United News of Bangladesh

BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Thursday called the clash between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in Sherpur, which left one person dead, ‘unwarranted’ and called for a quick and impartial investigation. “Why did one party occupy all the chairs before the scheduled time? Why were sticks and batons brought there? And why did that party’s candidate choose confrontation despite repeated requests?” he asked, stressing that these issues must be properly investigated. Replying to journalists’ questions at a press conference at the BNP Election Office in Gulshan, Mahdi also said it should be examined whether the clash could have been avoided. He said the Sherpur programme was organised by the local administration with the participation of all candidates, and seats were allocated for each party. Mahdi, however, alleged that leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami occupied all the chairs and did not allow BNP leaders and activists to sit in their designated seats, despite repeated requests from the administration. “Violence over such a minor issue like seating is in no way acceptable,” he said, adding that after the mass uprising, people expected an election atmosphere that would be festive, not violent. Describing BNP as the country’s largest political party, Mahdi Amin said there is a widespread belief that if the election is free, fair and credible, BNP will come to power. “Our main goal is to ensure a peaceful and controversy-free election so that no one can create instability around the polls. This is important not only for BNP, but for the country as a whole,” he said. Tarique reaches Rajshahi to launch fourth phase of BNP campaign The BNP spokesperson said many questions have naturally arisen about how the Sherpur incident began, who was behind it, and why the administration and law enforcement agencies failed to keep the situation under control. Referring to videos circulating on social media, he said they show repeated requests by police, administration officials, law enforcement agencies, the army and even BNP leaders asking the Jamaat candidate not to take a particular route. “Despite that, he decided to go that way and was repeatedly heard saying, ‘Let life be lost if it must be,’” he said. Mahdi Amin said the death of a person in the clash, regardless of political identity, is deeply regrettable. He also said more than 40 BNP leaders and activists were injured, several of them critically. Calling for stronger action from the administration and law enforcement agencies, the BNP spokesperson urged them to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. He also appealed to all parties not to provoke others or fall into provocation and to ensure a peaceful and respectful campaign environment. Mahdi said BNP has urged the interim government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated anywhere else in the country, adding that people expect all political parties to behave responsibly and democratically. Responding to another question, he said the role of law enforcement agencies during the election must be strengthened and all political parties must fully cooperate with the administration. Election violence leaves Jamaat leader dead in Sherpur About a recent procession in the Dhaka University area and what he described as propaganda involving BNP, Mahdi said creating baseless narratives over a minor and isolated incident to gain political advantage is unacceptable. “We want positive politics, not politics based on blame,” he said. Mahdi said BNP’s top priority is to ensure a peaceful, credible and widely accepted election. “If democratic norms are upheld, Insha’Allah, we will all be able to strengthen democracy together,” he added.

At least 30 people were injured in a clash between supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP in Jhenaigati upazila of Sherpur on Wednesday afternoon. At least six motorcycles and over a hundred of chairs were vandalised  and set on fire during the clash that began at 3 pm. The clash broke out during a manifesto-reading programme organised by the upazila administration for rival candidates of Sherpur-3 (Sreebardi-Jhenaigati) constituency at the Mini Stadium ground in Jhenaigati. Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP blamed each other for the violence. Read More: BNP, independent candidate supporters clash in Mymensingh; 20 injured Some of them were admitted to Jhenaigati Upazila Health Complex while others received treatment at different clinics in Sherpur Sadar. Witnesses said the clash erupted over seating arrangements during the manifesto-reading ceremony. At one stage, the venue turned into a battlefield with chairs being hurled and several motorcycles vandalised and set ablaze. Besides, attempts to contact the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and the Officer-in-Charge of Jhenaigati Police Station were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, members of the army were deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident. BNP candidate Mahmudul Haque Rubel held a press conference in Jhenaigati in the evening condemning the incident and demanding punishment of those responsible.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expelled its Sherpur district joint convener Md Shafikul Islam Masud for ignoring party directives and running organisational activities on his own. The decision was confirmed in a press release signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday. The statement said Masud was expelled from primary membership and all party posts for violating party discipline and carrying out organisational activities against party instructions. Sherpur district BNP Member Secretary ABM Mamunur Rashid Palash also confirmed the matter. Masud could not be reached for comment. His mobile phone was switched off. Over 300 SAD leaders join BNP in Sherpur Masud is a former president of district Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal and was serving as joint convener of district BNP. He submitted his nomination as an independent candidate for Sherpur-1 seat defying party decision. BNP has nominated another district joint convener, Dr Sunsila Jabrin Priyanka, as its candidate for the seat.

Police recovered two bodies from different locations in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur on Saturday. Md Sohel Rana, officer-in-charge (OC) of Nalitabari Police Station, said one of the deceased was identified as Babul Mia, 45, son of the late Amzad Ali from Killyapara village under Rupnaryankura union. The OC said his body was found around noon in an abandoned house near the Grameen Tower in the Arai Aani Bazar area. According to locals, he had been physically ill and was often seen wandering around local markets. Man killed in clash during football match in Narail Later in the afternoon, the OC said police recovered the body of another man, aged around 60 to 65, from the Daodhara Katabari area under Nayabil union. His identity remains unknown. Locals said he appeared to be mentally unstable and had been seen roaming the area in recent days. OC Sohel Rana said two separate unnatural death (UD) cases have been filed.

The Sherpur district unit of BNP dissolved nine local committees, including five upazila and four municipal units, during an extended meeting held on Tuesday night. The decision was taken at the first extended meeting of the newly formed 41-member district convening committee, chaired by district BNP convenor Advocate Md Sirajul Islam, at the District Bar Association auditorium. A joint statement, signed by convenor Sirajul and member-secretary ABM Mamunur Rashid Palash, was released on Facebook the same night, attributing the dissolution. Member Secretary Polash told journalists that the decision was unanimous. “New convening committees for these nine units will be formed soon. Only dedicated, responsible leaders with clean images will be included. There will be no place for extortionists, land grabbers, illegal sand traders, smugglers, or those inactive in movements,” he said. BNP won’t tolerate extortionists, grabber: Rizvi The meeting emphasised unity ahead of the next national polls and urged party leaders to overcome internal disputes and rebuild upazila and municipal committees soon. Several other leaders, including former MP and district BNP ex-president Md Mahmudul Haque Rubel, former convenor and current member Md Hazrat Ali, joint convenors Fazlur Rahman Tara, Shafiqul Islam Masud, Advocate Abdul Mannan, Dr Sansila Zebrin Priyanka, Engineer Fahim Chowdhury, Abu Raihan Rupon, Kamrul Hasan and Saiful Islam, attended the meeting. The BNP central committee announced the Sherpur district convening committee on June 5.

The bodies of two young girls, who had been missing since Tuesday noon, were recovered from a pond at a remote fish farm in the Battala area of Sribardi upazila in Sherpur early Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Swapna Begum, 6, daughter of truck driver Swapan Mia, and Sakal Begum, 7, daughter of Selim Mia. Both were residents of the Betalbari area in Tinani Chhankanda village under Sribardi upazila. 3 pedestrians killed after truck hits easy bike in Sherpur According to family members and locals, the two children went missing around 12 pm on Tuesday. As they did not return home by evening, their families launched a frantic search and announced their disappearance through loudspeakers (miking) in the area. Sribardi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Anwar Zahid confirmed the recovery of the bodies around 8 am on Wednesday. “The bodies were found floating in a pond inside a fish farm. An investigation is underway, and legal steps will be taken accordingly,” the OC added.

A cow was killed in a wild elephant attack in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur on Friday. The incident took place at around 10:30 am inside the Baromari Shadhu Leo’s Mission (Baromari Christian Mission) when the elephant descending from the nearby hills attacked the cow, 6tethered to a post. 3 pedestrians killed after truck hits easy bike in Sherpur Father Tarun Banowari of the Baromari Shadhu Leo’s Mission said, the wild elephant  fatally trampled the tied cow. Wild elephant attacks have been on the rise in the border areas of Nalitabari, Jhenaigati, and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur. Herds of elephants often enter localities from the hills foraging food, causing damage to lives and property. On May 29, a wild elephant killed an elderly widow, Surton Nesha, in Batkuchi Namapara near the old forest office in Nalitabari. Earlier, on May 20, two farmers—Azizur Rahman Akash and Ephilis Hagidak—were killed in separate elephant attacks in the Gajni area of Jhenaigati upazila. Wild elephants have also been damaging homes, consuming stored rice and cooked food and destroying crops such as jackfruit and bananas. They have wreaked havoc on forest department offices, eco-parks and various government installations. Residents of elephant-prone areas are now spending sleepless nights in fear, trying to protect their lives and property.

Former Land Minister and Awami League leader Rezaul Karim Hira and his wife were confined by local BNP activists at the Sherpur Sadar Sub-Registry Office on Tuesday while attempting to complete land deed formalities. The couple came under public siege around 3pm when they arrived at the registry office to process documents for a land registration, eyewitnesses said. Upon learning of Hira’s presence, local leaders and activists of BNP and its affiliated bodies gathered at the office premises, chanting slogans and surrounding the former minister and his wife. Following the tension, police from Sherpur Sadar Police Station rushed to the spot around 5:30pm and rescued the couple from the agitated crowd, subsequently taking them into custody. Md Ansar Ali, Sub-Inspector of Sherpur Sadar Police Station, said that Hira and his wife are currently in police custody. PBI to probe Jatiya Party's alleged nomination trade prior to 2024 polls Hira, who represented the Jamalpur-5 constituency, was first elected to parliament in 1991 as an independent candidate. He later joined the Awami League and was elected as an MP in the 1996, 2001, and 2008 general elections. In 2009, he was appointed land minister. In the 2014 general election, boycotted by the BNP, Hira defeated Jatiya Party candidate Babar Ali Khan and was appointed Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Land. Although he submitted nomination papers for the 2018 election, he withdrew from the race following party directives after failing to secure an Awami League nomination.

A farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Tuesday night in Darbeshchala area under Gajni beat of Jhenaigati upazila in Sherpur. The deceased was identified as Azizur Rahman Akash, 45, son of Abdul Hakim of the same area. Al-Amin, officer-in-charge of Jhenaigati Police Station, said the incident occurred around 8:30pm while Akash was guarding his paddy field. A wild elephant, which had descended into the locality in search of food, attacked and trampled him, leaving him critically injured, he added. 3 killed by lightning strikes in Chapainawabganj Locals rescued Akash and rushed him to Jhenaigati Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Md Sayedul Islam, a forest guard at Ghajni beat, said herds of wild elephants had been roaming the Gajni and surrounding areas for the past few days in search of food. On Tuesday evening, a group of elephants entered the locality again and began rampaging through the paddy fields. In an attempt to drive the elephants away and save the crops, Akash, along with other farmers, went to the field. During the chaos, one of the elephants chased him. He slipped and fell, and the agitated elephant trampled him, causing severe internal injuries.

An 8-year-old madrasah student was killed after being hit by a battery-run three-wheeler while crossing a road in Sherpur Sadar upazila on Thursday afternoon. The accident occurred around 2pm in front of Farkiya Darussalam Madrasah in Nabiganj area along Sherpur-Mymensingh highway. The deceased Md Abdus Salah was the adopted son of local businessman and general secretary of the madrasah, Kamrul Ahsan. Salah was a student of the Hifz section at the institution. Police and witnesses said Salah tried to run across the road amid sudden rainfall during a break in classes. At that moment, he was struck by the three-wheeler and sustained critical injuries. He was quickly rushed to Sherpur Sadar Hospital where physicians declared him dead. Man stabbed to death by cousin in Brahmanbaria Officer-in-Charge of Sherpur Sadar police station Zobaydul Alam said legal procedures were underway.