Snippets

10 houses gutted
Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

A devastating fire gutted ten dwelling houses at village Kabilpur in Phulchhari upazila early yesterday. Locals said the fire originated at the kitchen of one Jainal Mia and soon spread to the adjacent houses and gutted them all within half an hour. Four families of the village who lost every thing in the fire incident are now living under the open sky, said Abdul Hamid, chairman of Woria union in Phulchhari upazila.

9 girls back from India
Our Correspondent, Benapole, Jessore

Members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed over nine teenage Bangladeshi girls to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday. Kamruzzaman, OC of Benapole immigration police said, the nine were trafficked to India through Sadipur and Putkhali border points in Benapole two years ago. Hailing from Khulna and Barisal, the hapless girls were allured of  better job in India. Indian police arrested them in Mumbai city area on charge of living there illegally. Later they were jailed for two years.

Jamaat leader held
Our Correspondent, Bogra

Police arrested a local leader of Jamaat-e-Islami in Dupchachia upazila on Friday. The arrestee was identified as Mozammel Haque Bachchu, 45, a Surah member of Gobindapur union unit of the party. He was arrested from his house at Chandra Dhigi village at around 1:00pm. Officer in-charge (OC) of Dupchachia police station Riaz Ahmed said Mozammel was one of the masterminds of March 3 Bogra mayhem. He led vandalism and torching of different government offices and ruling party men's houses, said OC, adding that he was facing eight cases.

Religious fair held
Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat

Traditional Kali Mela (a religious fair) was held on the bank of Dharla River at Kulaghat village in Sadar upazila yesterday. Thousands of Hindu devotees from different parts of Rangpur region and other parts of the country and also from India took part in the fair. The devotees believe that praying at the Kali temple there brings peace and purity in their life. Sources said the two-week Kali Mela begun some 50 years ago. A local religious leader started the fair and it now takes place on the last day of Bangla month Chaitra or in the first week of Baishakh every year.