Rangamati
UPDF man gunned down in Rangamati
An activist of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) was shot dead allegedly by rivals at Rangipara in Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati district on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Subahu Chakma alias Giri, 55, son of Biraj Mohon Chakma of the upazila and assistant director of UPDF.
Quoting local people, Sujon Haldar, officer-in-charge of Naniarchar Police Station, said some members of UPDF opened fire on Giri around 9 am, leaving him dead on the spot.
A team of police has been sent to the spot to investigate the incident, he said.
Also read: Youth killed in gunfight between 2 UPDF factions in Khagrachhari
The motive behind the killing could not be known immediately.
Rangamati music teacher gets 8 years in jail for sexually harassing student
A Rangamati court on Thursday sentenced a music teacher to eight years imprisonment for sexually harassing a female student for two years.
Rangamati Women and Children Tribunal Judge AEM Ismail Hossain also handed the teacher a Tk5 lakh fine, Md Saiful Islam, the public prosecutor of the court, said.
The court asked the district's deputy commissioner to give the fine to the student after taking it from the convict, he added.
Read: 3 get life imprisonment for ‘gang rape’ of 2 girls in city
According to the case statement, Ranajit sexually harassed his 18-year-old student at least three times from April 2020 to March 2022 while teaching her at her home.
Later, the girl's father filed a case accusing the teacher under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 at the local police station.
15 houses gutted in Rangamati fire
As many as 15 houses were gutted in a massive fire in Reserve Bazar Mohsin Colony area of Rangamati town on Saturday, officials said.
The fire broke out at a house in the Mohsin Colony around 12:30pm on Saturday and soon engulfed adjacent houses, said Md Iqbal Hossain, station officer of Rangamati District Fire Service.
Read more: 16 shops gutted in Khulna market fire
On information, three fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after an hour, he said
"The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately."
No injury or casualty was reported.
Read more: 15 shops gutted in Natore fire
However, it's not possible to immediately assess the extent of damage caused by the fire.
Commute woes for Rangamati HSC examinees as Kaptai Lake clogged with water hyacinth
Overgrowth of water hyacinth in Kaptai Lake has been hampering water transport operation in Rangamati.
Movement of trawlers and boats is being disrupted due to overgrowth of water hyacinth in many parts of the lake in Kaptai upazila, Shahid Shamsuddin Ghat, and Kengrachari of Bilaichari upazila in Rangamati.
Students and HSC candidates living around Kaptai Lake are suffering the most. Especially, HSC examinees are often not reaching exam centre on time as commute through the lake is taking much longer.
Visiting the area this week, this UNB correspondent found a large swathe of the scenic Kaptai Lake covered with water hyacinth. Seen from a distance, one could mistake this as a lush, green field.
Also read: Speedboats collision in Kaptai lake: Bodies of 2 missing students recovered
HSC candidates Anand Tanchangya, Subir Chakma and Minti Chakma said water hyacinth has accumulated in the lake like every year.
It takes three hours to reach a destination that used to take about three minutes before, they complained.
Ujjal Das, another HSC candidate, said it is difficult to reach the exam centres on time. If authorities don’t take measures to remove water hyacinth from the lake immediately, local HSC candidates’ commute woes will continue.
Boatman Shah Alam said, “Overgrowth of water hyacinth spells trouble for us too, causing engine fan to break often.”
Also read: 7 injured, 2 missing after collision between two water vehicles in Kaptai Lake
Over the last week, water hyacinth accumulated at the upstream jetty gate. As a result, it takes two to three hours, by boat, to reach the jetty from the island area, which normally takes two to three minutes.
The unabated growth of the invasive aquatic plant is not only hampering operation of water transport but also threatening fish and marine resources – polluting Kaptai Lake’s water as well.
Speedboats collision in Kaptai lake: Bodies of 2 missing students recovered
The bodies of two students, who went missing after a collision between two speedboats in Kaptai lake on Friday, have been recovered.
The deceased were Liton Chakma, 20, and Elina Chakma, 20, residents of Baghaichhari and Borokol upazilas respectively and students of Higher Secondary Certificate level of Open University.
The body of Liton was recovered by fishermen early Sunday while and the body of Elina by fire service workers on Sunday morning.
Read more: 7 injured, 2 missing after collision between two water vehicles in Kaptai Lake
Ariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Langadu police station, said they in association with the fire service men carried out search operation till Saturday evening since Friday afternoon but failed.
On Friday afternoon, seven people were injured and two others went missing in a head-on collision between a passenger carrying speedboat and a goods-laden boat in Kaptai Lake.
Read more: Death toll from Karatoa boat capsize rises to 68
The passenger carrying boat was heading towards Langadu upazila from Rangamati Sadar.
Seven out of total nine passengers of the boat managed to swim ashore while the reset went missing.
PM’s gift: New house for Tigress Rupna in Rangamati
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned to build a house for Rupna Chakma, goalkeeper of Bangladesh women’s football team who clinched the title of SAFF Women’s Championship 2022, in her hometown Rangamati.
Sheikh Hasina, who is in New York at the moment to attend the 77th UNGA, gave the directive after a picture of Rupna Chakma's dilapidated house went viral on social media and came to her notice.
Read: Naniarchar ready to embrace its daughters Rupna, Ritu Porna after brilliance in SAFF Women's tournament
Parbatya Chattogram Nagorik Parishad calls 32-hour hartal in Rangamati
Parbatya Chattogram Nagorik Parishad on Monday called a 32-hour hartal in the district town from Tuesday to press home their seven-point demand including cancellation of Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act.
The hartal will remain in force from 6 am on Tuesday to 2 pm on Wednesday.
Mujibur Rahman, chairman of the executive council of Nagorik Parishad, announced this at a press briefing held at a restaurant in Rangamati town.
Processions will be brought out in support of the hartal, he said.
Read:BNP supports left alliance’s hartal on Aug 25
Representation from all ethnic groups in the resolution commission, completing land survey before the work of Land Dispute Resolution Commission, introducing the land dispute settlement in CHT according to the existing laws of the country, allowing local administration to settle land disputes and taking steps for rehabilitating individuals if affected while settling the land dispute by the commission were among their demands.
Hanging body of Ansar member recovered in Rangamati
Hanging body of an Ansar member was recovered from his workplace in Baghaichhari upazila of the district on Sunday.
The deceased identified as Shakil Hossain, 23, was a generator operator of the Ansar-18 and also son of Alok Hossain of Dhamrai in Dhaka.
Anwar Hossain Khan, Officer-in-charge of Baghaichhari Police Station, said the Ansar member committed suicide hanging from a ceiling fan with dish cable at the generator office where he used to work in the midnight of Saturday.
Read: Ninth-grader killed in 'merciless' knife attack in Dhaka's Shyampur
On information, they rushed to the spot and recovered the body and sent to Rangamati General Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said.
Md Sohag Parvez, commandant of the Ansar-18, said the reason for the death will be known after the autopsy and the body will be handed over to his family after ending all legal procedures.
Section 144 imposed in Rangamati ahead of AL-BNP rally
Authorities at Rangamati’s Juraichhari upazila imposed restrictions on public assembly Wednesday to avert any untoward incident as two rival political groups announced simultaneous rallies at the same venue.The restrictions applied under Section 144 of the CrPc have been in force in the upazila since 6 am, and will stay until 6 pm, said the local administration.
Read: HC orders removal of ‘fake news’ from Facebook, YouTubeJuraichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Khondkar Jitendra Kumar Nath issued this order Tuesday noon.He said that the administration resorted to the restriction to keep the law and order situation under control.
All types of public gatherings in the area adjacent to and around the upazila sadar have been banned.
UPDF man shot dead in JSS-UPDF ‘gunfight’ in Rangamati
A 34-year-old man was killed in a gunfight between the activists of Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) and United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) at Kattoli Tripurachhara in Rangamati on Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Shyamal Chakma, an activist of UPDF.
The gunfight took place in the bordering area of two upazilas --Naniarchar and Langadow from 8 pm to 10:30 pm that left Shyamal dead and four others injured.
Read:Youth killed in gunfight between 2 UPDF factions in Khagrachhari
Aongya Marma, a spokesperson for UPDF, said the gunmen of JSS attacked Shyamal on Tuesday night and opened fire on him, leaving him dead.
Obaidur Rahman, additional superintendent of Rangamati Police, said a team of law enforcement agencies including army left for the spot.
Sanzid Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Langadu Police Station said the exact number of the deceased could not be known yet.
Meanwhile, the JSS in their official facebook page claimed it has killed six UPDF members and seized two arms from the spot.