news in brief
30 hurt in AL factional clash
UNB, Lalmonirhat
At least 30 people including three policemen sustained injuries during a clash between two factions of Awami League in Aditmari upazila headquarters on Sunday centering the nomination of upcoming upazila elections.
Just after the Awami League central committee nominated the partys Upazila unit general secretary Rafiqul Alam for contesting the upazila elections, the supporters of AL leader Imrul Kayes Faruk, who also sought nomination, gathered in from of the party office in the morning, said locals.
When, the supporters of Rafiqul brought out a rally, Faruks supporters swooped on them triggering a clash between the groups. A chase and counter chase took place between the groups, witnesses said. On information, police rushed there and brought the situation under control by firing several rounds of rubber bullets. Three policemen were also sustained injured during the clash, said Masud Rana, officer-in-charge of Aditmari Police Station.
Top soil excavation threat to farm fertility in Nilphamari
Our Correspondent, Nilphamari
Top soil from the ground are being excavated extensively and sold to different brick kilns in Nilphamari and Panchagorh districts, creating a grave concern over fertility of farmlands in several areas.
According to locals, at least foot-deep top soil from the ground were excavated and transported to mushrooming kilns in these areas for making bricks. At present, countless brokers purchase the top soil from poor farmers at low prices and sell it to brick kiln owners at high prices in these two districts, they added. Domar upazila parishad chairman Md Abdur Razzaque Bosinia told The Independent: We try to discourage farmers against selling top soil from their arable lands, but they dont pay heed to us. They are selling the top soil only to earn money, but are not thinking that the fertility of their lands are being lost.
Echoing the complaint, Debiganj upazila parishad chairman Md Jag Choudhary said if the sale top soil was not stopped, the fertility of agricultural lands in the region will be lost for ever. Drastic action should be taken to resist this evil practice immediately for the sake of smooth agricultural production, he added.
Speech-impaired girl raped
UNB, Satkhira
A speech-impaired girl was reportedly raped by the driver of Shyamnagar Upazila Nirbahi officer in the government quarter premises in upazila headquarters on Saturday.
Police arrested driver Abdul Gaffar, 57, son of Gahar Gain, resident of Badoghata village, after the victims mother filed a rape case with Shyamnagar Police Station.
The victim, a student of Shyamnagar Government Moshin Degree College, used to live along with her mother at Abdul Gaffars house in Badoghata village as tenants.
On Saturday noon, Gaffars wife Amena Begum sent his lunch through the girl. When the girl went to the UNOs residence, Gaffar violated her inside his quarter 2:30pm, said Sub-inspector Raj Kishore of Shyamnagar Police Station citing the case statement.
Later in the evening, the girl informed the matter to her mother and Amena Begum filed the case against Gaffar.
Elderly woman killed in fire
UNB, Barguna
An elderly woman died in a house fire at Gulishakhali village in Amtali Upazila on early Saturday but her brother said it was an arson attack.
Locals extinguished the fire and recovered the charred body of Manoara Begum, 60, the wife of Wazed Ali Khan of the village. Her brother Abddur Razzak said Manoara had land-related disputes with former union parishad member Samsul Haque Mridha. Both claimed ownership of 71 decimal of land, where she was living with her daughter Eliza.
