United News of Bangladesh

A Dhaka court on Wednesday placed former ministers Anisul Huq, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain and Bangladesh People’s Party (BPP) Chairman Babul Sardar Chakhari on remand for different periods in a murder case and an attempted murder case. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate M Mizba-ur-Rahman passed the orders after hearing two separate petitions. Of the accused, former Law Minister Anisul was placed on a five-day remand in jhut (waste fabric) trader Md Monir murder case and Mosharraf and Babul on a three-day remand each in an attempted murder case. Singer Momtaz sent to jail after remand According to the court sources, trader Moni was shot dead by the accused in Chankarpool area of Dhaka on August 5 last year when he joined the anti-government movement. His wife filed the murder case with the Shahbagh police station on March 14 last. In the attempted murder case, Gono Odhikar Parishad activist Badrul Islam Saimon sustained bullet injuries in an attack by the accused in Dhaka while attending a programme protesting killings, enforced disappearances by then Awami League government, price hikes on October 8 in 2023. On April 29 last, he filed the case accusing 245 people with Paltan Model Police Station in this regard.

A Dhaka court on Tuesday asked the government to issue a gazette summoning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 11 others to appear before it in six cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in plot allotment forgery in Purbachal New Town. Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Judge Zakir Hossain Galib passed the order following an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Commission and set July 1 for the submission of a report, said ACC lawyer Mir Ahmed Ali Salam. Others who were ordered to appear before the court are former Minister of Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed, former Senior Assistant Secretary of the National Housing and Public Works Ministry Purabi Goldar, former Chairman of RAJUK Anisur Rahman Mia, former members Shafiul Haque, Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Shamsuddin Ahmad Chowdhury, Naib Ali Sharif, Saiful Islam Sarkar, Kazi Wasi Uddin and Shahid Ullah Khandakar. Prof Yunus thanks Australia for resuming visa operations in Dhaka “Today was the scheduled date for hearings in six corruption cases related to plot allotments. However, police have not submitted arrest reports in five of these cases,” said the ACC lawyer. “In one case, the report states that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 12 others are absconding. We are requesting that a gazette notification be issued to summon the accused to appear in court.” The court accepted the appeal and ordered the publication of the gazette, he said. On August 5 last, the former Prime Minister fled the county amid the severe anti-government movement led by the students.  In December last, the anti-watchdog organisation started investigating the allegations of plot allotment forgery of the Pubachal and found their involvement. Subsequently, the ACC registered six cases and submitted chargesheets against the accused. The court also issued an arrest warrant against the absconding accused.

A Jashore court on Monday ordered the imprisonment of Professor Abdus Sattar, former Vice Chancellor of Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST), in a corruption case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Dr. Sattar, also a professor of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Islamic University in Kushtia, appeared before the court on Monday and sought bail. Senior district and sessions judge Sheikh Nazmul Alam denied the plea and directed that he be sent to jail, said ACC public prosecutor Sirajul Islam. Two other accused in the same case—JUST deputy director (Planning and Development) Abdur Rouf and former Pro-Vice Chancellor of Islamic University in Kushtia Dr. Kamal Uddin—were granted bail after surrendering before the court a day earlier. According to the case statement, the ACC filed the case on August 21, 2023, accusing the trio of illegal recruitment and embezzling over Tk 6.13 million in public funds. The allegations stem from a 2009 recruitment process, during which Abdur Rouf was appointed as Assistant Director (Planning and Development) at JUST despite lacking the required experience. Dr. Sattar, then Vice Chancellor, chaired the recruitment board, while Dr. Kamal Uddin served as a board member. Rouf was initially considered for the assistant director post, but due to insufficient qualifications, he was later recommended for the position of Section Officer (Grade-1) without any public advertisement. Dr. Sattar allegedly made the final decision unilaterally as Chairman of the Regent Board. Rouf reportedly held the position until June 2022 and collected Tk 6,131,732 in salaries and allowances, which the ACC has deemed illegal and fraudulent. Following the investigation, the ACC submitted a charge sheet to the court, leading to arrest warrants being issued for all three accused. While Rouf and Dr. Kamal Uddin secured bail, Dr. Abdus Sattar was taken into custody on Monday as per the court’s order.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday ordered the authorities concerned to issue public notices in two newspapers summoning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to appear before the court in a case over the July-August uprising. A three-member bench, led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, passed the order after a hearing in this regard, said the ICT’s Chief Prosecutor Advocate Md Tajul Islam. He said the court ordered the notice be published in one Bengali and another English newspaper. Taking five charges into cognizance against the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, the court also set Jun 24 for the next hearing in the case. The court also reissued arrest warrants for those who are absconding. Earlier in the day, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was produced before the tribunal. BNP’s Salahuddin files disappearance charges against Hasina, 6 others with ICT Following the hearing, the court ordered the publication of summons for Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Kamal as they have been absconding. The chief prosecutor formally submitted the charges against Hasina, accusing her of responsibility for atrocities during the July-August pro-democracy uprising. According to the case statement, nearly 1500 people were killed during last year’s anti-government movement in the country. Amid intense protests on August 5 last year, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country and took shelter in India. Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus later assumed power and restructured the tribunal to prosecute those accused of mass killings, with the first case filed against Hasina. ICT issues arrest warrant for Hasina, Asaduzzaman Following a six-month investigation, the tribunal’s agency submitted its final report on May 12 and formally presented it before the court on Sunday.

Police have filed a case against 159 people including a recently expelled Jubo Dal leader  in connection with a protest in Sylhet’s Jaflong blocking the motorcade of two advisers. Sub-Inspector Obaidullah of Goainhat Police filed the case on Sunday night against eight named accused including Jubo Dal leader Zahid Khan as the prime accused and 151 unnamed ones, said Goainhat Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sarkar Tofael Ahmed. Sylhet Superintendent of Police Mahbubur Rahman said it took time to identify the accused from video footages broadcast by different media outlets. He added that drives are underway to arrest the suspects. Locals block advisers’ motorcade in Sylhet over stone quarry lease ban Police said Zahid Khan was named as the main accused while Azir Uddin, president of the local unit of Chhatra Dal was listed as the second accused. On Saturday  Zahid and Azir, who was identified as a stone syndicate member after the fall of Awami League government  on August 5, allegedly led a protest that obstructed the motorcade of Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Power and Energy Adviser Mohammad Fouzul Kabir Khan during their visit to Jaflong. The case was filed nearly 30 hours after the incident.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Sunday once again summoned British MP of Bangladeshi origin, Tulip Siddiq, over allegations of unlawfully acquiring a flat from Eastern Housing in the capital's Gulshan area. The ACC confirmed that a fresh notice has been sent to five different addresses in Dhaka, asking her to appear before the commission on June 22 in connection with the case. Earlier, in May, the commission had also issued a notice to Siddiq, but she reportedly claimed through various channels that she had not received it. “In light of her claims, we have now sent the summons to five of her known addresses in the capital,” said ACC Director General Akhter Hossain. Tulip Siddiq requests meeting Prof Yunus over corruption allegation He added that the letters were sent through local police stations, registered post and will also be posted to visible locations at the respective addresses by ACC officials. According to the case statement, Tulip Siddiq illegally accepted a flat from Eastern Housing on Road 11 of Gulshan-2 in violation of applicable laws.

Four senior police officials have been given new postings. A notification signed by Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Police section under the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry was issued in this regrard on Sunday. According to the notification, Ali Akbar Khan, Commandant of the Dhaka Range Reserve Force, has been appointed as Additional DIG of CID and Md. Shamsul Haque, Commanding Officer of the Chattogram Armed Police Battalion, has also been made Additional DIG of CID. Stay alert over fraud gangs during Eid-ul-Azha: Police Headquarters Besides, Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Additional DIG of the Dhaka Armed Police Battalion, has been transferred to CID as Additional DIG and Romana Akter, currently serving as Additional DIG of CID, has been appointed Commandant of the Dhaka Range Reserve Force. The order, issued in public interest, will take immediate effect, the notification stated.

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Sunday said the current political situation appears to be quite reassuring following the recent meeting between Chief Adviser  Professor Muhammad Yunus and BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London. Rizwana, who also holds the portfolios of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources in the interim government, said this in response to questions from reporters on the latest political developments at the Secretariat on the first working day after the Eid holidays. “Now, political parties will express their views from their respective positions. If they have anything to discuss, surely they will convey it to the Chief Adviser,” she said. When asked whether the tension between the government and the BNP over election-related issues has eased, the adviser said, “I don’t think there was anything of that sort in the first place. Whether it’s politics, elections, democracy or reforms — everything must progress through dialogue. That’s why I see the ongoing dialogue as a positive development,” she said. CA-Tarique meeting causes ‘heartburn’ among some political parties: Rizvi Chief Adviser Dr Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman met for 90 minutes and agreed to hold the next election in the week before Ramadan 2026, instead of early April, if all preparations are completed in time. A joint statement from the Chief Adviser and Acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman was issued following their meeting in London, indicating that the talks marked a turning point in dispelling political stalemate and easing strained ties between the interim government and the country’s largest political party.

A young man was stabbed to death allegedly by his father following a family dispute in the capital’s Hazaribagh area on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Rahabul Islam Russel, 20. Critically injured, Russel was rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) by locals, where doctors declared him dead around 11:30pm. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue and the local police station has been informed. Quoting family members, Russel’s maternal uncle Humayun said both father and son used to work at separate hotels. The family often experienced disputes over various issues, including plans to go abroad. Russel’s mother and aunt are expatriates in Jordan. He was the second of three brothers and lived with his father, Jewel Rana, in a rented house in the Jhaufar area of Hazaribagh. According to Humayun, both Russel and his father had plans to go abroad. Youth stabbed to death in Khulna Russel recently received his passport. Disagreements frequently broke out between his parents over who would go abroad first and who his mother would sponsor—tensions that may have sparked the fatal altercation. During the argument on Saturday night, Jewel allegedly stabbed Russel in the chest in a fit of rage. Locals first took Russel to a nearby private hospital, from where he was referred to DMCH. Family members who followed him there found him dead upon arrival. Russel hailed from Rangpur district.

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on Saturday said the government is working to ensure swift and cost-effective disposal of cases, uphold human rights and free people from the 'curse of the burden of cases'. "The overwhelming number of pending cases not only strains the judicial system but also questions the probability of the prospect of justice. Reducing the pressure of new cases has become a necessity," he said at a consultation on the draft “Legal Aid Services (Amendment) Ordinance 2025” held at the National Legal Aid Services Organisation (NLASO) on Bailey Road in the capital. Asif Nazrul emphasised the importance of strengthening alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to reduce the pressure on courts. "Introducing mandatory pre-litigation mediation is essential to tackle the case backlog," he said. He further stated that the Ministry of Law has identified three core objectives for judicial reform, ensuring timely and low-cost case resolution, securing justice for all and relieving citizens from the curse of prolonged litigation. No more night-time voting in Bangladesh: Attorney General Nazrul, also the chairman of NLASO, said, "At present, of the nearly 5,00,000 new cases filed annually across the country, only around 35,000 are settled through the government’s legal aid services. Legal aid offices can resolve disputes with over 90 per cent satisfaction among parties involved and in just one-tenth of the time required by the courts." He added that expanding and institutionalising the legal aid programme could increase the number of cases resolved through mediation to between 100,000 and 200,000 annually, which would reduce case filings by up to 40 per cent.