Dhaka, Sept 16 (UNB) – Bus workers went on an indefinite strike on all the routes of Rangpur and Gaibandha districts on Sunday, demanding a change in the draft Road Transport Bill.

In Gaibandha, District Motor Workers' Union enforced the strike in the morning to press for the demand to drop the provision of death sentence from the proposed law for deliberate killing in road accidents.

Union President said Abdur Rashid Sarkar said they will continue the strike until a change is made to the bill which was placed in Parliament on Thursday last.

Habibar Rahman Nannu, a leader of district Bus Owners’ Association, said bus drivers and workers went on the strike for an indefinite period abruptly. “We’re trying to settle the matter,” he said.

No long route bus left the district town since the morning, creating immense sufferings to the commuters.

Many passengers were seen standing on the bus stand. 

Following the shortage of buses, people thronged different train stations to reach their destinations by trains.

In Rangpur, the bus communication of the district with Kurigram, Nilphamari and Gaibandha remained suspended since the morning as the bus workers went on the indefinite strike.

Akter Hossain Badal, president of District Road Transport and Workers Federation, said the bus drivers stayed off the road protesting the draft Road Transport Bill.

Following the strike, no bus plied on the routes from Rangpur.
 

Natore, Sept 16 (UNB) – Police detained a man for allegedly stabbing his wife to death over a family feud in Purilia village of Gurudaspur upazila on Saturday night.

The arrestee Rony Sardar of the village stabbed his wife Rina Begum indiscreetly following an altercation between them around 8 am on Saturday, leaving her critically injured, said Selim Reza, officer-in-charge of Gurudaspur Police Station.

At first, injured Rina was taken to the local health complex from where she was shifted to Natore Sadar Hospital. Later in the night, she succumbed to her injuries.

Later, police arrested her husband after the victim’s father field a murder case with the police station accusing five persons, the OC added.

Natore, Sept 16 (UNB) – A young man was killed and seven others injured in a head-on collision between two buses at sadar upazila road here on Sunday morning.

The deceased was identified as Birendra Pahan, 30, an indigenous man of the upazila.

The accident took place when a Dhaka-bound bus collided head-on with another bus, leaving Birendra Pahan dead on the spot and seven others injured, said Sub-inspector Md Mozammel Hossain, in-charge of Jalmalia Highway Police Station.

On information, members of local Fire Service and Civil Defence recovered the body, he added.

The injured were admitted to Natore Sadar Hospital.

Sylhet, Sept 16 (UNB) – Freedom Fighter and former Member of Parliament Shah Md Azizur Rahman passed away at a city hospital on Sunday morning. He was 80.
 
Azizur Rahman who was the MP of Sylhet-2 constituency (Balaganj-Bishwanath) in 1996-2001 had been suffering from old-age complications and was on life support at the hospital.
 
He breathed his last around 8 am, said Sylhet Awami League organising secretary Shafiul Alam Nadel.
 
He left behind his wife, a son, a daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn over his death.

Sylhet, Sept 16 (UNB) – Two unidentified young men crushed to death under the wheels of a train at Sylhet Railway Station on Saturday night.
 
The age of the youths is around 20 years, said Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge of Sylhet GRP Police Station.
 
The duo fell down as they were trying to board Dhaka-bound ‘Upoban Express’ around 10 pm while it was leaving the platform and crushed to death under the train wheels.
 
However, the victims used to push rickshaws on the Keane Bridge in the city, the OC added.