United News of Bangladesh

The daughter of July martyr Jasim Uddin, who recently passed away under tragic circumstances, will be laid to rest beside her father’s grave in Dumki upazila of Patuakhali. Her funeral prayer is scheduled to take place at her family home in Pangashia union after Maghrib prayers on Sunday, following which she will be buried alongside her late father. According to family members, the young woman was found dead on Saturday night at a rented house on Road No 6 in the Shekhertek area of Mohammadpur, Dhaka. She was discovered hanging inside the house and was rushed to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead upon arrival. Officer-in-charge of Dumki Police Station, Mohammad Zakir Hossain, said the autopsy at Suhrawardy Hospital was nearing completion, and her body would soon be handed over to the family. He said an investigation was underway to determine the precise cause of death. Leaders of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), including Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Joint Member Secretary Humayra Noor, and Joint Member Secretary Faisal Mahmud Shanto, are travelling to Patuakhali to attend the funeral and offer condolences to the bereaved family. The victim had recently endured a harrowing ordeal. On March 18, while travelling to her maternal grandparents’ house in Pangashia, she was allegedly gang-raped by two individuals, Sakib and Sifat, from the Naldoyani area. Displaying immense courage, she personally filed a case against the accused at Dumki Police Station. Bangladeshi national shot dead reportedly by BSF in 24 Parganas Both suspects were subsequently arrested and presented before the court, and the case remains under investigation. Family members revealed that following the assault, she had been grappling with severe mental trauma. They said the burden of social stigma, combined with fear of not receiving justice, had plunged her into deep depression, ultimately leading her to take her own life. Her father, Jasim Uddin, was killed by police during last year's July Uprising in Dhaka, a loss that had already cast a long shadow over the family. The tragedy has once again underscored the devastating impact of sexual violence and the urgent need for a society where victims feel protected, supported and able to seek justice without fear.

An Ansar member died after a bus ran over him on the Patuakhali-Barishal highway on Saturday. The deceased Jahangir Alam, 50, was the commander of a 60-member Ansar team deployed at the Rural Narenco Power Company Ltd (RNPL) in Kolapara upazila of Patuakhali, said Sub-Inspector Mahbub Alam of Patuakhali Sadar Police Station. The accident happened around 6:30am near the Badarpur culvert when he was on his way to his home in Bhola on a motorcycle, according to police and colleagues. “The victim lost balance and fell on the road. A bus coming from behind ran him over. We found tire marks over his chest, indicating the bus drove directly over him.” Mohammad Solaiman, a fellow Ansar member, said Jahangir had taken leave and was heading home with rations early in the morning. “We heard he was killed after being hit by a bus in the Badarpur area,” he said. 2 killed, 21 injured in Bogura road accident Patuakhali Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Imtiaz Ahmed said a police team was sent to the spot soon after being informed of the matter. “We are trying to identify the bus involved in the accident and will take legal action accordingly,” he said.

Police on Wednesday arrested one of the main suspects over allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl who was abducted from the road in Dumki upazila on Tuesday evening. According to Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zakir Hossain of Dumki Police Station, the primary suspect was arrested shortly after the complaint was filed. “The police are conducting an operation to capture the fugitive suspect, and the victim has been sent to Patuakhali Medical College Hospital for examination,” the OC said. Two die in Joypurhat road accident The OC said that the accused individuals are identified as Sakib Munshi (17), and Sifat Munshi (19). While Sakib Munshi has been arrested, Sifat Munshi remains at large. According to police sources, the victim was on her way to her maternal grandparents' house when she was followed by Sakib and Sifat from the Naldoyani area. At one point, the two men overpowered her, took her to a nearby garden, and allegedly raped her. They also threatened to spread pictures of the assault on social media.

Twenty-three houses were gutted in a fire which broke out at  Charpara in Patuakhali district town on Tuesday. Md Rezwan, station officer of Patuakhali fire service and civil defence, said the fire broke out at a tin-shed house near Wayejia Kamil Madrasha around 1:30 pm and spread soon. 13 policemen of Companiganj Police Station closed over irregularities On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze around 3:30 pm. However, what caused the fire could not be known immediately and the extent of the damage caused by the fire could not be ascertained yet.

A 50-year-old woman has been killed during a robbery at her home in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali. The incident happened at the home of retired army personnel Abul Kalam Azad in Salimpur village of the Nilganj union of the upazila on Monday night, said Kalapara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jewel Islam. The deceased was identified as Shahnaz Parveen Lucky. 3 teenagers killed in Natore truck-motorbike collision According to police and locals, the victim was alone and asleep in her house at the time of the attack. Around 8 am on Tuesday, her brother-in-law, Shah Alam, discovered the back door open when he arrived at the house. Upon entering, he found that the victim's hands, feet, and mouth were tied up. Later, locals informed the police. The body will be sent for an autopsy. Investigations are ongoing, added the OC.

Operation of another unit of 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is going to be suspended soon due to coal shortage, according to Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited (BCPCL) officials. The plant has two units each having 660 MW and the first unit of the two has already been shut following the coal crisis. "Now the remaining unit may run until June 2", said Shah Abdul Moula, plant manager of the BCPCL. BCPCL, a joint venture of the Chinese firm China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladeshi state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL), is the owner and operator of the Payra power plant. Read more: IPPs call for uniform import duty on primary fuels The plant manager said that the plant is currently operating one unit having 660 MW while another 660 MW unit was closed last week. Moula said that the overdue payment against the coal import actually created this critical situation. The overdue amount now stands at more than $400 million. "But recently we received a permission from Bangladesh Bank to pay $50 million to the coal supplier against the overdue", he said adding that this will help arrange to resume coal import. Read more: Separate entity needed to deal with matters relating to coal: Energy experts But still it will take about a month to receive the coal supply and we hope we may not get before June 28, said another official of the BCPCL.  According to official sources, the Payra power plant needs to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal every month to operate the plant in full swing. They said the BCPCL normally opens LC through state-owned Sonali Bank to import the coal. But recently Sonali Bank regretted opening the LC due to the dollar crisis. Admitting about the problems, the BCPCL officials said the authority has already communicated the issue to the Power Division to take necessary measures. Read more: Committee to review existing deals on coal purchase for power generation Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 21 last year inaugurated the 1320 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali's Payra on a day when she also declared the country's 100 percent electricity coverage. This milestone achievement puts Bangladesh ahead of India and Pakistan among the South Asian nations to light up every house with electricity. BCPCL set up the plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology at over $2 billion as part of a development partnership on 982.77 acres of land. The Export-Import Bank of China lent $1.96 billion for the project. The company started operation in 2016. Read more: Bashundhara Group wins bid to supply 8 million MT of coal to Rampal power plant This kind of coal-fired power plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology is the thirteenth in the world and seventh in South Asia. The Ultra Supercritical Technology used for this plant aims at protecting the environment in line with the government's policy, officials said. After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. In October, 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation. The Payra and another 1320 MW Rampal power plants have been implemented targeting the power evacuation from both the two plants and transmit power to Dhaka city and adjoining areas to meet growing power demand. Read more: Illegal coal furnaces leave Khulna gasping for breath & answers The Payra power plant is burning some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. It has a 76.30 acre dumping zone where 25 years’ worth of by-product can be kept. The plant is currently importing coal from Indonesia. It has its own jetty whose conveyor belts can unload 3,200 tonnes of coal every hour from four vessels at the same time. Bangladesh's power generation capacity reached 25,514 MW from just 3200MW in 2009, according to the data.

Two cases were filed against 450 leaders and activists of BNP, including the district presidents and general secretaries of Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Sramik Dal, in relation to a recent clash between Awami League and BNP in Patuakhali.  The clash occurred during a peace rally organized by the Awami League at the Muslimpara intersection in the municipality. Two Awami League leaders filed the two cases at the Sadar police station.  Also Read: AL-BNP clash leaves 30, inclucing policemen, injured in Patuakhali No arrests have been made thus far by the police. AL leader Raihan Hossain filed a written complaint on the night of May 20. According to the complaint, while the peace rally was underway, BNP supporters allegedly ambushed the participants, vandalizing houses and shops, resulting in several activists being injured and subsequently admitted to the hospital. The main defendant, in this case, is Monir Munshi, the General Secretary of the district Sramik Dal, along with 29 other leaders and workers. Additionally, 150-200 unidentified individuals have been named as defendants.  In another case filed at the same police station on May 21, District Jubo League Joint General Secretary Nasir Uddin, the plaintiff, stated that Jubo Dal members had launched an attack during their peace rally at the Muslimpara intersection, causing similar damages.  District Jubo Dal President Monirul Islam was made the main defendant in this case, listing 16 individuals by name and 200-250 others as unnamed defendants. Md. Moniruzzaman, the Officer-in-Charge of the Patuakhali Sadar Police Station, said that both plaintiffs had made identical complaints.  He said, "The accused are currently evading arrest. Our efforts to arrest them are ongoing."  District Juba Dal President Monirul Islam Liton expressed that the BNP would also file a case against the Awami League attackers at the police station. He further stated that if the police failed to take action, they would approach the court. A rally held in front of the Patuakhali district BNP office on Saturday morning, demanding the government's resignation, was disrupted by an attack from Jubo League and Chhatra League members.  The clash escalated into a violent confrontation, with both sides engaging in brick-throwing and vandalizing the BNP offices. Police resorted to firing tear gas to disperse the activists from both parties.  District Chhatra Dal president Ujjal Talukder and 30 leaders and activists from the BNP and Awami League reportedly sustained injuries during the clash.    

At least 30 people, including activists of Awami League (AL), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and police personnel, were injured in clash between the two parties over holding rally in Sadar upazila of Patuakhali today. Police used teargas to disperse the fighting groups while an additional number of law enforcers have been deployed in the area to avert any untoward incident. Local BNP leaders said there was a scheduled rally to press home their 10-point demand, including resignation of the incumbent government and holding the next parliamentary election under a neutral government, in front of the party office in Patuakhali's town's Banani intersection area at 10 am. BNP activists and leaders from different parts of the district started gathering with processions since early morning, they said, adding that they were barred by the ruling party activists on their way to the rally venue. A clash broke out between the activists of the parties when an AL procession was passing by, witnesses said. Brickbats were thrown targeting each other, while BNP’s district office was also vandalised. The rival groups chased each other several times in the area, causing panic among the commuters and locals. BNP Central leader ABM Mosharraf Hossain said at least 25 BNP activists were injured in the attack by AL men. Md Saidul Islam, superintendent of police (SP), said, the situation is now under control and an additional number of policemen have been deployed in front of the BNP office in the town. The SP said they used teargas to bring the situation under control but instantly could not inform how many rounds were used.   Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mainul Hassan said several policemen were injured in the clash.  Sadar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Md Moniruzzaman, said a process was underway to file cases against those who attacked law enforcers and tried to deteriorate the law and order situation. The district unit of BNP held an emergency press conference in favour of their 10-point demand and protested the "attack" on their rally at a hotel this afternoon. At the press conference, BNP Vice Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo said the next national polls won’t be free and fair without a caretaker government.  Meanwhile, local AL leaders and activists held a peace rally in the morning. AL's district unit President and freedom fighter Kazi Alamgir and Vice President Sultan Ahmad Mridha, among others, spoke at the rally. The district AL president said they will file a case against BNP men for "attacking" their rally.  

The search for four people including a groom, his mother and two others, who went missing after a trawler carrying a wedding party capsized in Tetulia River in Patuakhali’s Dashmina upazila on Friday, resumed on Saturday for the second day. Those who remain missing were identified as the groom Rabbi Hawladar, 20, son of Manir Hawladar of Guli Auliapur; his mother, Selina Akter, 40; Khadiza, 5, daughter of Dhalu Hawladar; and Mansura, 8, daughter of Belal Munshi. Local administration, three units of Fire Services and Navy jointly started conducted the rescue operation from Saturday morning, said Anwar Hossain, leader of Dashmina Fire Service Station. Also Read: Woman drowns, 4 others go missing as trawler capsizes in Patuakhali Nafisa Naz Nia, Dashmina Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said the local administration has taken the matter with utmost importance to rescue the missing persons. Earlier, on Friday, a woman was dead and four went missing when the trawler carrying a wedding party capsized in the river during a storm while returning with the bride. Bride Sumaiya and 14 others were on the trawler. The deceased was identified as Lipi Begum, 30, wife of Dhalu Hawladar of Uttar Ronogopaldi in the upazila.  

Two teenaged boys have been arrested in a case filed in connection with the murder of two students in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali. The  arrestees are Sifat, 14 of Indrakul village of Suryamoni union of the upazila and Saikat, 14, from Kalaiya port, police said on Friday. Victim Nafees' mother Nargis Begum filed the case with Bauphal Police Station. A police operation is underway to arrest others involved in the murder, said Bauphal Officer-in-Charge Al Mamun. On March 20, students of class 9 and 10 of Indrakul Secondary School got involved in a dispute over a foot injury. On Wednesday afternoon, after the farewell ceremony of Class 10 students at the school, Nafees, Maruf and Siam, were returning home when several people, including Raihan, 2 Nayeem, Hasibul, who were already on the bridge, attacked and stabbed them. Locals rescued them and took them to Bauphal Hospital. After primary treatment, Nafees and Maruf were taken to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty doctors declared them dead. Siam is undergoing treatment at Bauphal Hospital. The deceased were buried at their village home on Thursday (March 23) afternoon after autopsy.