State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad A. Arafat has voiced concerns over the actions of police during peaceful demonstrations at various US universities, describing the use of force as “disproportionate” and “inappropriate.” These protests, primarily led by students and faculty members, were organised to support Palestinian rights. “The rallies are mostly being conducted peacefully; there hasn't been any violence, arson, or killing of cops, children, or women, unlike what the BNP-Jamaat arsonists did in Bangladesh,” Arafat stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The protests have taken place across numerous prestigious US college campuses, with participants advocating for the freedom of the Palestinian people. Arafat emphasised the peaceful nature of these demonstrations, highlighting the absence of violence and arson, which are often associated with protests elsewhere. Columbia University students vow to continue anti-war protest amid standoff with administrators. “It’s only some students and professors who are protesting against what they believe is wrong. There was no sign of violence or arson,” Arafat reiterated. Despite the peaceful conduct of the protesters, the response by law enforcement has been notably aggressive, according to Arafat. The number of police forces seen to contain the people shows no respect for protests by civilians, he observed. Reflecting on how such situations are handled in Bangladesh, Arafat speculated on the reaction of the US administration to similar circumstances. “I wonder what the US administration would do in the face of BNP-Jamaat violence and arson in the name of the so-called protest that they displayed a few months ago to impede the election and obstruct the democratic process in Bangladesh,” the state minister said. Bangladesh always stands by people of Palestine: Environment Minister Arafat condemned violence, stating, “I strongly believe that there is no place for violence in democracy.” He also shared a distressing account of a university professor who, despite her academic credentials from the University of California, Berkeley, was mistreated by police. “Unlike the BNP-Jamaat terrorists in Bangladesh, she did not seem like an extremist, getting herself indulging in violence or arson,” he explained. The professor was reportedly verbally abused and violently arrested. Arafat concluded by affirming the fundamental democratic rights to assembly and protest, which he argued should be respected universally: “The right to assembly and the right to protest need to be respected in all democracies.” Israel-Hamas war protesters and police clash on Texas campus, Columbia University begins suspensions

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud today (January 10, 2024) outlined the primary challenges for Bangladesh’s new government. Key among these challenges are the eradication of arson terrorism and the advancement of the nation into a technologically sophisticated era. Speaking after paying homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his historic Homecoming Day, Dr. Mahmud addressed the objectives of the new administration. “With the formation of the new government, our principal focus will be to root out arson terrorism and pave the way for a Smart Bangladesh,” he stated. Read more: 'Citizens rejected the call to boycott elections': Hasan Mahmud The information minister emphasized the pivotal role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “Our victory in the Liberation War on December 16 marked a significant milestone, but our independence was incomplete until January 10, 1972. This was the day when Bangabandhu, the Father of the Nation, returned to an independent Bangladesh,” he remarked. Dr. Mahmud paid deep respect to Bangabandhu, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, the martyrs, and the four national leaders, acknowledging their sacrifices in shaping the nation. The minister also commented on the recent national election, noting the positive feedback from international observers. “Observers from the United States, the European Union, and various countries noted the smooth and fair conduct of the elections, marking a notable improvement from previous years,” he said. He also highlighted the international support received, with official statements from the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom expressing their willingness to work with the Bangladesh government. He mentioned congratulations extended by over 31 countries, including Japan, and personal well-wishes from leaders like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read more: Sheikh Hasina re-elected Awami League Parliamentary Party leader for 4th time in a row

Police today arrested a local leader of BNP from Birampur upazila of Dinajpur district in connection with a case filed over attempt to set fire to a rail track. The arrestee was identified as Haidar Ali, joint secretary of Birampur unit of BNP. Subrata Kumar, officer-in-charge of Birampur Police Station, said police arrested Haider from the upazila in the morning. Earlier, a case was filed against eight identified people and several unidentified people in connection with the attempt to set fire to a rail track last night. Read: Rail track bolts stolen from Kurigram-Rangpur railway line  Haidar was the prime accused in the case. He was handed over to Railway Police after primary interrogation. “Police are trying to arrest the other accused in the case,” said the OC. ATM Nurul Islam, in-charge of Parbatipur Railway Station, said miscreants are trying to destroy lives and property through sabotage activities on railways but their attempt was foiled due to strict surveillance by police. Last night, law enforcers foiled miscreants’ attempt to set fire to a rail track in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur district. Read: Two motorcyclists killed in Sylhet road crash  Mia Ranjan, sub-inspector of Birampur Police Station, said a group of people set fire to the slipper of rail tracks near No 2 Litchi Bagan in Birampur municipality area between 8 pm and 9 pm. Noticing smoke, police and Ansar members rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. They also managed to halt the Khulna-bound Shimanto Express train, which was scheduled to go through the area, a few yards away, saving lives and property.  

Helper of a truck suffered burn injuries from a petrol bomb attack in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon area on Tuesday (November 28, 2023) night.  Md Saimon, 20, is currently undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.  Miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at the truck at Singlabo area, said Sheikh Billal Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Narayanganj. Bus set on fire in Gazipur during 24-hour blockade Police are working to identify the arsonist, he said.  The tiles-carrying truck was on its way to Sirajganj from Sonargaon’s  Meghnaghat area through the Asian Highway.  Car torched, bombs exploded at the house of Feni BNP leader The truck driver managed to get down quickly, and several parts of the truck were burnt.  Locals rescued the helper and rushed him to hospital. On information, police rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire with the help of locals.  Crude bombs explode near Sitakunda AL leader’s house

The latest 24-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, called by BNP, is underway across Bangladesh with reports of arson attacks. Dhaka is witnessing usual traffic this morning despite the blockade. Commuters were seen going to their respective destinations in a rush while activities at government and private offices were going on as usual. 24-hour blockade: 428 RAB patrol teams deployed Many students with guardians are going to their respective schools for their final exams. A bus of Turag Paribahan was set on fire by miscreants at Dholaipar in Shyampur area of Dhaka at 5:30 am. A total of 428 patrol teams of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed across the country to maintain law and order during the ongoing 24-hour rail, road and waterways blockade called by BNP. BNP to enforce blockade Wednesday, hartal Thursday BNP called for a daylong blockade today and a daylong hartal on Thursday to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC). Party's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Monday. Rizvi said the programmes are also meant to mount pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government, and release BNP leaders and activists, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. 230 BGB platoons deployed on day 2 of blockade

Eleven arson attacks were recorded in the past 15 hours, from 6 pm yesterday till 9 am this morning (November 19, 2023). A total of 11 vehicles were set on fire by miscreants during this time. Of these, five were set on fire inside Dhaka city, according to the media cell of Fire Service and Civil Defence. Also read: Case filed over burning train compartments in Jamalpur Meanwhile, three reports of arson violence were recorded in Rajshahi division, two in Chattogram, and one in Mymensingh, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (media cell).  The affected vehicles included six buses, one covered van, one CNG-run autorickshaw, one pickup van, and three carriages of a train. A total of 107 members of 20 firefighting units worked to douse the fires across the country during this period. A 48-hour hartal — called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties — protesting the general election schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC) is underway from this morning amid fear of violence. Also read: CNG-run autorickshaw catches fire as cocktail thrown in Old Dhaka

A case has been filed over burning three carriages of the intercity Jamuna Express train near Sarishabari railway station in Jamalpur early today (November 19, 2023). Unidentified miscreants set three carriages (Ka, Kha and Ga) of the train on fire at around 1:12 am today after the Tarakandi-bound intercity train left Jamalpur’s Sarishabari railway station. Also read: CNG-run autorickshaw catches fire as cocktail thrown in Old Dhaka A fire service team led by Senior Station Officer of Sarishabari Fire Service, Ruhul Amin, rushed to the spot and doused the fire around 2:30 am. At least 4-5 passengers were injured during the incident as they tried to get out of the carriages. At least two of them, including a woman, is currently undergoing treatment at Sarishabari Upazila Health Complex. Meanwhile, a case has been filed against 15-20 unidentified people in relation to the incident. Also read: 48-hour hartal called by BNP, others begins amid fear of violence Abdus Salam, assistant stationmaster of Sarishabari railway station, filed the case with Jamalpur Railway Police Station around 7 am today. Confirming the news, Jamalpur Railway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gulzar Hossain said efforts were underway to nab those involved in the incident. Also read: BNP-Jamaat’s hartal: 460 RAB teams deployed across the country

Bangladesh has expressed its displeasure to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk over a recent letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and a press note on the country “without waiting for fuller information and facts.” “We expect that human rights mechanisms would give themselves adequate time before jumping to conclusions without the benefit of full facts to avoid the risks of being influenced by rumors and unverified information,” according to Bangladesh’s response to Türk on November 10. The letter seen by UNB notes that the UN rights chief’s letter, dated November 1, 2023, addressed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has been written “hastily without waiting for fuller information and facts” to emerge and without allowing sufficient time for reflection. The letter mentioned that a press note was also “hurriedly released” from Türk’s office on the same issue without consulting Bangladesh, and without taking into consideration the facts and figures the country provided along with “horrific images and video footage taken from neutral sources.” Guided by the obligations emanated from the constitution, Bangladesh side said that the government has been allowing and extending necessary cooperation to all political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to arrange assemblies, protests, processions etc. Read: Bangladesh can be an ideal location for BRI, IPS cooperation: Prof Imtiaz In this spirit the government allowed mass assemblies convened by different political parties on October 28, 2023 on the streets of Dhaka despite the declared objective of a major opposition party – BNP – to create anarchy and disconnect Dhaka from other parts of Bangladesh as a pressure tactic, reads the letter. During its rally and strike on October 28-29, the unruly activists of BNP – “misguided” by the propaganda of its leaders – took recourse to indiscriminate street violence, arson, other forms of violent activities on the apolitical law enforcement agency members, police stations, CCTV cameras, the judiciary, media personnel, innocent civilians, state institutions, hospitals, ambulances, fire service vehicles and public properties, according to Bangladesh’s reply to Türk. A member of the police was beaten to death while more than 100 police officers were injured, a bus worker was burnt alive, residences of the chief justice of Bangladesh and other judges of the Supreme Court were attacked, it said. Read: Economy buffeted by political unrest amid declining forex reserves: Analysts On the following days, as BNP spread the “campaign of arson and terror” all over Bangladesh, a few more people were killed, reads the letter. “It is unfortunate that BNP unleashed its attacks on the on-duty media personnel. TV cameras were snatched away and at least 25 journalists were attacked, several of whom were admitted to hospitals. Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) condemned these attacks by the BNP activists,” according to Bangladesh’s response.  In the letter, Bangladesh said Türk’s office should conduct an unbiased assessment of BNP’s targeted attacks on the press impeding freedom of expression. “Let me reassure you that our law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are well-trained to apply minimal and optimal force as they seek to prevent destruction of property or lives. Our LEAs deserve appreciation for being reasonable and restrained despite a member of the Police being mercilessly beaten to death by BNP hoodlums,” reads the letter. The current government, as a democratically elected one, is committed to uphold the rule of law and ensure peace and security, it said. Every single arrest made following the incident of October 28, was based on specific allegations against the persons concerned, Bangladesh said. “There has been no arbitrary arrest and detention, and we assure them access to full legal recourse as allowed under domestic laws,” the letter said. Read: Uncertainty, tension grip students, parents amid raging political crisis In its reply, Bangladesh also mentioned that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was convicted on corruption charges in two cases while a few other cases are ongoing – all of which were filed during the 2007-08 caretaker administration. Considering her health condition, based on the application of her family members, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suspended her sentence under legal provision. “Begum Khaleda Zia was offered a release for a period of six months on conditions of (a) taking treatment in Bangladesh and (b) not leaving the country. She accepted the conditions under which she was released on 25 March 2020 and her release tenure was extended several times,” said the government of Bangladesh. Bangladesh in its reply mentioned that she has been receiving treatment of the highest standard at the Evercare Hospital, one of the best hospitals in Bangladesh, as per her choice. Recently, her family members and the leadership of BNP sought permission from the government to bring specialist doctors from the USA for her treatment. The government accorded its permission. Bangladesh appreciated engagement of Türk’s office with the government of Bangladesh on the recent developments. “As Bangladesh is constructively and consistently engaged with the UN mechanisms in promoting and protecting human rights, we expect our steadfast commitment would be reciprocated with the spirit of cooperation and proportionality,” reads the letter to the UN rights chief. Read EC to announce polls schedule in a couple of days: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the next national election is drawing nearer and the Election Commission is likely to announce the polls schedule in a day or two.   “Since we’ve been able to establish the voting rights of the people, they will cast their votes freely,” she said in a confident voice.     The premier was speaking at a function marking the inauguration of 10,041 infrastructures (Involving the total cost of nearly Tk 100,000 crore) throughout the country under 157 projects of 24 ministries and divisions through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban. The beneficiaries were connected to the event virtually from a total of 101 places, including 64 DC offices throughout the country. The total estimated cost of the projects is Tk 97,471 crore.  Noting that Bangladesh has gained the status of a developing country, she said the continuation of the government is essential to sustain this momentum. Without mentioning BNP she took a swipe at the opposition party saying it doesn't want to join the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections, fearing its performance could be as bad as in the 2008 polls. In the 2008 election, Awami League gained a landslide victory with 233 seats out of 300 constituencies, while BNP won only 30 seats. “Those who secured only 30 seats will have no desire to run the election.  They are attempting to invite sufferings for the people of Bangladesh creating an abnormal situation by foiling the election,” she said, not mentioning the name of BNP. In 2008 vote BNP secured 29 seats and later added another in a bye-election. Read: Bangladesh will surely overcome arson violence: PM Hasina She said AL also won the 2014 election overcoming arson violence and attempts to foil the vote. We’ve come (to power) being elected by the people time and again. Awami League never formed the government by any other means but the democratic way. All the electoral reforms – from enactment of a law over constitution of election commission to introduction of transparent ballot boxes— were done following Awami League’s proposals only to ensure the people’s voting rights. PM Hasina said her government started the development of Bangladesh from the grassroots level so that the people can enjoy urban facilities even staying in villages.    Read: PM Hasina opens Southeast Asia’s largest urea fertiliser factory in Narsingdi The PM said the blockade programme and arson violence has been launched when the people are living in peace and the country witnessing its rapid progress.  The normal life of the people and the academic activities of the students particularly those who are sitting for the annual examinations are hampered due to the arson violence, she said. Hasina said her government has increased the literacy rate to 76.6 percent now from only 45 percent during the BNP government of 2001-6. She wished that good sense would prevail upon them and they would stop this destruction and arson violence. The prime minister, however, asked the countrymen to resist this arson violence for the sake of protecting their own lives and assets. Read: Produce leprosy drugs locally: PM Hasina to pharmaceutical companies Among the infrastructures, the prime minister unveiled foundation stones of or opened 4,644 infrastructures under different projects as well as distributed 5,397 houses, constructed under Ashrayan-2 project at 132 upazilas in 46 districts, among landless and homeless families across the country. At the event, the PM declared more 11 districts and 60 upazilas as landless and homeless-free units following the distribution of the Ashrayan houses on Tuesday. A total of 32 districts and 394 upazilas have so far become landless and homeless family-free ones. The 4,644 infrastructures include 2023 Government Primary School Bhabans, 1800 Madrasha Bhaban, 299 Academic Bhaban and 40 Administrative Bhaban under Technical and Madrasha Education Division, 952 Academic cum Research Bhaban under Secondary and Higher Education Division, 12 student dormitory Bhaban, 222 disaster management centres, 128 chief judicial magistrate Bhaban, sub-register office Bhaban in 46 districts, 110 flood shelter centres, 25 Mujib Killa, 20 bridges, 22 complexes under the Social  Welfare Ministry, 34 Bhaban under the Health Services Division, 7 student mess, 16 dormitories, 23 ICU, 79 community clinic, 46 Medical College Bhaban, 24 Nursing College Bhaban, tennis infrastructural development in 25 districts, 13 Kriya (Sports) School Bhaban, 26 BKSP Training Centre, 20 child daycare centres, 38 SPM with double pipelines, constructions of 10 gas pipelines, installment of 26 refining units , 24 mine digging, 140 gas plant purchase and installment, construction of 33 pipelines, 18 infrastructures of Sheikh Hasina Textile Engineering College, 11 Textile Institute infrastructures, 40 technical training centre and 14 Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centre Bhaban. PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah conducted the event.  

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) say they caught a central leader of BNP’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), "red-handed" when he was about to set a bus on fire on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Abdullahpur area this morning (November 13, 2023). The detainee, Mamun Majumdar, is an assistant organising secretary of JCD's central executive body. Md Parvez Rana, senior assistant superintendent of police (ASP) at RAB-1, told journalists that RAB personnel in plainclothes took position in Abdullahpur this morning after being tipped off that some miscreants would obstruct vehicles and set them on fire. Read: Crude bombs hurled at police vehicle in Dhaka's Uttara, JCD activist arrested Members of the elite force caught the JCD leader when he was trying to set a bus of Projapati Paribahan on fire, the RAB official said. “The JCD leader admitted that they have activists positioned in several Dhaka areas to carry out subversive activities with the aim of destabilising the country,” said ASP Rana. JCD men, who aspire to land higher posts in the next committee, are determined to carry out destructive acts, the RAB official said, quoting the detained JCD leader. Read more: JCD leader dies, 3 hurt in Chandpur road crash