Four persons were killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in the Baroitola area under Shibpur upazila in Narsingdi Tuesday night.
   The deceased were Bindu, 26, Pintu, 28, staffs of Dastagir Medical Centre at Bashail the district, Abdus Satter, 30, resident of village Joymagal under the upazila, Monir, 28, helper of the truck.
   Witnesses said Bindu, Pintu and Satter died on the spot and Monir was injured severely as a speedy motorcycle hit them when they were repairing a truck.
   Later, Monir died on the way to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
   On information, the police sent the bodies to Narsingdi General Hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.
   A case was filed with the Shibpur police station.
   Our Tangail correspondent reports a man was killed and 12 others were injured in a road accident on the Tangail-Mymensingh Highway near Isapur under Kalihati upazila Wednesday.
   The police said the accident took the place when a Sarishabari-bound bus fell into a roadside ditch as its driver lost his control over the steering at about 11:00am.
   Supervisor of the bus Abul Hossain died on the spot and other 12 passengers were seriously injured.
   The injured were admitted to Tangail General Hospital.
   In Faridpur, Arif Islam, 22, of village under Raipur upazila in Lakshmipur, died on the spot when a covered van collided head-on with a truck in the Musnandapur area under Madhukhali upazila.
   An unnatural death case filed with the police.

One person was killed and 15 others injured as two groups clashed at village Jagannatpur under Khaliajuri upazila in Netrakona on Monday.
   The victim was identified as Aharuddin, 35, of the village.
   The police said the two groups — one led by Aharuddin and another by Abul Kalam — were locked in the clash over occupation of a government-owned water body.
   Both the groups used lethal weapons during the clash in which Aharuddin died on the spot and 15 others injured.
   Three of the injured — Tara Mia, Islamuddin and Chand Mia — were taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital while the rest were admitted to Khaliajuri Upazila Health Complex.
   A murder case was filed with the Khaliajuri Police Station. But none was arrested.
   In Sirajganj, at least 15 persons were injured in a clash between the two groups of villagers at Hamkuria under Tarash upazila in Sirajganj over possession of water body on Wednesday.
   Local people said supporters of Bablu and supporters of Shafiqul Islam were locked into the clash at about 12:30pm following altercation over the water body in the WAPDA area at the village.
   On information came to the spot and at one stage, charged batons on the warring people in the clash that left at least 15 injured.
   Eight of the injured — Rafiqul Islam, 30, Shamsul Islam, 18, Mokbul Hossain, 27, Yakub Ali, 36, Abdul Hamid, 27, Rafiqul, 22, Jafarulllah, 36, and Shafiqul Islam, 30, — were given treatment at the local health complex.
   The police brought the situation under control and arrested Shafiqul Islam.

Speakers at a daylong workshop in Rangpur Wednesday stressed the need for making local government institutions more effective to establish democracy and ensuring rights of the backward and distressed monga-hit people at grass roots level.
   The workshop was organised for the public representatives on building social awareness and ensuring social rights of the monga-hit distressed people at the conference room of Gangachara Union Parishad complex.
   Association for Social Organisation and Development organised the workshop with a view to create mass public awareness and educate the public representatives about their responsibilities in ensuring social rights of the backward people for accelerating their developments.
   ASOD executive Nizam Uddin chaired the workshop.
   Union parishad members Nargis Akhter, Rumali Begum, Nilufar
   Yasmin, Habibul Islam, Abdul Khaleque, UP chairmen and supervisor of ASOD Anowarul Islam participated in the programme among others.
   The speakers discussed various issues like social rights, birth and marriage registrations, family planning, eradication of repression on women and children, ensuring child rights, reproductive health, women education, women empowerment, adolescents’ health care, sanitation, nutrition, social curses like dowry, child marriage, divorce and superstitions, human trafficking and other related issues in the workshop.

The police arrested three fertiliser dealers for allegedly selling fertiliser at higher prices at Gopalpur and Basail upazilas in Tangail on Wednesday.
   On information, the police conducted a drive and arrested dealer Sofiuddin Ahmed and his manager Montu.
   They were selling fertiliser at higher price at Basail under Basail upazila.
   They sold per sack fertiliser at Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,600 against government rate of Tk 1,100. Meanwhile, the police nabbed Gobindo Saha at Jawail Bazar under Gop- alpur upazila for the same offence.
   They also sold per sack fertiliser at Tk 1,5000 to Tk 1,600.
   Two separate cases were filed against them.

The Border Security Forces of India reportedly abducted five fishermen from the River Kushiara in Zakiganj upazila of Sylhet on Tuesday.
   Locals said the BSF men, on board a speedboat, abducted five fishermen at gunpoint when they were fishing in
   the River Kushiara at about 3:00pm.
   The abducted fishermen are Nasiruddin, 22, Sharifudin, 25, Manai Miah, 30, Kuti Miah, 45 and Tazul Islam, 28.
   All are residents of village Pillakandi under Barothakuri union of Jakiganj upazila in the district.
   The BDR protested at the incident and also held flag meeting with the BSF but the matter was yet to be settled.
   Earlier, the BSF abducted two fishermen from the same river on October 19.