United News of Bangladesh

Power generation at the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station in Kaptai faces total suspension due to a sharp decline in the water level of the Kaptai Lake, with three of its five generating units remaining shut. Production could be suspended entirely if substantial rainfall does not occur soon, officials said on Wednesday. Currently, only two of the plant’s five units are in operation, generating a combined 58 megawatts (MW) of electricity, far below the facility’s maximum generation capacity of 240 MW. Low water level in Kaptai Lake forces shutdown of 4 power units Manager of the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Station Engineer Mahmood Hasan said the water level in the Kaptai Lake has been falling steadily during the dry season. Although the area experienced intermittent rainfall this week, it was insufficient to significantly improve the situation, he said. According to the plant authorities, the lake’s water level stood at 73.91 feet mean sea level (MSL) as of 9:00am on Wednesday, against the rule-curve level of 78.34 feet MSL, leaving it 4.43 feet below the desired level. Sources said the water level of 68 feet MSL is considered the danger threshold for power generation. If the lake's water level falls to that mark, electricity generation at the hydroelectric plant will have to be suspended completely. Kaptai Lake has a maximum water-holding capacity of 109 feet MSL. Engineers on duty at the plant’s control room said Unit-2 was producing 30 MW and Unit-3 was generating 28 MW, bringing total power generation to 58 MW as of Wednesday morning. Officials of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said the remaining units could not be brought back into operation unless the region receives heavy rainfall in the coming days. The declining water level is also affecting thousands of people who depend on Kaptai Lake for transportation and livelihoods. Residents of remote upazilas, including Belaichari, Barkal, Juraichari, Langadu and Baghaichhari, are facing growing difficulties as navigability in several parts of the lake has deteriorated due to the emergence of shoals. Local sources said water transport services are being disrupted in many areas, increasing public suffering and adversely affecting trade and business activities.

A Rajshahi University (RU) student was found dead at a hostel in Rajshahi city on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Mahfuzur Rahman, a 2022-23 academic session student of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He hailed from Brahmanbaria district. According to his classmates, Mahfuzur had been staying at the hostel in the Amjad intersection of the city. He had been experiencing difficulties in a personal relationship for some time, they said, adding that he was speaking with a friend via video call around 2:00pm on Wednesday. During the call, the friend became concerned and contacted the manager of the hostel, requesting that he check on Mahfuzur. The manager and several other students went to Mahfuzur's room and found it locked from the inside. After entering the room breaking open it, they found him hanging. Police said they recovered the body from his room after being informed of the incident. Officer-in-Charge of Motihar Police Station Mohammad Golam Kabir said an investigation was underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the death. “Initially, it appears to be a case of suicide, but the exact cause of the death will be confirmed after further investigation,” he said. RU Proctor Prof Mahbubur Rahman said he visited the scene after learning about the incident.

At least 24 people, including 23 students of Uttara University, were injured after a bus carrying them overturned on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway at Rajendrapur in Gazipur on Wednesday. Uttara University Transport Manager Humayun Kabir said the bus, carrying around 30 students from the university's Uttara campus, was heading towards Mawna at noon when the driver lost control, causing it to overturn. The accident left 23 students and the bus driver injured. The injured were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Among them, a student and the bus driver were referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment., Officer-in-Charge of Gazipur Sadar Police Station Aminul Islam said police removed the accident-hit bus from the highway after receiving information about the incident. In a Facebook post, the university authorities said they took prompt action after learning about the accident. A university medical officer was sent to the accident site and the hospital, while members of the proctorial body and transport team worked to identify the injured students and ensure necessary support. It was learnt that the accident took place when the university students were going on a picnic.

A local leader of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal was killed and a BNP leader injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in Fakirhat upazila of Bagerhat on Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as Badal Morol, 40, president of Baruipara union unit of Krishak Dal in Sadar upazila. Abdullah Morol, 42, president of ward-1 unit of BNP of the union, was seriously injured in the attack. He was currently undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital. 3 killed in Bagerhat road crash According to police and witnesses, Badal Morol, Abdullah Morol and another person were travelling towards Baruipara on a van-rickshaw. When they reached the Niyotir Math area under Mulghar union, a group of miscreants launched a sudden attack on them with sharp weapons around 9:00pm. The attack left Badal Morol dead on the spot and Abdullah Morol critically injured. Officer-in-Charge of Fakirhat Police Station Sheikh Saiful Islam said the attackers arrived on multiple motorcycles and were already positioned at the location before the attack. He said police rushed to the scene after receiving information and launched drives to arrest those involved. The motive behind the killing has yet to be known, the OC added. Meanwhile, BNP leaders and activists held a human chain and protest rally at Aarpada Bazar in Sadar upazila on Wednesday, demanding justice for the killing of the Krishak Dal leader.

A young man died and another person was injured after lightning struck a trawler in the Meghna River in Sadar upazila of Chandpur on Tuesday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Md Sohel, 35, son of late Nur Islam of the Char Gendaria area in Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka. Officer-in-Charge of Chandpur Sadar Model Police Station Md Foyez Ahmed said Sohel came to Chandpur on a leisure trip by trawler. As rain began suddenly, a thunderstorm hit the vessel near Company Char around 4:45pm, leaving him critically injured. Another person accompanying him also sustained minor injuries. Locals rescued the victims and rushed them to Chandpur 250-bed General Hospital, where the on-duty physician declared Sohel dead. The injured person received primary treatment at the hospital's emergency department, said Senior Staff Nurse Sabuj Mia.

The body of a schoolboy who, along with his elder brother, went missing while bathing in the Dharla River was recovered on Tuesday morning, ending a three-day search operation that gripped the Mogolhat area in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila in grief. The deceased was identified as Sawan Hossain, an eighth-grade student of Mogolhat High School and son of Helal Hossain of the Mogolhat Tempu Stand area in the upazila. Earlier, the body of his elder brother, Sabbir Hossain, a ninth-grade student of the same school, was recovered on Monday afternoon, nearly 30 hours after the incident. According to police and local sources, the two brothers went missing on Sunday afternoon after being swept away by a strong current while bathing in the river in the Mogolhat Zero Point area. Their friend Mehedi, who was with them, managed to swim to safety. Following the incident, local residents, members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Fire Service personnel launched an intensive search operation. After days of continuous efforts, rescuers first recovered Sabbir’s body on Monday. The search continued overnight, and the body of younger brother Sawan was finally recovered on Tuesday morning by Fire Service divers. Saad Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station, confirmed the recovery of both bodies and said legal procedures were being completed.

Houses were vandalised and the Lalmonirhat–Burimari highway was blocked with the body of a teenager in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district on Tuesday. The victim, Liakat Ali Laden, 16, was the son of Ashraful of Balatari village under Sarpukur union and a student of a local madrasa. On Monday night, he was allegedly stabbed by a local boy named Roki at the Sarpukur  Government Primary School ground in the upazila, according to locals. Police and locals said the incident stemmed from a trivial altercation when Rabby, the minor son of Juel of Daspara village, allegedly insulted Laden. In retaliation, Laden slapped Rabby, who later informed his family.  Following this, around 8:00 pm, Laden was sitting alone at the nearby Sarpukur Government Primary School ground when Roki allegedly stabbed him from behind and fled the scene. Locals rescued him and took him to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Then, angry residents attacked and vandalised at least seven houses belonging to Roki and his relatives, also carrying out looting, according to eyewitnesses. Police later brought the situation under control and sent the body to the morgue. On Tuesday afternoon, protesters again blocked the Lalmonirhat–Burimari highway at Saptibari Bazar with the body, demanding punishment for the killers. Later, Aditmari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque visited the spot and assured justice and swift arrest of the accused, after which the blockade was withdrawn around an hour later. OC Nazmul Haque said a murder case has been filed by the victim’s father, and drives are underway to arrest the accused.

A woman has allegedly been raped by a sweeper while seeking treatment for her minor daughter at Natore General Hospital, with allegations emerging that hospital authorities initially tried to suppress the incident. Police have arrested three sweepers in connection with the incident, including the main accused, after the incident came to light, officials said on Tuesday. Missing man’s body found in Natore pond According to Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shariful Haque of the district, the victim had been staying at the hospital after admitting her daughter to the Children’s Ward five days ago. The incident reportedly took place on the night of June 7 when Amit, a sweeper employed on an outsourcing basis, allegedly lured the woman to the fifth-floor terrace around 10:00pm under the pretext of providing medicine and then raped her. Police said two other sweepers, identified as Anil and Prangon, allegedly recorded the incident on their mobile phones. They later attempted to sexually assault the woman by threatening to release the video, according to the allegations. The matter was reportedly detected by on-duty nurses and ward attendants through the hospital’s CCTV monitoring system. After being rescued, Ansar members took the victim to hospital authorities, where her statement regarding the incident was recorded on a mobile phone. The victim described the allegations, while the three accused reportedly admitted their involvement. The woman was later taken to the room of a senior staff nurse, where she was allegedly advised not to disclose the incident to others. The accused were subsequently allowed to leave, while the victim was handed over to her family. The incident, however, was later reported to police by several hospital nurses, prompting law enforcement action. Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station Mansur Rahman said police arrested the three accused after learning about the incident and a case has since been filed. The SP said he had ordered necessary action immediately after being informed of the matter and assured that a proper investigation would be carried out. Meanwhile, a probe body was also formed to look into the incident.

A 35-year-old woman and her school-going daughter were allegedly gang-raped by a group of robbers while committing robbery at their house in newly formed Matamuhuri upazila of Cox’s Bazar district early Tuesday. Officer-in-Charge of Chakaria Police Station Monir Hossain said a group of 8-10 robbers stormed into the house of an expatriate in the Sikdarpara Dalnirghona area of the upazila around 2:30am, breaking open the grill of the window. They looted valuables, including gold ornaments and cash, from the house. At one stage, the robbers violated the woman and her daughter, a Class-X girl, before fleeing with the booty. Relatives initially took them to Chakaria Upazila Health Complex from where they were later transferred to Sadar Hospital. The girl is undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital as her condition turned critical due to excessive bleeding. Assistant Superintendent of Police (Chakaria Circle) Ovijit Das along with several teams of police visited the spot. Police later detained six individuals for their alleged involvement in the incident, OC Monir said. Five of the detainees were identified as Rezaul, Mehedi, Babu, Kefayet and Tanzid of Purba Barabheola union.

Three curious onlookers who sustained burn injuries following an arson attack on the houses of three suspects in the rape and murder of a ninth-grade girl  in Pabna district, died at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Monday night and Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Sumon Sheikh, son of Tajir Uddin of East Raghabpur area; Saiful Islam Sabbir, son of Shakur Hossain; and Shapu, son of Yusuf, of Natun Para in Sadar upazila. On June 3, police recovered the body of Riya Khatun, 15, a Class IX student, from the Padma River in Bharara union of Sadar upazila. Police later arrested three people including Naim, who was reportedly in a relationship with Riya, for their alleged involvement in the killing. During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to raping and killing the girl. Riya was laid to rest at her family graveyard on June 4. Following the burial, an agitated crowd set fire to the houses of the three accused, said Tariqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station. During the blaze, gas cylinders inside the houses exploded, leaving several people in the surrounding area injured. No members of the accused families were present in the houses at the time of the fire. All those injured were neighbours, local residents and curious onlookers who had gathered at the scene. The injured were taken to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surger  where three of them died on Monday night and Tuesday morning, said the OC.