Three policemen were suspended on Wednesday for shooting at an onion trader at Maddhopara under Badarganj upazila in Dinajpur early Monday.
   The police administration of Dinajpur suspended sub-inspector Haider Ali, assistant sub-inspector Zobaidul Islam and police constable Nirmol Chnadra Roy.
   The superintendent of police in Dinajpur, Mostafa Kamal issued the suspension order following an enquiry made by additional police superintendent Nouroz Hasan, police sources said.
   SI Haider Ali along with an ASI and a constable opened fire on Saiful Alam and beat up a tractor driver Nurun Nabi and his assistant Mamun with rifle butt after failing to realise Tk 2,000 as bribe from them.
   Saiful was returning to Badarganj on a tractor after buying onion from Hilli Land Port.
   Sources at the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital said the condition of Saifiul was still critical.
   About 250 pieces of splinters were recovered from the abdomen of Saiful, the on-duty medical officer of RMCH Dr Mizanur Rahman said.
   Meanwhile, the family members and local businessmen demanded exemplary punishment for SI Haider and his associates.

A student of the Patuakhali Science and Technology University was temporarily expelled on Wednesday for teasing a female student on the campus.
   The university registrar, Md Abu Haider, issued the expulsion order following a decision taken by the disciplinary committee.
   The registrar said Rakib-al-Faisal, a first year student of the Agriculture Faculty had long been teasing a female student of Computer Science and Engineering Faculty over mobile phone.
   The female student submitted a written complaint to Md Mohammed Ali, provost of the hall concerned, the same day against Rakib.
   Later, the provost sent the allegation letter to the disciplinary committee through the university proctor.
   The university proctor, Professor AKM Mostofa Zaman, told New Age that Rakib had been temporarily expelled as the complaint against him had been primarily proved.
   Meanwhile, a three-member committee led by Professor Md Samsul Haque Hawlader of the university has been formed to investigate the matter.

A man was killed and 15 others were injured when two rival groups clashed over a land dispute at Pangachi under Raiganj upazila in Sirajganj on Wednesday.
   The deceased was identified as Belal Hossain, 34.
   Quoting locals, the police said the two groups — one led by Omar Faruk Master and another by Abdul Kader, were locked in the clash over the ownership of a piece of land.
   The clash ensued at about 10:00am when Faruk along with his supporters went to occupy the land, the police said.
   The two groups equipped with lethal weapons attacked each other during the hour-long clash that left at least 16 people injured.
   Of the injured, Belal died on way to the Sirajganj General Hospital.
   The critically injured Omar Faruk, 40, Saman Ali, Anower, 32, and Kader were sent to the same hospital.
   On information, the police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.
   Md Hader Ali, the officer-in-charge of Raiganj police station said they had filed a murder case. Nobody was, however, arrested in connection with the incident.

The farmers in Rajshahi are happy with the prices of jute in the current season.
   According to the farmers and the official sources, market price of the cash crop in different hats and bazars is double than that of the previous year, compensating the affected farmers.
   In the last season, the jute growers face severe financial loss that reduced the jute farming to a half during the current season in the district and the enhanced market price create a new hope of increasing the golden fiber farming in the next season.
   According to the source of Department of Agricultural Extension, the jute farming had been declining gradually due to lack of reasonable price for the last couple of years. In spite of this, the farmers cultivate jute on around 10,000 hectares of land.
   In the last season, they brought 7,500 hectares of land under the cultivation that reduced to around 4,000 hectares this season against the target of 6,000 hectares fixed
   by DAE.
   Talking to BSS, traders and farmers said, the price was Tk 650 to 700 per maund during the harvesting time in last year that discourage farmers to the farming.
   They said, the fibre has been appearing in different hats and bazars for the last couple of weeks benefiting the farmers.
   Jute-trader Abul Hossain of Taherpur Bazar under Bagmara upazila said, jute is being sold at Tk 1,100 to Tk 1,200 per maund in the hat while in Naohat Bazar under Paba upazila, the crop is being sold at Tk 970 to Tk 1050 depending on the quality, said another trader Saidur Rahman.
   Farmers Mostofa, Emran and Zohir of Shreepur, Duary and Bagdhani villages under Paba upazila said, they spent Tk 4,000 to 4,500 for cultivating jute on one bigha of land and getting Tk 10,000 to 12,000 after selling the produce.

The police arrested a housewife on Tuesday for allegedly torturing a domestic help at Daulatpur in Manikganj sadar upazila.
   The arrested is Deepali Sutradhar, wife of Indra Mohon Sutradhar, upazila health and family planning officer.
   The police said they raided the house of Mohon Sutradhar and arrested Deepali following allegation of the victim Devi Rani Halder, 14, daughter of late Tara Chandra Halder of village Baulikanda under Shibalay upazila.
   Deepali used to torture Devi since her appoinment as domestic help in the house, the police said quoting the victim.
   On Monday, she (Deepali) burnt the right hand of Devi with a cooking spud for delay in doing domestic work.
   Later, she (Deepali) put salt and chilli powder on her injured part of the body and then kept Devi confined in the bathroom all day long without giving food.
   Devi, somehow, managed to escape and informed the police of the incident.
   The police filed a case against her. Deepali was produced before a local court which ordered to send her jail.

A Bhola court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife two years back.
   The district and sessions judge, Md Idris Alam, handed down the verdict. The convict is Munir Hossain, 30, of village Kalia under Daulatkhan upazila of the district.
   According to the prosecution, Munir chopped his wife Shahnewaz to death on December 19, 2006 as she protested against his extramarital affairs.
   After the killing, Munir dumped the body in a septic tank.
   The police arrested Munir in a cased filed by the victim’s brother Mezbahuddin on December 20. On the basis of his confessional statement, the police recovered the body.