United News of Bangladesh

A 21-year-old youth died after being hit by a speeding bus in Uttara of Dhaka early Monday. The deceased was identified as Md Arman Mirza, son of Abu Sufian Mirza from Purhatiala village in Hajiganj upazila of Chandpur district. He passed the HSC in 2024 from Uttara Abdullahpur Nawab Habibullah College. Student killed in train accident in Khulna The victim’s maternal aunt Naznin Begum said Arman was returning home on his motorcycle when the bus rammed into him on Jashimuddin Road around 5:30am, leaving him critically injured. He was first taken to Kurmitola General Hospital and then shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where physicians declared him dead upon arrival, she said. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of DMCH police outpost, said that the body has been kept at the hospital morgue for the autopsy.

The government has issued a notification enabling partial exporters to import raw materials duty-free by providing bank guarantees. The notification, issued on September 25, 2025, targets export-oriented industrial enterprises that are unable to obtain bonded warehouse licenses under the existing bond management system. Under the notification, eligible importers can bring in raw materials or products without paying customs duties or taxes, provided they submit bank guarantees equivalent to the assessed duties and taxes determined by customs authorities. In a press release, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) said the move is expected to help enterprises maximise production capacity, diversify exportable products, and expand the country’s export trade. NBR eyes bonded facilities for toy industry The NBR Chairman recently told business representatives that exporters without bond licenses can now import raw materials duty-free by obtaining a guarantee from a bank, ensuring that the imported items will be used solely for export purposes and not sold in the local market. Under the existing bond system, export-oriented enterprises import raw materials and accessories duty-free, storing them in bonded warehouses for manufacturing export products.  If these goods are sold domestically, the companies must pay substantial import duties.

A 9-year old child who sustained severe burn injuries in an air conditioner (AC) blast in Jatrabari area of Dhaka on September 20 succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning. With this, the death toll from the explosion rose to two. Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said Tanvir breathed his last around 7am while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit. He suffered 45 percent of burns.  Tongi Fire: Shop employee succumbs to burn injuries Earlier on Wednesday, his father Tuhin, who was also injured in the blast, died while undergoing treatment with 47 percent of burns at the High Dependency Unit of the institute.     On September 20, four members, including the duo, of the family were burnt in the AC blast and rushed to the hospital’s emergency department. Tanvir’s mother Eva Akter, 30, and younger brother Tauhid, 7, are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Tension remains high in Khagrachhari district following Sunday’s violence and protests over the alleged rape of a schoolgirl, which left three people dead and several others injured in Guimara upazila. Meanwhile, the indefinite road blockade organised under the banner of Jumma students and local residents entered its third day on Monday, bringing normal life to a near standstill. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Khagrachhari District Hospital late on Sunday evening, but their identities have yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile the blockade on roads connecting Dhaka and Chhatogram has been relaxed temporarily to facilitate services from 12pm on Monday. Army issues statement on communal violence in Khagrachhari Jumma students and local residents announced the relaxation via a Facebook post on Monday morning. According to the post, the roads will be open from 12pm until further notice to allow critically injured Jumma protesters, who were hurt in clashes with law enforcers in Guimara upazila, to receive treatment and to facilitate the proper burial of deceased Jumma victims. The post also reads that a medical team from Dhaka is scheduled to arrive and authorities at all levels were urged to ensure unobstructed access. Unrest erupted in the hill district after the reported rape of a schoolgirl on the night of September 23. Businesses belonging to both hill and Bengali communities have been attacked and vandalised in various parts of Khagrachhari over the past few days. At least three people were killed and several others injured in an armed attack by miscreants in Guimara upazila on Sunday. In an official statement issued on Sunday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs expressed deep sorrow over the killings and extended sympathy to those injured, including an army major, 13 army personnel, the officer-in-charge of Guimara Police Station, three other policemen and several others. Section 144 has been imposed in Khagrachhari town, Sadar upazila and Guimara upazila. The movement of all modes of transport has been suspended since Sunday morning, disrupting daily life. Protesters are reportedly setting up hidden barricades at various points, although they have not appeared openly. Streets in the town and its outskirts remain deserted, with residents largely confined to their homes except for urgent needs. Trucks and pickups carrying raw materials to markets in Longdu, Bagaichhari and other areas remained stranded, causing widespread disruption to trade and everyday activities. Army personnel, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police forces remain deployed across different areas. Although one suspect has been arrested in connection with the rape of the schoolgirl, two others are still at large.

Former Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun passed away at a hospital in the capital on Monday morning. He was 78. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 8:10am, said Zannat-ul -Farhad, assistant inspector general (AIG-Media) of Prisons headquarters. He fell sick at the central jail on Sunday afternoon and was admitted to the hospital, she said adding that Nurul Majid enjoyed facilities as a classified prison, he said. The former minister had been suffering from ‘Uncontrolled Bowel and Bladder’ disease for long, the prisons official said.   AC blast at Jatrabari: Burn victim dies at DMCH As his condition worsened, he was shifted to the ICU where he died. Nurul, son of late Abdul Majid of Gotashia village under Monohardi upazila of Narsingdi district, was elected an MP from Narsingdi-4 in 2008, 2014, 2019 and 2024 with Awami League tickets. He was arrested by a team of the Rapid Action Battalion on 25 September 2024 on charges of murder during the July movement.

Rail communication between Dhaka and the northern districts has remained suspended since early Monday after three bogies of the Panchagarh Express derailed near Bhangura Railway Station in Pabna. No casualties were reported, but over 1,000 passengers got panicked, with many jumping off the train. The Panchagarh-bound train left Dhaka at 11:30pm on Sunday. Derailment halts train movement on Rangpur-Lalmonirhat-Bogura route Around 4am, its locomotive, luggage and a passenger bogie derailed, said Hasina Khatun, a transport official at Pakshi Railway. Railway authorities are yet to begin recovery of the bogies several hours after the accident, leaving passengers stranded. Bhangura police rushed to the scene and ensured safety, said officer-in-charge Shafiqul Islam.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Sunday expressed strong outrage and condemnation over the extensive violence and reported multiple deaths that occurred when vested interests turned a peaceful movement into violence in Khagrachari, Chittagong Hill Tracts, where indigenous communities were demanding justice for the rape of a 12-year-old girl. TIB highlighted that despite seven indigenous women being raped in Khagrachari district over the past year according to media reports, none of these cases have seen justice yet. The organization questioned what crime exists in the indigenous community's legitimate demand for justice following another barbaric rape of a young girl, stating that the army-controlled administration must answer this fundamental question. TIB has demanded a comprehensive judicial investigation into the incident, calling for exemplary punishment of the rapists as well as identification and accountability of those who transformed the peaceful movement into violence and the instigators who played manipulative roles in escalating the situation. 3 killed in Khagrachhari attacks, tensions escalate in hills In a statement issued on Sunday, TIB's Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said that the attempts to normalize the rape of indigenous women are not new. He questioned: Why could the local administration and police under army authority not adopt timely, active and effective strategies to prevent this violence? Is this indifference or complicity towards the destructive conspiracies of vested interests, through which the process of systematic deprivation of indigenous rights and ethnic suppression is being normalized? “Deliberate attempts to protect rapists are evident throughout the entire judicial process, from medical examinations of rape victims to case registration and the complete trial proceedings,” he added. “Under these circumstances, the ongoing movement by indigenous communities stems from legitimate concerns about the denial of justice, making their protests entirely justified. Sensitive behavior from the administration and all concerned parties was expected in this matter." Dr. Iftekharuzzaman highlighted the constitutional rights of indigenous populations as citizens to secure and safe living. Home Ministry condoles Khagrachhari killings, vows justice He mentioned that there must be judicial investigations to guarantee justice for all victims of violent crimes including rape, with exemplary punishment ensured through proper identification of perpetrators. “Without such measures, preventing the repetition of these incidents remains impossible. Concurrently, administrative authorities and relevant officials must face accountability for their visible failure to adopt effective interventions appropriate to the gravity of the situation," said Iftekharuzzaman. Journalists in Jashore protest ‘false case’ against colleague TIB's Executive Director further stated, "We believe that the primary capability for establishing peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts rests with the Bangladesh Army, which has earned global recognition for peacekeeping efforts across different regions of the world.” He hoped that the army will make timely and positive use of this capacity by taking effective initiatives to establish rights-based peace for indigenous communities in this region, striving to play a role equivalent to their commendable achievements at the global level.

Journalists in Sharsha Upazila of Jashore district formed a human chain and held a protest rally on Sunday afternoon in front of the Sharsha Upazila Parishad, demanding the withdrawal of what they described as a conspiracy-driven and false case against Benapole Press Club Organising Secretary Monirul Islam Moni. Around a hundred media professionals from both electronic and print outlets participated in the protest to express solidarity with Moni and to call for justice. Several prominent media figures spoke at the rally, including Dainik LokSamaj Acting Editor Anwarul Kabir Nantu, Jessore District Journalists Union President Sheikh Deen Ahmed, General Secretary Dewan Morshed Alam, Benapole Press Club General Secretary Bakul Mahbub, and Jamal Hossain. Leaders of various press clubs also addressed the gathering, including Sharsha Press Club President Ahmed Ali Shahin, General Secretary Abdul Mannan, and Jhikargacha Press Club President Rafiqul Islam. Benapole Press Club President Mohsin Milon, along with journalists Muslim Uddin Pappu (Ekattor TV), Nazrul Islam (Daily Khoborer Kagoj), Sheikh Nasir Uddin (SA TV), Selim Reza (Boishakhi TV), Moshiar Rahman (Ei Somoyer TV), Sheikh Sadaf Hossain (Nagorik TV), and Al Mamun (Dipta TV), among others, issued statements condemning the alleged false charges against Moni. They collectively demanded an immediate withdrawal of the case and urged the authorities to ensure that journalists are not harassed for performing their professional duties.

A new platform titled the Investigative Journalists Association of Bangladesh (IJAB) has been formed with the aim of enhancing the professional standards and training opportunities for investigative journalists in the country. The newly formed organisation has appointed Nesarul Haque Khokon, an investigative journalist at Daily Jugantor, as president, and Alauddin Arif, joint editor of Daily Kalbela, as general secretary. The announcement came during a formal gathering held at a restaurant in the capital recently. Other office bearers of the organisation include Apurba Alauddin of Jamuna TV as senior vice president, GM Faisal Alam of Channel 24 as vice president, Jamil Khan of The Daily Star as senior joint general secretary, and Shakil Abdullah Rafi of Independent TV as joint general secretary. Taimur Hasan Shuvo of News24 has been named finance editor, while Bakul Ahmed of Samakal will serve as organising secretary. Manik Muntasir of Bangladesh Pratidin has been selected as training and research affairs secretary, Sayedul Islam of Ittefaq as publicity and publication secretary, and SM Mintu of Naya Diganta as office secretary. Kawsar Soheli of Maasranga TV will serve as law and media affairs secretary, and Shahriar Hasan of Ajker Patrika as international affairs secretary. The role of welfare secretary has been assigned to Shahriar Arif of Channel 24. The executive committee members are Elias Hossain of RTV, Jahangir Alam of UNB, Shafiq Shahin of NTV, Mamunur Rashid of The Daily Observer, Abdullah Tuhin of Jamuna Television, and Sanaul Haque Sunny of Kalbela. IJAB aims to foster collaboration among investigative journalists across various media platforms and organise training initiatives, research, and advocacy to strengthen journalistic integrity and accountability in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Agricultural Journalist Forum (BAJF) has formed its new executive committee for the 2026-2027 term, with Shahanuare Shaid Shahin, News Editor (Online) of the Daily Ittefaq, elected as president and Abu Khalid, Senior Newsroom Editor of DBC News, as general secretary. The new committee was announced at a programme held at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) conference room in the capital on Sunday. Yasir Wardad, Senior Reporter at The Financial Express, and A.N.M. Mohibub Uz Zaman, Senior Correspondent at The Daily Sun, have been elected vice presidents. Abbas Uddin Noyon, Chief Reporter of The Business Standard, and Emdadul Huq Tuhin, Senior Correspondent at sarabangla.net, were elected joint general secretaries. Md Mehedi Hasan, Senior Reporter at Protidiner Sangbad, has been elected organizing secretary, while Mofazzal Biddut, Staff Correspondent at Bonik Barta, will serve as finance secretary. Other elected office bearers include Altaf Hossain (Daily Khola Kagoj) and Tanzila Akhter (Channel 24) as assistant organizing secretaries; Moriom Moni Sejuti (Daily Bhorer Kagoj) as office secretary; Sushanta Sinha (71 TV) as research secretary; Saleh Mohammad Rashid Alok (Politics News) as event affairs secretary; Al Mamun (Bangla Vision TV) as training secretary; Tajnur Islam (Jamuna Television) as Khamari development affairs secretary; Asaduzzaman Noor (Ajker Patrika) as publication secretary; Mehedi Al Amin (Protidiner Bangladesh) as international affairs secretary; Sukanta Halder (The Daily Star) as publicity secretary; Imran Hossain Imon (UNB) as farmers’ rights secretary; and Lutfor Rahman Kakon (Amader Shomoy) as information secretary. The five executive members are Manik Muntasir (Bangladesh Pratidin), Zahir Munna (Channel i), Shuvo Khan (Somoy Television), Md Mottakinur Rahman Mashfe (Daily Kaler Kantho), and Md Al-Amin (Daily Times of Bangladesh).