After confusion over the identity of a female journalist who was burnt to death in the devastating fire on Bailey Road on February 29, police finally confirmed her real name was Brishty Khatun,  and she used a pen name Ovisruti Shastri. The result came as the samples of her DNA matched those collected from her parents on Sunday, Additional DIG of Dhaka Metro CID Md Jahangir Hossain Matubbar confirmed. Later on Monday afternoon, 11 days after the incident, the body was handed over to her father Sabuj Sheikh from the Dhaka Medical College morgue. In response to a question from the journalists,  Additional DIG said, the victim worked in various places using the name of  Ovisruti Shastri. That's why confusion was created over her identity and her colleagues claimed she was Hindu. Later they understood and wrote to the police station, to hand over the dead body to her parents. Read more: High Court issues rule on compensation for Bailey Road fire victims Sabuj Sheikh said the truth has been established: “I am her father, I thank Allah thousands and millions.” “Finally I received the body today, I will take it to my village home. There, she will be buried in the family cemetery with a Janaza according to Islamic Shari'a,” he added. Brishty Khatun was the eldest among his three daughters. Habibur Rahman, sub-inspector (SI) of Ramna Police Station, was present at that time. After due procedures, at 2.55 pm, Sabuj Sheikh left Dhaka with Birshty’s body. Read more: Why Fire Safety Audit is Essential for Commercial Buildings

A Dhaka court has scheduled February 20 as the date to announce the judgment in the high-profile murder case of Sagira Morshed, who was killed in 1989. The decision was made by the Judge of Dhaka Special Judge Court-3, Mohammad Ali, according to Advocate Faruk Ahmed, representing the plaintiff. The individuals accused in this case are Dr. Hasan Ali Chowdhury, 71, Sagira's brother-in-law; his wife Sayedatul Mahmuda alias Shahin, 65; Mahmud Rezwan, 60; Maruf Reza, 60; and Mantu Mandal alias Mintu. Among them, Mahmud and Maruf are currently incarcerated, while the others have been released on bail. Brother-in-law among 4 indicted in Sagira Morshed murder case Sagira Morshed was fatally shot on Siddheswari Road, Dhaka, on July 25, 1989, while on her way to pick up her daughter from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, attempted to rob her of her gold bangle and shot her as she tried to escape, leading to her death en route to the hospital. The murder case was initially filed by Sagira's husband, Salam Chowdhury, at the Ramna Police Station. A chargesheet against Mantu was submitted on January 17, 1991. Subsequent orders from the High Court transferred the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The PBI investigation revealed that the murder was not a simple mugging but involved a deeper family feud. On January 15, 2020, Inspector Rafiqul Islam of PBI Dhaka (South) Metropolitan submitted a new chargesheet. Later, on November 13, 2020, Dr. Hasan and his wife Shahin confessed to their involvement in Sagira's murder before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain. Sagira Murder: Court takes congnisance of charges against 4 accused Following these developments, the PBI arrested Dr. Hasan upon his return from abroad, presenting him before the magistrate's court as part of their ongoing investigation into the murder, which has now spanned over three decades.

The High Court today (January 10, 2024) rejected the bail petition of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed over vandalising the Chief Justice's residence on October 28 during the party's grand rally. The HC bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin passed the order after hearing a rule. Advocate Joynul Abedin, Fakhrul's lawyer, said the decision to file an appeal will be taken after discussion. Bail plea of BNP's Fakhrul to be heard Jan 9 Deputy Attorney General BM Abdur Ruffel represented the state. Earlier on December 7, 2023, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain why Fakhrul should not be granted bail in the case. The government was asked to respond to the rule within a week. On December 17, the High Court set January 3 for hearing on the rule. SC upholds HC order to dispose of Fakhrul’s bail pleas On October 29, 2023, police filed a case with Ramna Police Station on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice's residence during a BNP rally on October 28. Fakhrul was arrested in the case on October 29 and has been in jail since then.

A petition for anticipatory bail for Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman has been submitted to the High Court in a case filed under Digital Security Act. The case was filed with Dhaka’s Ramna Police Station on March 29. Defendant’s Counsel Prashanta Kumar Karmakar told UNB that they submitted the petition for anticipatory bail earlier this morning. At the time of filing this report around 11am, hearing regarding the petition is yet to start, he said. Read More: Prothom Alo journo offered a child Tk 10 and expressed his views in the minor’s name: Foreign Ministry On March 29, an FIR was filed by a lawyer named Abdul Malek (Mashiur Malek), accusing Matiur Rahman, Prothom Alo reporter Shamsuzzaman Shams, an unnamed “assistant cameraman”, and unnamed others of “using print, online, and electronic media to tarnish the image and reputation of the state.” In the FIR, the lawyer also mentioned that the accused were “purposefully spreading misinformation to deteriorate the law and order situation of the country.” The case was filed under sections 25, 31 and 35 of the DSA. Read More: Prothom Alo journalist Shams denied bail, sent to jail The plaintiff said the news reported by Shamsuzzaman Shams went viral on social media which “tarnished the image of the country and triggered criticism at home and abroad.” Moreover, there was a possibility of deterioration in the law and order situation in the country over the matter, the case statement said. Later, Shamsuzzaman Shams, the paper’s Savar correspondent who wrote the report was sued in a separate case under the DSA on March 29, around 10 hours after being picked up from his house near Jahangirnagar University by members of the Criminal Investigation Department of police. Read More: Prothom Alo reporter Shamsuzzaman sued under DSA Multiple national and international bodies including Editors’ Council, Editors’ Guild of Bangladesh, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) and the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) have published separate statements condemning the arrest of Shams.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab)  arrested Minhaz Mannan Emon, a director of the Dhaka Stock Exchange,  from the city’s Banani area on Wednesday in  a case filed under the Digital Security Act.   Sub-inspector Jamshedul Alam of Ramna Police Station, also the investigation officer of the case ,said the elite force members handed over Minhaz and another accused in the case Didaul Bhuiya to police in the evening.   Abu Bakar Siddique, Rab deputy assistant director, on April 5 filed a case against eleven people including Minhaz under the Digital Security Act with Ramna Police Station.   Didarul Bhuiya, a member of a ‘Rastra Chinta Songothon’, blogger Asif Mahmud, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and Mostaque Ahmed are among the accused in the case. Six people including Minhaz , have so far been arrested.   According to the case statement, the arrestees attempted to destabilise the country by posting false and fake information against the government on a Facebook page ‘I am Bangladeshi’ .   Tasnim Khalil, a Sweden expatriate,  is the admin of the facebook page which has 2.5 followers.   Police produced the arrestees before a court with a 7-day remand prayer on Thursday morning, said IO Jamshedul Alam.

A Deputy Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Employment was found dead at a residence in the city’s Ramna area.

A court here on Tuesday accepted charges against five accused, including Syed Md Hossain Imam Faruq, land owner of the FR Tower, in a case filed over tower design forgery.