Voting in DUCSU polls ends, all eyes on results
Voting in the long-awaited Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election has ended largely without incident even as rival candidates traded allegations of electoral code violations. Polls closed at 4pm on Tuesday at the eight centres across the Dhaka University campus. A total of 471 candidates competed for 28 posts in the central union, while 1,035 vied for 234 seats across 18 hall unions. While the 1973 Dhaka University Ordinance stipulates annual polls, students have voted only nine times since independence. More than 470 candidates contested 28 central posts, while over 1,000 others vied for 234 hall union seats.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 16:45 UTC
DUCSU election: Polling officer removed after handing 2 ballot papers to a voter
Source: CollectedA polling officer has been removed from duty after a student at Curzon Hall was mistakenly given two ballot papers during the Dhaka University Central Students` Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections. In a statement on Tuesday, the university administration said the officer, Ziaur Rahman, had been suspended over the incident at the Curzon Hall polling centre, designated for Amar Ekushey Hall voters, reports bdnews24.com. The statement also underscored the university`s commitment to "conducting the election in a free, fair and impartial manner”. A total of 471 candidates are vying for 28 DUCSU posts, with over 1,000 others contesting 234 hall union seats. The election is taking place at a time when no single student organisation dominates the campus, and without the influence of a ruling party’s student wing -- a situation many see as unprecedented at Dhaka University.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 14:36 UTC
Protesters storm Nepal parliament, set it on fire after PM resigns
Protesters storm Nepal parliament, set it on fire after PM resignsSmoke is rising from a wing of Nepal’s parliament building in Kathmandu after hundreds of protesters broke in, BBC reports. Motorcycles are moving through the compound, some loaded with uprooted plants from the garden and paintings taken from inside the building. Protesters are dancing and chanting slogans around a fire at the entrance of the building, many holding Nepal’s flag. One message on the building says: “you took the wrong fight.”Flames are visible and smoke is billowing from the building, as large crowds of protesters gather nearby. Protesters have defied a curfew as their anger against the government following Monday's shootings has showed no signs of abating.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 13:42 UTC
Bangladesh football team stuck in Kathmandu hotel as protests ground flights
The Bangladesh national football team has been left stranded in Kathmandu after mass protests in Nepal’s capital forced flight cancellations and brought the city to a halt. Captain Jamal Bhuyan and forward Mitul Marma were due to board a 3pm flight to Dhaka on Tuesday, but the players could not even leave their hotel as demonstrators gathered outside in large numbers. “We are stuck here in very difficult circumstances,” team manager Amer Khan told bdnews24.com. “The protesters have gathered in front of our hotel. Because of this, we could not reach the airport, and the flight was cancelled.”(More to follow)
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 10:39 UTC
Bangladesh urges citizens in Nepal to stay indoors as unrest deepens
The Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu has urged Bangladeshi nationals in Nepal to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary movement as the Himalayan country grapples with mounting political unrest. In an urgent notice issued on Tuesday, the embassy advised all Bangladeshi citizens currently living in or stranded in Nepal to stay inside their residences or hotels until further instructions. CITIZENS STRANDEDThe unrest has stranded dozens of Bangladeshis in Kathmandu. The DSCSC group had travelled to Nepal as part of an overseas study tour, but their daily programmes have been cancelled. The advisory comes against the backdrop of violent anti-government protests in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal following a ban on social media.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 10:37 UTC
‘Mancha 71’: Ex-secretary Shafiqul Islam arrested
After obtaining information about secret collusion with Latif Siddique, Abu Alam Shahid Khan and others, he was arrested,” said Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam of the Detective Branch. His arrest came just a day after another former secretary, Abu Alam Shahid Khan, was also arrested in connection with the same case. Abu Alam, who regularly appeared on television talk shows as a political analyst, had been present at the Mancha 71 event. Police accused them of conspiring under the banner of Mancha 71 to destabilise the country and overthrow the interim government. Police later said Abu Alam was involved in the same “anti-government conspiracy”.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 08:44 UTC
EC scraps police filing requirement for lost National ID cards
Losing a National Identity (NID) card will no longer require filing a general diary (GD) with police; citizens can simply pay the fee and reapply online under the existing process. The Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that the step was taken to make NID services easier to access for the public. Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker said on Sunday, “NID services are being simplified. Now there are no longer hundreds of thousands of unresolved applications. We have removed the rule that requires filing of a GD for reissuing lost NIDs.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 04:07 UTC
Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigns amid deadly protests
Nepal’s Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has resigned after protests over a social media ban turned violent, leaving 19 people dead and more than 400 injured across the country. On Monday evening, Lekhak tendered his resignation during a cabinet meeting at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s residence, according to The Kathmandu Post. A minister present at the meeting said Lekhak stepped down on moral grounds following the casualties in the nationwide demonstrations. Speaking to local outlet Online Khabar, Lekhak said: “Many lives were lost in [Monday’s] protests. For the sake of morality, I do not wish to remain in office.”The demonstrations began across Nepal after the government blocked major social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and X, later turning into a broader anti-corruption movement.
Source:bd News24
September 09, 2025 00:43 UTC
Suspected thief killed in Mohammadpur ‘mob attack’
A man suspected of theft has been beaten to death by a “mob” in the Chandrima Model Town area of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur. 12 Hakkar Par area around 3:15pm on Monday, according to Mehedi Hasan, assistant commissioner of the police’s Mohammadpur Zone. Another man identified by a single name - Fahim, 23 – has been admitted to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital with critical injuries as well. The two were taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in critical condition, where one of them died.”A stolen phone was recovered from them, he said. “Two cases are being registered over the incident – one over the theft of the mobile phone, the other over the death,” Mehedi added.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 21:38 UTC
No scope to undermine Liberation War, freedom fighters through ‘mobs’, says Bangladesh Army
The Bangladesh Army says there is no scope to undermine the country’s Liberation War or its freedom fighters through any kind of “mob activity”. This joint effort has already begun, and if continued, I hope law and order will improve further in the coming days.”On attacks against freedom fighters, Shafiqul said: “This country was born through the Liberation War. We honour and respect freedom fighters from the depths of our hearts, as we have always done and will continue to do. “No ‘mob’ or force can diminish the Liberation War or the dignity of freedom fighters,” he added. In response to a question about the national election, Shafiqul said: “We haven’t received any formal instructions yet.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 20:53 UTC
Dhaka University Central Students' Union goes to polls under shifting balance of power
After the changeover of power in the July Uprising, the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) will be held on Tuesday after a six-year gap. The DUCSU Election Commission made last-minute preparations for the polls on Monday, a day without formal election campaigning. Describing the DUCSU election as a “rehearsal” ahead of the national polls in February, he told bdnews24.com, "With the national elections scheduled in five and a half months, how will this DUCSU election go? “I believe Dhaka University students will not sell their votes in exchange for food or money,” he said. But I call on Dhaka University students to respond with ballot attacks.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 20:53 UTC
Former secretary Abu Alam sent to jail in Anti-Terrorism case
A Dhaka court has ordered Abu Alam Shahid Khan, a former senior secretary, to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station. Abu Alam’s lawyer, Obaidul Islam, said his client had signed the warrant but a bail hearing could not be held as the court had already ordered him sent to jail. “Abu Alam was present at the programme but could not be arrested then,” Faruqi said. The court has ordered him to be sent to jail.”The case’s investigation officer, Sub-Inspector Toufiq Hasan of Shahbagh Police Station, had earlier sought the court’s order to keep Abu Alam in jail. Abu Alam was arrested at his house on Sunday night, according to a statement from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Media and Public Relations Division.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 18:41 UTC
Gazipur resident testifies police shot a man, removed body during July Uprising protest
A witness has told a tribunal that police abducted the body of a man in Gazipur after shooting him dead during the July movement’s “March to Dhaka” programme. Mohammad Sohel Mahmud, a resident of Gazipur’s Kashimpur appeared before the International Crimes Tribunal-1, on Monday to testify. Describing what he saw, Sohel said: “The rickshaw garage is next to my house. From the roof I saw several policemen take a man from the garage and move him to a graveyard in front of my house. The man who was shot was named Hridoy.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 17:07 UTC
Bangladesh Army rejects 'rumours' of role in student union polls in 3 universities
The Bangladesh Army has dismissed speculation that it would intervene in the upcoming central student union elections at several universities, saying a “vested group” was spreading baseless rumours to disrupt the process. In a statement published on Sunday on its official Facebook page, the Army said it has no involvement in the elections of any university student unions, including the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). It also noted that the matter had already been clarified in an earlier press release. It described the claims of its involvement as “misleading propaganda” aimed at destabilising and potentially undermining the electoral environment. On Aug 28, the ISPR had said in a separate statement that there was no possibility of deploying Army personnel for the central student union elections at Dhaka University or the two other universities.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 16:15 UTC
Framework needed for safety of journalists in Bangladesh, says interim information minister Mahfuj
Information and Broadcasting Advisor Mahfuj Alam has called for the creation of a framework to ensure the safety and security of journalists. He made the call on Monday at the signing ceremony of a group insurance agreement between Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and National Life Insurance Co Ltd, held at DRU premises. Benefits include Tk 300,000 for natural death, Tk 380,000 for accidental death, Tk 100,000 for loss of limbs, and Tk 70,000 for surgery. Mahfuj noted that a dignified professional framework for journalism is crucial to prevent journalists from becoming “subservient to specific groups or governments”. He stressed the need for collaboration between public and private institutions to provide a respectable life for journalists and ensure that deserving individuals receive trust funds.
Source:bd News24
September 08, 2025 16:07 UTC