seven months after mourning the death of a father working abroad, a Shariatpur family has been shattered once again -- this time by an even more devastating tragedy. Their youngest member, Abdullah Shamim, 14, a bright Class VI student at Milestone School and College in Dhaka, lost his life in a tragic aircraft crash on campus. The shocking incident has plunged the grieving family into silence and disbelief, as loved ones now demand a thorough investigation and urgent action. No reason to underreport jet crash casualty figures: CA’s Press Secretary Abdullah Shamim was the youngest son of Abul Kalam Majhi and Julekha Begum, residents of Majhikandi in Dmkhali, under Bhedarganj upazila of Shariatpur. The family had been living in Diabari Khalpar area of Uttara, Dhaka. From a young age, Shamim had shown remarkable academic promise and dreamt of becoming a doctor. Initially enrolled in a madrasa, he was later admitted to Class VI at Milestone School and College in Uttara to further his education. His father, Abul Kalam Majhi, died in December last year while working in Saudi Arabia. Since then, Shamim had been living under the care and affection of his mother, elder brother, and sister. On Monday, as usual, he was attending classes with his fellows when a Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet suddenly crashed into one of the school’s buildings, just 10 minutes before the scheduled tiffin break. The deafening crash left many injured, including Shamim. Members of the armed forces arrived promptly at the scene and rescued the injured, informing family members shortly afterwards. Shamim was rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital by ambulance and admitted to the burn unit due to the severity of his injuries. Despite all efforts, he succumbed to his injuries later that night around 11 pm. As the tragic news of his death reached his ancestral village, a blanket of mourning descended over the entire community. 'Unbearable Tragedy’: Stars share trauma, grief after Milestone School plane crash On Tuesday morning, Shamim’s body was brought back to his native home in Majhikandi. After the janaza prayer held at 9 am on the grounds of Char Vayra High School, he was laid to rest beside his father’s grave in the family cemetery. His relatives remain inconsolable, with his mother Julekha Begum frequently falling unconscious from grief. Shamim shared a close bond with his cousin, Abdullah Hossain.  

Former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda passed away at a hospital in the capital on Saturday morning. He was 83. Shamsul Huda was declared dead at the hospital around 10:15 am, said Parvez Hasan, executive of the Customer Service Department at the United Hospital. His brother-in-law Ashfaque Quaderi said Shamsul Huda breathed his last at his residence around 9 am and then he was taken to United Hospital where doctors declared him dead. He is survived by wife and one daughter. His namaz-e-janaza will be held after his daughter returns from the United States, Quaderi said. Former civil servant ATM Shamsul Huda was appointed CEC on 5 February 2007 during the caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed. He served until 2012, with Muhammad Sohul Hossain and M Sakhawat Hossain joining him as election commissioners. Shamsul Huda oversaw Bangladesh’s 2008 national election. Earlier, Huda was a director and vice chairman of GSP Finance Company (Bangladesh) Limited, a Bangladeshi non-banking financial institution.

Two young men were allegedly beaten to death in the Ahmadnagar area under Dar us Salam Police Station in the capital on Saturday morning. Being informed,  police recovered one body from a house in the Haddi Patti area of Ahmad Nagar and the other from the nearby road, said Officer-in-Charge of Darus Salam Police Station Rakibul Hasan. He said the identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed.  3 killed in Sirajganj motorcycle-poultry truck clash "We rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident. Locals said it happened after or before around 12 noon ," the OC said, adding that efforts are underway to identify the perpetrators. He also said that the reason behind the incident remains unknown as yet. The bodies have been sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Two youths killed as motorcycle crashes into truck at Banani Meanwhile, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Darus Salam Zone under Mirpur Division, Salek Mohammad Zakaria, told media that one of the deceased might have had a drug-related case filed against him with Darus Salam Police Station just the previous day.

A Sylhet court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death and four others to life imprisonment for killing trader Ehteshamul Haque Shaheen in 2021. Sylhet Additional Session Judge Mahmudul Hasan handed down the punishment. The condemned convict was identified as Wahidur Rahman Sunny, son of Mahbubur Rahman of Golapganj upazila of the district. Those who got life imprisonment were identified as Sarwar Hossain, son of Jamal Hossain, Shakil Ahmed, son of Manik Mia, Fahim Islam, son of Nur Islam of Golapganj upazila and Raihan Ahmed, son of Ahmed Ali of Biswanath upazila. Among them, Raihan tried in absentia. ‘Court has become our second home’, laments Gayeshwar The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each, in default, to suffer three years more in rigorous imprisonment. The court also acquitted Mazedur Rahman, son of Taibur Rahman, as allegations brought against him could not be proved. According to the prosecution, the convicts waylaid an auto-rickshaw carrying Shaheen, former vice-president of Hetimganj Bazar Banik Samity, while returning to his home from Dhaka around 1:30 pm and stabbed him indiscriminately on March 21, 2021 over previous enmity, leaving him injured. Later, he was taken to Osmani Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Iftekharul Haque Sabuj, younger brother of Shaheen, filed a case with Golapganj Police Station. Members of the Rapid Action Battalion arrested four people on May 2, 2021.

An activist of Jatiyatabati Krishak Dal was stabbed to death by unidentified criminals at Dakkhinkhan in Gazipur city on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Rakib Molla, 35, a president candidate of Sadar Metro unit Krishak Dal and son of Ismail Molla. Quoting witnesses, Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said the miscreants stabbed Rakib indiscriminately while he was on way to his home around 9 pm, leaving Rakib injured. Later, he was taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Initially, it is suspected that the miscreants killed him following enmity over dominance in cable tv network and internet business in the area.  

A 40-year-old man was killed allegedly by his maternal uncle in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area on Tuesday.The deceased was identified as Sumon Kazi, son of Ismail Gazi of Barishal district. He was a vegetable vendor and used to live in Meradia Maddhyapara area in Dhaka.Quoting Alamgir Kazi, elder brother of the deceased, inspector Faruk, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Sumon locked into an altercation with his uncle Mostafa, 60, around 6 am at the residence of Mostafa. At one stage, he damaged the windowpanes and tore off the electric cables of the house.Angered by the incident, Mostafa along with his son Hridoy, Biplab, and daughter Tani hit Sumon with bricks, leaving him injured.Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead around 8:30 am.