JaSaD slates arrests of 16 citizens at DRU on ‘false terror charges’, demands releaseThe Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) has protested the arrest of its leader Abdullahil Kayum and 15 others during a discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), after which they were sent to jail. In a statement on Friday, the party alleged the detentions were based on “false charges” under the Anti-Terrorism Act. “Voices in favour of democracy and the Liberation War are now facing repression, which is extremely worrying,” JaSaD said. The case stems from clashes surrounding a roundtable organised by Mancha 71 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), focusing on the Liberation War and the Constitution. Recounting the incident, freedom fighter Golam Mostafa said: “I came not on party lines, but because all freedom fighters had been invited.

Former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique has refused to seek bail after his arrest in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, following a "mob attack" on him and other freedom fighters at an event in Dhaka. Defence lawyer Saiful Islam said Latif repeatedly refused to sign the power of attorney required for a bail application. The other detainees include several academics, journalists, and freedom fighters, aged between their 30s and 80s. The event, titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh”, was organised by the platform Mancha 71. Recounting the incident, freedom fighter Golam Mostafa said: “I came not on party lines, but because all freedom fighters had been invited.

Coastguards have detained 122 fishermen and boatmen, including 93 Rohingya, on charges of crossing the Naf River to fish inside Myanmar waters. Teknaf coastguards’ Lt Commander Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir said the arrests followed Friday morning raids in areas of Cox’s Bazar district’s Teknaf municipality bordering the river. He said the stretch of Rakhine State opposite Teknaf is now under the Arakan Army’s control, and Bangladeshi fishermen are “often seized as soon as they cross the zero line”. Trawler owners said between Aug 5 to 28, the Arakan Army allegedly captured 63 fishermen and seized 10 trawlers. Since December 2024, 267 Bangladeshi fishermen have been abducted across the Naf and the Bay of Bengal, of whom 189 have returned.

The number of Bangladeshi fishermen reportedly abducted by the ‘Arakan Army’ near the Naf River estuary in Teknaf continues to rise, with multiple sources providing conflicting accounts. The Teknaf Upazila administration claims the figure stands at 58, while the local trawler owners’ association puts the number at 57. “Informal” communication is reportedly ongoing with the Arakan Army in an effort to bring the abducted men back, BGB officials said. “The Arakan Army chased the boat with speedboats and took everyone. That is when the Arakan Army takes them,” he said.

The Rohingya crisis is the biggest problem facing Bangladesh right now, says Touhid Hossain, the foreign affairs advisor to the interim government. In this context, the Rohingya crisis is now the biggest problem from Bangladesh's perspective." But now, it has definitely become a complete problem.”The advisor warned that it could evolve into a regional crisis in the future. It will be a regional problem. When they do that, it will be a big problem for Bangladesh as well as a big problem in this part of Asia.

“We were attacked by a mob and then arrested instead of those who carried out the assault,” Karzon told the court. The event, titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh”, was organised by the platform Mancha 71. Speaking out against the denial of constitutional safeguards to the accused, Karzon said: “We were not given the right to appoint our lawyers, nor informed of the charges in proper time. “For speaking about the Liberation War and the Constitution, they were mobbed, humiliated and then falsely accused,” said lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi. ‍‍`WE ARE VICTIMS‍‍`As he was being led away to prison, Karzon told reporters he feared for their lives.

“We were attacked by a mob and then arrested instead of those who carried out the assault,” Prof Karzon told the court. They were subsequently sent to jail by the court in response to a police petition to keep them in custody. The arrests stem from an incident on Thursday, when Latif Siddique and other veterans of the 1971 Liberation War came under attack during a roundtable discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity. The event, titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh”, was organised by the platform Mancha 71. “For speaking about the Liberation War and the Constitution, they were mobbed, humiliated and then falsely accused,” said lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi.

Source: CollectedA Dhaka court has denied bail to former jute and textiles minister Abdul Latif Siddique and 15 others, ordering them to be sent to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. They were arrested on Thursday following clashes during an event organised by Mancha 71 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). Police later filed a case accusing the 16 of involvement in a “mob attack” during the roundtable discussion, which was attended by freedom fighters, politicians and academics. Later, 14 people, including Latif and Dhaka University law professor Hafizur Rahman Karzon, were detained, and police announced that a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act had been filed against them. Videos circulating online showed men shouting slogans around Latif, including, “Catch everyWitnesses described how several dozen men surrounded participants before the arrival of the event‍‍`s chief guest, former Gono Forum president Kamal Hossain.

Source: CollectedThe Bangladesh government has rescheduled the date for the public holiday of Eid-e-Milad-un Nabi, the day on which Muslim devotees mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notice in this regard on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com. Eid-e-Milad-un Nabi falls on day 12 of Rabi’ al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. Bangladesh marks the occasion as a public holiday. Accordingly, Eid-e-Milad-un Nabi will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept 6.

Freedom fighter Golam Mostafa said, “I came because all freedom fighters were invited, not for any party. It said outsiders identifying as “July Warriors” confined Latif Siddiqui, Prof Karzon, ex-secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan and others. When DRU officials tried to intervene, several members, including DRU General Secretary Mynul Hasan Sohel, were manhandled. POLICE SECURITY AT LATIF’S HOMEFollowing the DRU incident, a video claiming arson and looting Latif’s Tangail residence began circulating on Facebook from Thursday afternoon. Farid Ahmed, private secretary to freedom fighter Kader Siddique, said no such incident occurred.

The Election Commission (EC) has included plans to support political parties’ campaigns after the schedule announcement in its roadmap for the national election. The EC Secretariat unveiled the roadmap on Thursday, setting out the commission’s plans in preparation for the election. Asked about the polling date and schedule announcement, Akhtar did not give a specific date. This process is expected to be completed by Nov 20, 2025, about a month before the expected schedule announcement. This suggests the election schedule is likely to be declared in the second or third week of December.

Classes have been held at Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) despite the announcement of a “complete shutdown” by engineering universities countrywide. At Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), classes and exams were suspended on Thursday as part of a movement over three demands. At Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), no classes or exams took place due to the weekly holiday. Students of SUST staged a protest, holding a symbolic funeral prayer for the interim government in response to the police attack on engineering students in Dhaka. KUET Student Welfare Director BM Ikramul Haque said, “Our students support the demands of the engineering students, but since KUET was closed for a long time, we have requested them to continue their academic activities.”

The government has promoted 268 civil servants from different cadres, including 192 from the administration cadre, to the rank of deputy secretary. Two separate gazette notifications were issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Thursday announcing the promotions. One notification promoted six officials of the BCS (Foreign Service) cadre, who are currently serving as first secretaries in different Bangladesh missions abroad. The notification said if any “adverse or different” information is found against any official in the future, necessary amendments or cancellations of the order may follow. Deputy secretary appointees can submit their joining letters directly to the senior secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration or by email at [email protected], according to the circular.

Election roadmap may include new elements "depending on circumstances", says EC secretaryElection Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the roadmap for the parliamentary polls could include “new elements depending on circumstances”. He said political parties’ proposals on reforms could be incorporated into the action plan. Among nearly two dozen tasks, a dialogue with political parties and stakeholders is planned for late September. 'EVERY ASPECT IS A CHALLENGE'Akhtar said, “It is not as if everything will automatically fall into place once we present an action plan. Those can be incorporated.”He said the EC was already taking important reform decisions before scheduled dialogues with political parties in late September.

The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) has opposed the construction of Rabindra University’s permanent campus in Chalan Beel, warning it would cause severe ecological damage, block natural water flow, and adversely affect local communities. SM Mizanur Rahman, joint secretary of BAPA and member secretary of the “Save Chalan Beel Movement”, described the environmental importance of the wetland. “On one side of Chalan Beel is the Padma, on the other is the Jamuna. No construction permission should be granted in the beel under any form of pressure.”Prof Nur Mohammad Talukder said: “Rabindra University should have been established long ago. We want the university, but not at the expense of Chalan Beel -- the country’s largest grazing land, upon which hundreds of thousands depend.