In Feni’s Parshuram municipality, the race is over even before it began. There will likely be no voting on February 14 as there are single candidates for all 10 posts, including the mayor.

But if any candidate steps down from the race by Jan 26, the last date for withdrawing candidature, then there will be fresh schedule. 

“No election will be held since there are single candidates for all posts. But there will be new election schedule if any candidate withdraws candidacy,” District Election Officer Md Hanif said.

Jan 17 was the last date for filing nomination but the BNP chose to sit out the election. 

Without any BNP opposition, all nine word councilors and reserved women councillors along with the mayor will now be elected uncontested, election officials said.

Awami League’s upazila unit General Secretary and incumbent Mayor Nizam Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury Sazel will be reelected. It will be his third term as mayor.

Also Read- 4th phase polls to 56 municipalities Feb 14

Abdul Mannan Liton was vying for ward 1, Khurshid Alam ward 2, Abu Taher ward 3, Abdul Mannan, ward 4, Enamul Haq Enam ward 5, Kamal Uddin ward 6, Nijam Uddin Chowdhury Sumon ward 7, Rasul Ahammed Majumder Swapan ward 8, and Abu Shahadat Chowdhury Liton ward 9. 

On the other hand, Aftoza Aktar filed nomination for reserved seat of wards 1, 2 and 3; Rahela Akter wards 4, 5 and 6; and Halima Akter wards 7, 8 and 9.

All of them are single candidates and with the date for filing nomination has passed, they will elected uncontested.

Election Officer Saiful said there has been untoward incident since the schedule was announced and they did not receive any complaint of corruption.

In the 4th phase, 56 municipalities in different districts were scheduled to go to polls on February 14.

A road rally of BNP’s Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) mayoral candidate Dr Shahadat Hossain reportedly came under attack on Wednesday evening at the metropolitan’s Bakolia neighbourhood during campaigning.

The BNP has accused the Jubo League and Chhatra League for the attack and claimed that at least 12 of its activists have been injured.

But Chhatra League and police claim that BNP-affiliated Jubo Dal was behind the attack.

Shahadat’s media cell member secretary Idris Ali said Jubo Dal’s metropolitan unit Organising Secretary Emdadul Haq Badsha led the campaign at Bakolia DC road. A road rally was being held at Bolihat after the campaign when it was attacked.

Some of the injured include Jubo Dal leaders Md Nuruddin, Md Yunus, Md Nayan, Md Ibrahim, Md Rashed, Md Farid, SM Rubel, Md Amir and Md Azad.

Badsha said a group of sticks-wielding attackers led by local Chhatra League leader Enamul Haq Manik and one Imran, the nephew of the area’s Awami League-backed councillor candidate Mohammad Harun.

Also read: Training for CCC election officials begins

“At least four rounds of shots were fired during the attack,” the Jubo Dal leader said. “About 15 of our men were injured.”

The attackers also attacked the house of Jubo Dal leader Yunus and kept him besieged, Badsha said.

Bakolia Police Station’s in-charge Ruhul Amin said four or five men were injured in the clash.

Chhatra League leader Manik claimed that BNP activists had first attacked them.

The CCC election is scheduled for January 27. A total of 236 aspirants are contesting the polls, including seven mayoral candidates.

There are 1,938,706 voters in the city corporation area.

A Royal Bengal Tiger’s hide was seized from Sharonkhola of Bagerhat District Tuesday afternoon.

On a joint drive of Barisal RAB-8 and the east Sundarbans Forest Department, t arrested a man believed to be a member of Sundarbans poacher gang from the bridge area of ​​Jalil Bridge adjacent to  the bus stand of Sharankhola upazila.

The arrestee was identified as Md. Gaus Fakir, 45,  son of Rashid Fakir of Dakshin Southkhali village in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district.

Also read: Tiger scare grips Sharankhola villagers

The seized tiger skin was eight feet one inch long and three feet one inch wide, the Forest Department said.

Tipped off, the team that carried out the operation conducted a drive disguised as a buyer and stard bargaining to buy off the skin. Later they agreed to rendezvous for the handover,  planning to trap Gaus Fakir, said Divisional Forrest Officer (DFO) Muhammed Belayet Hossain.

Also read: Tiger found dead in Sundarbans

They detained Gaus with the tiger skin from Dakshin Southkhali.

DFO Blayet Hossain further said that the arrestee is a professional poacher who was taking preparations to smuggle the tiger skin from the Sundarbans.

Also read: Tiger population at risk in Sundarbans: 38 tigers died in 20 years in Bangladesh

Preparations are underway to file a case against him in this regard.

Four men have been arrested for allegedly gang-raping a hearing-impaired teen in Chandpur’s Faridganj.

Police identified the arrestees as Titu, 20, Shipon, 25, Ripon, 45, and village police member Malek Sardar, 55.

The law enforcement say six men were involved in the incident that took place in Subidpur West Union.

Faridganj Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Shahid Hossain said the arrestees were produced before the court in the afternoon.

OC Shahid said the 15-year-old victim went out to buy medicine from her house on Jan 11. Titu, who lives in the same house, took her to a nearby bush on his auto-rickshaw and raped her.

Also read: O-level student ‘raped, killed’ in Dhaka

Later, he took her Subidpur West Union Parishad building premises where six men raped the girl. Apart from Titu, police named Malek, Shipon, Abu Bakar Siddik Prakash, Mijanur Rahman Ripon and another yet unidentified man.

Later, some youths, including Ripon, took the girl to another bush and gang raped her there. Locals rescued the victim and sent her home.

When the victim informed her family about her ordeal, a group of locally influential people tried to resolve the matter.

Faridgangj police intervened after learning about the incident. Titu, Shipon, Ripon and Malek were arrested between Monday and Tuesday.

Also Read: Rape in Sylhet MC College dormitory triggers protests

Around noon, the victim’s mother filed a rape case with Faridganj police accusing six men.

OC Shahid said they are trying to arrest the other two suspects.

Bangladesh’s tough anti-rape law

Countrywide mass protests against gang rapes had prompted the government to amend the law to ensure maximum penalty for rape last November. But the tough change has failed to deter the crime.

Between Oct 13 – when the President promulgated an ordinance on death penalty for rape – and Dec 31 last year, 160 incidents of rape took place, according to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

Also read: Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape

Last year, 1,627 women became a victim of rape. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, ASK said.

But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.

The conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 percent, according to the Human Rights Watch.

A mobile court of the Department of Environment (DoE) demolished four illegal brick kilns and fined another one in Faridpur with the help of RAB, Police and Fire Service.

During the day-long drive, led by Faridpur Deputy Director of DoE AHM Rashed and Dhaka Magistrate of DoE Md. Sadekur Rahman Sabuj, the mobile court bulldozed three brick fields in Madhukhali Upazila were and fined on TK 5 lakh.

Also read: 3 illegal brick kilns fined in Kishoreganj

DoE gave legal notice and alerted them to close the activities neglecting the rules and regulation.

On Tuesday, the court raided several brick kilns including Messrs Mondol Bricks, Messrs Ashraf Bricks and MKZ in Faridpur Sadar Upazila demanding legal documents. The mobile court demolished these kilns as they were unable to show legal documents. DoE then demolished all their equipment and reactors.

Also read: 4 Keraniganj brick kilns fined, over 200 demolished

The court later raided Messrs Sazid Bricks and fined Tk 5 lakhs.

Watching the brick kilns wrecked the depreciated owners broke down into tears as they met their destitute. The workers of those kilns also left unemployed.

Also read: A hazard to life: 30 brick kilns in just one village

The deputy director of Faridpur DoE said, several illegal brick kilns located around different upazilas of Faridpur. These brick kilns owner was alerted many times but they simply continued their activities in the kilns. So with the mobile court we demolished those brick fields.”

He further said the drive against illegal brick kilns would continue.