United News of Bangladesh

Jatiya Party Secretary General Barrister Shameen Haider Patwary on Monday demanded that the government arrest those involved in the “attack” on their party Chairman GM Quader’s Uttara residence within 24 hours. “If you do not arrest the perpetrators within 24 hours, Jatiya Party will launch a strong movement and protest,” he said, addressing a press conference at the party office in the city. Earlier in the day, GM Quader’s residence in Sector 7 of Uttara in the capital came under attack by a group of people. Describing the attack as a planned one, Shameen claimed that a group of people brought out a procession and attacked and vandalised the house. He said their party chief was at home with his family members during the attack, but they were safe. The attack took place because GM Quader had criticised the hike in the prices of essential commodities, the Jatiya Party secretary general claimed. “We are not a banned organisation. We will speak out and engage in politics. Jatiya Party is a legal and registered party, and it should be allowed to carry out its political programmes,” he said. Shameem said their party office was set on fire four times during the immediate past interim government, led by Dr Muhammad Yunus. “We do not want that horrific situation to return,” the Jatiya Party leader said. He urged the government to ensure political coexistence, saying their party had planned to organise a long march and procession on September 26 to protest soaring prices of essential commodities and fuel, but it did not get permission. A group of people under the banner of “Anti-Autocracy General People” staged a demonstration outside GM Quader’s residence on Monday, demanding his immediate arrest. The protesters staged a sit-in on the road in front of the house at 10:40am and chanted various slogans. According to witnesses, the protesters could not enter the residence but vandalised its windowpanes before leaving the scene ahead of the police’s arrival. CCTV footage showed some protesters demonstrating in front of Quader’s residence, throwing bricks and other objects at the house.

India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement is preparing to stage another round of protests in New Delhi on Saturday, expanding a nationwide campaign against a controversial voter list revision that has sparked growing criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the country’s election authorities. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to gather at Jantar Mantar, the capital’s designated protest venue. However, authorities have introduced extensive security restrictions, including the suspension of mobile internet services. Police said on Friday that permission for the demonstration had been denied because the organisers submitted their application too late. The protest area has been surrounded by yellow metal barricades, with thousands of police officers deployed nearby. Disruptions to train services and metro stations were also expected to make it more difficult for demonstrators to reach the venue. The extensive security arrangements reflect the authorities’ efforts to contain a rapidly expanding protest movement that has attracted thousands of young people, gained support from opposition parties and increased pressure on Modi’s administration. The demonstrations come at a politically sensitive moment, just months after protests organised by the “Cockroach” movement over alleged examination paper leaks led to the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July. Voter list revision sparks concerns over election fairness The latest protests focus on the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, a process opposition parties claim has deprived millions of eligible citizens of their voting rights. Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the revision process, which has reportedly resulted in the removal of more than 130 million names from electoral rolls. The Election Commission and the government have rejected allegations of electoral manipulation, maintaining that the exercise is intended to remove duplicate registrations and the names of individuals who are no longer eligible to vote. The controversy has become a major political issue for opposition parties seeking to challenge Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Saturday’s planned demonstration follows several days of protests in New Delhi, where opposition lawmakers have intensified their campaign against the voter list changes. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police during one of the demonstrations. Gandhi and other opposition figures have accused the Election Commission of conducting the revision in a manner that favours the ruling BJP. They allege that voters more likely to support opposition parties have been disproportionately removed from the electoral rolls, while BJP supporters have been protected from deletion or added to the lists. Both the Election Commission and the government have denied these accusations. Youth movement expands its campaign against Modi For the “Cockroach” movement, the controversy over voter registration has created an opportunity to extend its campaign beyond education-related grievances and challenge broader government policies. The movement emerged online in May and gained momentum through street demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes over alleged examination paper leaks. Its campaign culminated in the resignation of Modi’s education minister in July, marking an uncommon political setback for a prime minister who has maintained a strong grip on national politics for more than 12 years. The latest protests represent another challenge for Modi as he continues his third term in office. However, the extent to which the demonstrations will affect his political standing remains uncertain. India’s next national election is not scheduled until 2029. Nevertheless, state elections expected next year in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, and Gujarat, Modi’s home state, will provide important tests of the BJP’s political strength. The growing demonstrations could therefore become a significant political issue for the ruling party as it faces increasing scrutiny over electoral procedures and public concerns about democratic representation.    

The Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP) suspended the membership of Md A Jasim Uddin, who contested against NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah in the Comilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The party also issued him a show-cause notice asking why permanent organisational action should not be taken against him for 'breaching organisational discipline' and tarnishing the party’s image. The party’s central office issued the notice on Tuesday. The suspension was ordered by its President Nurul Haque Nur and Acting General Secretary Hasan Al Mamun. The notice, signed by GOP Office Secretary Syed Mahbubur Rahman, however, did not specify the allegations against Jasim Uddin. It just accuses him of a “serious breach of organisational discipline” and tarnishing the party’s image, to which he has been asked to submit a written response within five working days to the central office. The notice said permanent organisational action could be taken against Jasim Uddin if he fails to submit his response within the stipulated time or if his explanation is unsatisfactory. Multiple attempts to contact Jasim Uddin by mobile phone for his side of the story went unanswered. He has made himself unreachable amid the media circus surrounding the case. In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, Jasim Uddin contested the Comilla-4 (Debidwar) seat with the Truck symbol representing the Gono Odhikar Parishad. He competed against NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah and secured 49,885 votes with the support of the BNP, who asked their own candidate to stand down in the constituency.

The 11-party alliance on Monday announced that it will hold a nearly 400-kms long march from Dhaka to Kushtia on October 31, pressing its seven-point demands. The alliance made the announcement after an emergency meeting of its liaison committee at the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the capital. Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the long march will begin from the southern gate of Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka at 8 am, following an opening rally at 7 am. The motorcade will travel through the Padma Bridge, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Bhanga, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Fakirhat, Khulna, Jashore, Jhenaidah and Kushtia, where a concluding rally will be held at the Kushtia Zilla School ground. Roadside rallies are also planned at Naodoba in Shariatpur, Katakhali in Fakirhat, Babri Chattar (Shibbari intersection) in Khulna, Phultala in Khulna, Chanchra in Jashore, and Chuadanga Bus Stand intersection in Jhenaidah. He said the decision was taken to shift the program from October 10 to October 31 considering the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations. He said, “As citizens, it is our duty to extend sympathy and cooperation regarding the religious rights of the Hindu community.” He urged the administration, police, intelligence agencies, road authorities, transport workers, and local people to cooperate to ensure a peaceful and orderly program. “We will show the utmost patience and restraint even in the face of any provocation,” he said, adding that the alliance’s activists would not respond to attempts to create disorder. Porwar also criticised what he described as the deteriorating law-and-order situation, referring to the arrest of former lawmaker Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and an alleged attack on NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwari’s motorcade in Kushtia. He also condemned the reported attack on journalists at Rajshahi University and demanded action against those responsible. Regarding the government’s recent fuel-price hikes, he said the alliance would continue its movement, arguing that rising fuel and LPG prices were worsening public suffering. Asked about the demands of protesting autorickshaw drivers, Porwar said the alliance supports legitimate demands of workers and professionals but does not support violence, vandalism, or actions that make public life unbearable.  The alliance said further meetings would be held over the next 25 days to coordinate preparations for the long march across its organisational structures.

Six aspirants including two from BNP and one from Jamaat-e-Islami filed nomination papers to run the Thakurgaon-1 parliamentary by-election slated for October 29. They submitted their nomination papers within the deadline that expired on Sunday (5:00pm), according to a factsheet sent by returning officer and Thakurgaon district election officer Md Kamrul Islam to the Election Commission Secretariat. The Thakurgaon-1 constituency fell vacant after Mirza Fakhrul Islam was elected the country’s 23rd president. The two BNP nominated aspirants are Mirza Faysal Amin, younger brother of President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and Obaidullah Masum and Jamaat nominated aspirant is Delowar Hossain. Three other aspirants are Md Khademul Islam of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Md Abdul Aleem Nizami of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and Hussain Muhammad Omar Faruque of Bangladesh Congress. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on Sept 29, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is Oct 7. The voting in the parliamentary constituency will be held from 8am to 4pm on Oct 29. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Sunday said the upcoming Thakurgaon-1 parliamentary by-election will be held in a praiseworthy manner, like the February-12 national election. “Insha'Allah, I can guarantee that just as we conducted the 13th parliamentary election— which earned acclamation both at home and abroad— you will similarly appreciate the way this one (by-election) is held,” he said. The CEC made the remarks while talking to reporters after visiting the monitoring cell set up at Nirbachan Bhaban to monitor the Thakurgaon-1 by-election in real time from the capital. He said all necessary measures have been taken to arrange Thakurgaon-1 by-polls in a fair manner and an adequate number of law enforcement personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order in the parliamentary by-election. The CEC said the monitoring cell will work for the Thakurgaon-1 by-election in exactly the same way as it did during the 13th parliamentary election. “We will monitor it centrally so that we can intervene in the right manner at the right time,” he added.

Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami led 11-party alliance in coalition with the National Committee for Observing the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance marched towards the National Parliament and staged a sit-in program in front of it on Sunday to submit a 14-point memorandum to the Speaker of the Parliament demanding law on enforced disappearance. The coalition began its march from the capital’s Banglamotor area in the afternoon before converging on the parliament premises. As part of their scheduled program, a delegation team led by Brigadier General (Brevet) Hasinur Rahman (Retd.) a victim of enforced disappearance during the Awami regime and alliance leaders submitted a memorandum to the Speaker of the Parliament from the sit-in location. The 14-point memorandum outlines several key demands, including the enactment of a victim centric law aligned with international standards, incorporating key protections from the 2025 Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Ordinance, and establishing an independent investigation commission free from security agency control. It also demanded a specific deadline for implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. Following the alliance’s meeting with the speaker at a concluding press brief Hasinur Rahman said, “We went to the speaker with a lot of hope, we presented all of our points and he didn’t disagree with us.” The march and later the sit-in program saw the participation of top leaders from the 11-party coalition, including Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General and former MP Mia Golam Parwar, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and alliance coordinator Hamidur Rahman Azad, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Jalaluddin Ahmed, and Jatiya Ganatantric Party (JAGPA) spokesperson Rashed Prodhan. Leaders and activists from the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) and National Citizens' Party (NCP) also took part in the program.

The maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal No. 3 as the low pressure area over Northwest Bay and adjoining coastal area moved northwestwards. It now lies over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining areas of North Odisha & Northwest Bay, said a special bulletin of Met office. Under its influence, squally weather may affect the Maritime Ports, North Bay and adjoining Coastal areas of Bangladesh. All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.    

State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur on Thursday called on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to drop the word “Islam” from its name, alleging that the party has caused significant harm to Islam by using its name. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters after visiting Sohanur Rahman Sohan, president of the Kushtia Government College unit of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, who was injured in a clash between Jamaat-Shibir and the Gono Odhikar Parishad in Kushtia, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon. Sohan is receiving treatment at a cabin in the old building of the DMCH. “Jamaat-e-Islami should drop the word ‘Islam’ from its name. If Jamaat gets an opportunity, it will become an even bigger fascist force than the Awami League,” said Nur, also president of Gono Odhikar Parishad. He alleged that Jamaat has caused the greatest harm to Islam by using its name and said the party has suffered a decline in moral standards. Referring to Jamaat lawmakers Amir Hamza of Kushtia and Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira, Nur said their alleged conduct was an example of the party's moral decline. He also alleged that Jamaat has been seeking to come to power and has started making “irritating” remarks against the government only six months into its tenure. The Gono Odhikar Parishad chief further accused Amir Hamza of making obscene and derogatory remarks about lawmakers, including Rubina Farhana and Farzana Putul, as well as making offensive comments about late Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. “Jamaat is supporting such filthy and hypocritical remarks,” he alleged. Referring to the conduct of Satkhira MP Nazrul Islam, Nur said if Jamaat continues to claim itself as an Islamic party, that will be contradictory to the principles of Islam. “I would urge them to drop the word ‘Islam’ from Jamaat-e-Islami because they are causing the greatest harm to Islam by using the name of Islam as a guise.”

The 11-party alliance, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has chosen Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad as its candidate for the presidential election. Opposition Chip Whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam made the announcement following a meeting of the alliance at the official residence of Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman at Minto Road in the capital on Sunday. Meanwhile, the ruling BNP on Sunday collected two nomination forms for the upcoming presidential election. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni collected the forms from the Returning Officer’s office in the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon. Earlier on August 6, the EC announced the schedule for the presidential election, setting August 20 as the voting date, following the resignation of Shahabuddin as President on July 24.  

State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur has called upon the people to remain vigilant against what he described as conspiracies by the Jamaat-NCP led opposition alliance. Speaking at an event organized by the Lawyer’s Rights Council at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, in the capital the state minister alleged that the recent sit-in protest staged by the Jamaat-NCP alliance in front of the Bangladesh Secretariat was a deliberate attempt to destabilize the country. “They should've announced a long march towards the Indian embassy. Instead, they chose the Bangladesh Secretariat. It is a direct attempt to disrupt the country's stability,” Nur said. Asserting that "Awami fascism" has met its political demise, Nur remarked that no amount of wishful thinking from across the border can bring the fallen regime back to life. He claimed that the National Citizen Party (NCP) is strategically dominated by Jamaat-e-Islami members occupying various district and upazila posts, comparing it to past political tactics where hidden affiliates infiltrated multiple political parties, including the BNP and Gono Adhikar Parishad. Recalling the backdrop of the 2024 July mass uprising, Nur noted that the movement was built upon years of struggle, dating back to the quota reform movement launched in 2018 under his leadership. He urged citizens to stay united in upholding the spirit of the July uprising and opposing the return of autocratic forces. The discussion meeting was arranged by the Lawyer’s Rights Council, a platform of lawyers associated with Gono Adhikar Parishad, to mark the jail release of their leaders following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Presided over by Lawyer's Rights Council President Nure Ershad Siddiki, the event was also addressed by Prime Minister's Political Assistant Rashed Khan, alongside leaders, activists and members of the Gono Adhikar Parishad and the Lawyer's Rights Council.