18 arrested while trying to cross border illegally
Our Correspondent, Benapole

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested 18 people while trying to go to India illegally through Putkhali border point early yesterday.
The arrestees hail from different areas of Narail and Gopalganj districts. Lieutenant Colonel Arifur Rahman, commanding officer of BGB Battalion-21, said a team of the border force conducted a drive in the area at about 5.30 am and arrested the 18 people, including nine women and six children, for trying to go to India without valid documents.
Later, BGB troops handed them over to Benapole Port Police Station. A case was filed with Benapole Police Station.
52 arrested for attacking police
NETRAKONA: Police in separate drives arrested 52 persons till yesterday on charge of their involvement in attacking on police personnel at Alipur Primary School premises in Kendua upazila of the district on Friday, reports BSS.
A large number of workers and leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) clashed with on-duty police forces and injured 12 police personnel at the school premises where the police forces tried to foil an unauthorised JCD workers rally organised by the JCD Kendua upazila unit without taking permission.
Superintendent of Police of Netrakona Joydeb Chowdhury said police continued conducting operations to arrest the persons responsible for the attack on the police forces.

One held with firearms
Our Correspondent, Jessore

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested an alleged criminal along with one pistol and a magazine from Shikri village in Benapole Port area on Friday.
The arrestee was identified as Sirajul Islam, 30, son of Shawkat Ali, a resident of Sharsha Shantapara village in Sharsha upazila of Jessore.
Tipped off, a team of the elite force of RAB-6 Jessore camp raided the house of Mohammad Ali in Shikri area and arrested Sirajul while a gang of criminals, including Sirajul, were trying to sell firearms around 5pm.
However, other associates of Sirajul managed to flee the scene. The elite force also recovered the two firearms after searching his body. The arrestee was handed over to Benapole Port Police Station. A case was filed.

‘No fair polls possible under EC’
Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said if the government holds any election with muscle power to cling onto power, country’s people will not accept it.
“A level-playing field must be ensured for the next parliamentary elections. “Otherwise, the country’s people won’t accept any election,” he said while speaking at a views-exchange meeting with the leaders of district BNP and its associate bodies at Hawlader guesthouse in the district town.
He further said: “We don’t understand anything else except election. If people like us, they’ll vote us and we’ll form the government. We’ll be in the opposition if they don’t vote for us. But the election must be fair.”
Fakhrul also urged all in irrespective of the party affiliation and opinions to forge a national unity to restore people’s all rights.

Huge current nets seized    
Munshiganj: Coastal Guard members here seized some 5,20,000 metres of current nets and 90 maunds of polythene bags from Shimulia Ghat area on Friday, reports UNB.
A group of people left behind the banned current net and polythene in a Khulna-bound bus locker on their way to Chandra, said M Ibrahim Khalil, the contingent commander (Mawa) of Bangladesh Coast Guard.
As no one came to receive the net, the Coast Guard men seized the net, he added.