United News of Bangladesh

Former Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) Mayor Dr Selina Hayat Ivy was released from jail on Wednesday night on bail. She walked out of Kashimpur Central Women's Jail in Gazipur around 10:10pm after all necessary legal formalities were completed. Shirin Akter, superintendent of the prison, said the release order reached the prison authorities and, following verification of the documents, Ivy was released on bail. She faces a total of 12 cases. No bar to Ivy's release as SC upholds HC bail in 10 cases On May 10 last, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the bail granted by the High Court to her in 10 cases. The High Court granted bail to Ivy in five of the cases on February 26 this year following separate bail petitions. The state filed petitions with the Appellate Division seeking stay on the High Court orders of bail. Following state’s petitions, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division on March 5 this year stayed the High Court orders and sent those petitions to the full bench for hearings. Of the cases, four are murder cases filed at Fatullah Police Station over the killings of bus driver Abul Hossain Mizi, Abdur Rahman, Md Yasin and Parvez during the July uprising. Another case was filed at Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station on charges of assault and obstructing public servants. The former NCC mayor was shown arrested in the five cases on November 9 last year, when she secured HC bail in five additional cases. The state moved the Appellate Division against the HC orders when the chamber judge on November 12 stayed the bail and sent the matter to the regular bench for hearing. Meanwhile, the High Cour on April 30 granted bail to the former NCC mayor in two other murder cases linked to the July uprising. The cases were filed at Siddhirganj Police Station in Narayanganj on charges of killing Selim Mondal and Abdus Salam during the July 2024 uprising. Ivy was shown arrested in the cases on March 2 and April 12 this year. On May 17, the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division passed no order on the state's petitions challenging the High Court's bail order in the two cases, paving the way for her release. The former NCC mayor was picked up in the early hours of May 9 last year from her residence ‘Chunka Kutir’ in Narayanganj city’s Deobhog area and later shown arrested in multiple cases.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 32 people in the capital’s Dhanmondi and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar areas while they were allegedly preparing to bring out “flash processions” in support of political activities banned Awami League on Friday, police said. The arrests were made by Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Dhanmondi police stations during separate drives in the early morning and after Jumu’ah prayers. Awami League activists stage sudden protest in Barishal According to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, a group of activists gathered in front of the Agargaon metro rail station near the Flower Market area around 5:45am on Friday, reportedly to organise a procession linked to a banned organisation. After receiving information a team rushed to the spot and detained six people as others attempted to flee, police said. The arrested six include Shyamal Chandra (27), president of Open University Dhaka metropolitan south Chhatra League, Aiyatul Haque (29), Siam (22), Mehedi Hasan Miad Khan (21), Tareq Rahman (22) and Selim Pradhan Srabon (20). In a separate drive, Dhanmondi police arrested 26 more people from around Dhanmondi 32 area after intelligence reports suggested that members of banned organisation Awami League were preparing for a sudden procession after Friday prayers. Police said legal action is being taken against all 32 arrestees and organisers involved in the attempted gatherings. Further details were not immediately available.

Police have arrested a local leader of Awami League from his residence in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district in a sabotage case early Thursday. The arrestee is Md Nayeb Ali Khan, 60, vice-president of Maheshpur union unit Awami League and son of Syed Ali Khan alias Ranga Khan. Based on secret information, police conducted a drive at his house at Baspur and arrested Nayeb Ali at the dead of night, said Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Kashiani Police Station. He was listed in a sabotage case filed over an incident on July 16, 2024, said the OC. On July 16, the supporters of Awami League and its associate bodies allegedly obstructed a programme of the National Citizen Party (NCP) by felling trees on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in the Majra area, creating panic and disrupting vehicular movement. The AL leader will be produced before the court.

The local office of the Bangladesh Awami League was reopened in Betagi Upazila of Barguna on Monday, around 18 months after its activities were declared banned. The office, located at Betagi Bazar, was unlocked around noon by leaders of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, witnesses said. The reopening was carried out under the supervision of former Chhatra League joint general secretary Asaduzzaman Nadim. RAB detains two JMB members in Borguna Photographs of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina were also displayed inside the office. Among those present were Betagi Upazila Chhatra League general secretary Sifat Sikder and former upazila general secretary Mostafa Jamal Shamim, along with a number of other leaders and activists. Eyewitnesses said leaders and activists of Jubo League and the banned Chhatra League gathered in front of the office and chanted slogans. Later, a banner reading “Reopening of Betagi Upazila Awami League office after 18 months” was hung inside and outside the office. U-16 Women’s Football: Borguna, Magura make good start No immediate reaction from the local administration was available in this regard.

Leaders and activists of the Awami League entered the party’s district and metropolitan office in Khulna on Sunday afternoon, placed wreaths on portraits of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina, hoisted the national flag and chanted slogans. The office, located in the Shankha Market area of the city, was visited around 4 pm. A video of the visit later circulated on social media. Later that night, the office was set on fire following protests against the Awami League leaders’ activities. Former leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement led the protest. Wooden doors and documents were set ablaze, though the fire eventually extinguished. Members of the Fire Service arrived at the spot afterwards. Several Awami League activists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the visit was not organised under any formal party directive. They said the office had been locked, which they broke open before hoisting the national flag and placing garlands on the portraits. ICT issues arrest warrants against Hasina, 5 others Eyewitnesses and local residents said 10-15 activists entered the office  by a procession in the afternoon, briefly paid tribute to the portraits and quickly left.   In protest, several students later entered the office and set fire to the portraits. Khulna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Kabir Hossain said a group of people had opened the Khulna district and metropolitan Awami League office in the afternoon. “After informing about it, we started collecting and reviewing CCTV footage from surrounding establishments to identify those involved,” he said. He added that later in the evening, some agitated students came and set fire to the office, damaging the two displayed portraits.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday issued warrants for the arrest of six people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, in a case filed over ‘Jahaj Bari’ killings in the capital's Kalyanpur area. The three-member tribunal, led by its chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, passed the order after accepting the chargesheet in the case. The tribunal fixed February 8 for the next hearing. Court sets Feb 2 for verdict in Rajuk plot scam case against Hasina, Tulip Earlier in the day, the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 submitted the chargesheet against eight people in the case, said ICT prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, former DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia and former SB chief Monirul Islam were among the accused in the case. Of them, IGP AKM Shahidul Haque and DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia were in jail in another case. The charges of crimes against humanity were brought against the accused in connection with the killing of nine people at a house named ‘Jahaj Bari’ in Kalyanpur on July 25, 2016. According to the prosecution, nine people were confined and later shot dead in the house in the name of an anti-militancy drive. The case was filed with the International Crimes Tribunal accusing the then authorities of carrying out extrajudicial killings. On March 24 last year, ICT-1 sent former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, former DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, and former Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Mirpur Division Mohammad Jasim Uddin Mollah to jail in connection with the case. Earlier, Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told journalists that the tribunal’s investigation agency found that the nine youths had been arrested from different parts of the country well before the incident. Verdict in Rajuk plot scam case against Hasina, Tulip on Feb 2 Some of them were allegedly held in Detective Branch custody for two to three months. Investigators claim the victims were later brought together at the Kallyanpur house, where senior police officials arrived on the night of the incident under the pretext of a ‘block raid’. After they were shot dead, the incident was publicly described as a successful militant killing operation, he said.

At least 50 leaders and activists of the Awami League from various levels in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj have resigned from the party. The resignations were announced on Tuesday evening through separate press conferences held by Awami League leaders of Maharajpur, Bhabrashur and Banshbaria unions of the upazila, though the development came to light on Wednesday afternoon. In a written statement, the resigning leaders said they were stepping down from all posts and organisational responsibilities of the Awami League. “We are announcing our resignation from all positions and titles of the Awami League. From now on, we have no relation with the Awami League and will not have any in the future,” the statement said.

Detectives have arrested 34 more leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated bodies for their alleged involvement in planning, funding, and participating in sudden flash processions in the capital over the past 24 hours till 7:00 am on Monday. According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB), among those arrested, two were held by the DB Ramna Division, four by DB Mirpur Division, 13 by DB Cyber Division, four by DB Motijheel Division, one by DB Wari Division, one by DB Uttara Division, one by DB Tejgaon Division, three by DB Lalbagh Division, and five by DB Gulshan Division. The arrestees include former Awami Jubo League presidium member Advocate Belal Hossain (60), Tangail’s Dhanbari upazila Jubo League member Mahbubul Alam Palash (47), Dhaka North Nadda Unit AL member Md Khokon Mia (43), Dhaka North Chhatra League vice-president Tanzim Ibrahim (26), and several others. According to DB Mirpur sources, four persons — Md Nizam Uddin, Md Ismail, Shawkat, and Md Rifat Hossain — were arrested from Mirpur while preparing for a flash procession on Sunday evening. DB Lalbagh sources said Advocate Belal Hossain was picked up from the Moghbazar Wireless area under Ramna Police Station, while Md Abdur Rahim and Md Tanvir Sikder Joy were detained in separate drives in Wari and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar respectively. Awami League working out ‘blueprint’ to stir unrest: Oli Ahmed DB Ramna sources said Md Abdus Sobhan Azad was arrested from Tejgaon, and Mohammad Nazmul Hasan Monir Chowdhury from Mugda. The DB Cyber Division detained several others from areas including Shanir Akhra, Aftabnagar, Bangla Motor, and Uttara for alleged involvement in financing and organizing flash processions. DB Motijheel, Wari, Uttara, Tejgaon, Lalbagh, and Gulshan divisions also conducted separate drives in different parts of the city, arresting individuals linked to similar activities. The detainees were allegedly involved in planning, financing, and executing sudden processions aimed at disrupting public security in Dhaka, said DMP’s DC (Media) Talebur Rahman. Legal proceedings are underway against the arrested persons at the respective police stations, the DB added, the DC (Media) added.    

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) have arrested 25 leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliated bodies in separate drives in the capital over 24 hours till 8 am on Sunday for their alleged plan  to release 100,000 balloons with Awami League slogans. They had also planned to release 100,000 gas balloons carrying slogans of the Awami League in Dhaka including near state guesthouse Jamuna between November 10 and 12, said DMP’s Deputy Commissioner (DC-Media) Talebur Rahman on Sunday afternoon. Based on secret information, a number of teams of DB’s Mirpur, Ramna, Cyber, Motijheel, Wari, Uttara, Tejgaon, Lalbagh, and Gulshan divisions conducted simultaneous drives in the capital and arrested them. The arrestees were identified as Rupchan Bepari, Abrar Khan Tahmid alias Tahmid Ashraf, Raihan Khan alias Azad, ABM Nurul Haque alias Choton Chowdhury, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bablu, Gias Uddin Khokon, Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, Sirajul Islam alias Ahmad Ali, Jasim alias Billal, Mahbub Rahman, Jahangir Alam, Engineer Abul Kalam, Mohammad Shahjalal, Delwar Hossain alias Palash, Yunus Sardar, Akbar Hossain, Abu Sayeed, Shamsuddin Ahmed Selim, Raihan Uddin Rehan, Mezbah Uddin Prince, Morium Parvin, Nasir Sarkar alias Golakata Nasir, Ali Hossain, Manik Khondokar, and Habibur Rahman Kamal. DB officials said operations to maintain law and order and prevent subversive activities will continue and legal action against the arrestees will underway.

Former MP Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, better known as Nixon Chowdhury, has been accused of disrupting law and order in Faridpur’s Bhanga, through a series of provocative video messages terming the current government and Election Commission “illegal,” police said on Friday night. In a press release, police headquarters said Nixon’s statements on social media included anti-state remarks, instigating comments against law enforcement, and allegations of harassment of the public—actions that police claim were aimed at provoking people to continue agitation. According to the release, following the gazette on the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies ahead of the 13th general election, Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga upazila were separated from Faridpur-4 and merged with Faridpur-2. Protesting this decision, locals staged demonstrations, blockades and sit-ins on Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Barishal, and Faridpur-Bhanga highways. Police alleged that Nixon capitalized on the protests and circulated multiple “inciteful” messages that worsened the situation in Bhanga. In one such video, he called the interim government and the Election Commission “illegal” and instructed his followers to continue demonstrations, even blocking roads until their demands were met. His supporters widely shared the clips online, further fueling unrest. On September 15, agitators—allegedly loyal to Nixon—attacked Bhanga Police Station, Bhanga Highway Police Station, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s (UNO) office, election office, and agriculture office. Government vehicles were vandalized and torched, causing extensive damage to public property. Legal action was later taken by Bhanga Police Station. Police said Nixon again released another video on Saturday, repeating his claims that the government and EC were illegal, while lashing out at police on social media. He also alleged that ordinary people were being harassed through false cases, which police said was an attempt to incite further destructive protests. Law enforcers urged citizens not to be misled by “provocative statements” and to maintain discipline. They assured that no innocent person would be harassed in legal proceedings and requested people to promptly report any attempts to spread rumors or inflammatory content. Faridpur violence: Case filed against Nixon Chowdhury, 28 others Earlier on September 15, Bhanga witnessed violent protests over constituency boundary changes, with attacks on police stations, the upazila complex, and municipal office. Motorcycles were set ablaze, while journalists covering the unrest were reportedly obstructed, and several police and media workers were injured. The Election Commission had issued the gazette on September 4, redrawing Faridpur-4 by detaching Bhanga’s Algi and Hamirdi unions and attaching them to Faridpur-2 constituency.