A group of former leaders and activists of Islamic University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student organisation of  ruling Awami League, staged a demonstration on the campus in Kushtia for the third consecutive day on Wednesday demanding vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam’s resignation. Around 30 ex-BCL leaders and activists of IU went to the Vice-Chancellor’s office and kept it under lock and key in the morning, to press home their demand. The protesters vowed to continue their demonstrations on the campus until their demand was met. Earlier, eight audio clips, three between Oliur, a jobseeker at the Mass Communication and Journalism Department and the VC and two others with an official of a ministry went viral on Facebook that sparked  protest and criticism. Also Read: Ex-BCL men stage demo at IU demanding VC’s resignation In the audio clip, the VC purportedly asked Oliur to collect two other candidates to fulfill the requirement for the department’s recruitment board. According to the audio clips, the VC told Oliur that he, Oliur, failed to write his answer to the question of the recruitment test held on October 25, 2022. He also told him that he was not good at his IQ. Also Read: VC’s leaked audio clips: IU postpones 3 departments’ recruitment process The VC advised him over the phone regarding the recruitment test. He assured Oliur that he did not accept the recruitment policy of the University Grants Commission regarding the requirement process of recruiting teachers at Journalism department. IU BCL unit former organising secretary Rasel Joarder told UNB that the vice-chancellor was a corrupt person the audio conversations between him and the job seeker that went viral on social media proved that. Also Read: HC orders Kushtia DC to probe ragging of a female student at IU On Friday night, IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan filed a general diary with Islamic University police station in this connection.

BNP will stage demonstrations across the country, except in Khulan division, on Thursday to protest against the police attacks on party leaders and activists, their arrests and harassment in ‘false’ cases. The programme is also meant for registering the party’s protest against police raids on the houses of opposition leaders and workers, sending them to jail despite the bails they obtained in different cases and continued torture on them by the ruling party ‘cadres’. BNP Senior Joint General Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the fresh protests at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office. As part of the protests, Rizvi said their party’s all divisional city, including Dhaka, and district units will hold rallies and stage demonstrations on the day. He, however, said Khulna city and all districts under the division will remain out of the preview of Thursday’s central programme as the party is scheduled to hold a public rally in Khulna city on Saturday. Replying to a question, he said BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units are likely to hold a rally on Thursday in front of their Nayapaltan central office. Earlier on September 28, BNP announced to hold public rallies in 10 divisional cities in protest against the killings and filing of cases against the party leaders and activists, price hikes of fuel and daily essentials and demanding the unconditional release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. The party already arranged two massive rallies in Chattogram and Mymensingh while the third one will be held in Khulna on Saturday next. BNP leaders alleged that many BNP leaders and activists were attacked, arrested and implicated in ‘false’ cases in Chattogram and Mymensingh over holding the rally.

The BNP has announced nationwide demonstrations for Sunday protesting the attack on their programme in the city’s Mirpur. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference at the chairperson's office in Gulshan on Friday morning. Read: BNP won't budge from decision to shun polls under AL govt: Fakhrul The protests will be held in all cities, districts and upazilas including Dhaka, said Fakhrul. BNP will also hold a demonstration in front of the party's central office in the city’s Nayapaltan at 3pm. Fakfrul said Awami League is an anti-democratic and a terrorist force that takes away the rights of the people of the country. “Awami League established one-party rule in the past, but they still want to establish one-party, Baksal, for the same purpose,” he added. He said AL had attacked BNP leaders and activists attacked opposition programmes in the same way in the past. "What Awami League wants to do now ahead of the election is to ensure that no healthy ,election environment remains here and  the demand of a neutral government for which the people are protesting is not met,” said Fakhrul. They (AL) want to hold another election without any opposition party to establish their one-party rule, he added. Read: Over 100 injured in AL-BNP clash in Mirpur On Thursday, at least 100 BNP activists were injured during a series of clashes with ruling Awami League rivals at the capital's Mirpur area over holding a scheduled rally. “We took permission from police to hold the rally and accordingly asked our activists to join. As our leaders, activists were coming with a procession, activists of AL, Jubo League, and Bangladesh Chaatra League (BCL) attacked them with sticks, rods,” said Aminul Haque, member secretary of Dhaka North unit of BNP. Police also lobbed tear shells at BNP activists, he said. Around 15 activists were held by police, said the BNP leader. Such an attack on a protest rally against price hikes of essentials proves that the government wants to prevent democratic rights in a fascist style, said Aminul. Earlier on September 10, BNP announced to hold public rallies in 16 spots under its Dhaka south and north city units until September 27 in protest against the increase in prices of essentials, fuel and transport fares. The rallies are also meant for registering the party’s protest against the killings of Bhola Chhatra Dal leader Noor-e-Alam, Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim and Narayanganj Jubo Dal leader Shaon Prodhan.

Local people on Monday staged demonstrations on Monday in different parts of the city protesting frequent load shedding. Several hundred people thronged at Mira Bazar area around 11 am and staged sit-in in front of the power office for an hour. Later, they withdrew their programme after getting assurance from the authorities concerned of the power office. When speaking, local people said they have been experiencing frequent load shedding for the past one week and the power development authorities did not follow the schedule set by the government, which disrupts their business and damaged electrical equipment’s. Read: Parts of Sylhet city to experience 13-hour load shedding per day They are not getting pure water for household work and they are going through immense suffering. They also demanded load shedding as per schedule announced by the Prime Minister. The residents of Mirabazar and Darjipara also staged demonstration for same demand.

BNP will stage demonstrations across the country on Thursday in protest against what the party said issuing a death threat to its chairperson by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with her comment about pushing Khaleda Zia into the river from the Padma Bridge. Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programme at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. He said the decision to hold the protest was taken at a virtual meeting of their party’s standing committee on Monday night. The BNP leader said their party and its all associate bodies will stage the demonstrations in all divisional cities, except Dhaka, and district towns. Earlier on Monday, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital protesting the Prime Minister’s ‘indecent’ comment on the Padma Bridge involving Khaleda. Also read: BNP again seeks PM’s apology for Padma Bridge remark on Khaleda On Wednesday last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a meeting of Awami League that Khaleda Zia once said that the Padma Bridge would collapse while using it as it was being constructed with patchworks. “What should now be done to them? They should be taken to the Padma Bridge and pushed into the river from there,” she said. The PM also slammed Nobel Peace Prize winner, economist Dr Muhammad Yunus, for what she said making his efforts to block the World Bank's funding for the Padma Bridge. Fakhrul said the meeting of their standing committee elaborately discussed the 'disrespectful' remarks made by the Prime Minister about Khaleda and the senior citizens of the country, including Dr Yunus. “The meeting thinks that this statement of the Awami President Sheikh Hasina is tantamount to a death threat to Begum Khaleda Zia. This remark by the head of the unelected government is extremely dangerous because when the head of the executive branch threatens to push someone into the river from the Padma Bridge, it falls into the category of ordering to kill,” Fakhrul said. He said the Prime Minister also issued a similar threat to Bangladesh's lone Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank founder Dr Yunus which was 'devoid of political etiquette', 'indecent' and 'disrespectful'. “The meeting strongly condemned and protested such comments."

Students of different colleges in the city on Tuesday afternoon threatened to resume demonstrations on Saturday morning if their two-point demand, including half fare for bus rides for them, is not met by 48 hours. Students of Dhanmondi Ideal College blocked Science Laboratory intersection in the city around 12:30 pm, demanding half fare for students in public transport. Later, students from Dhaka City College and other adjacent colleges expressed solidarity with them and joined the demonstrations, halting traffic on the busy road.

Commuters on Tuesday staged demonstrations at Joydebpur rail station in Gazipur for an hour to press home their 10-point demand, halting train communications of the district with the northern region.  

Rajshahi University students on Thursday staged demonstrations demanding continuation of examinations under its different departments.

The students of Islamic University staged demonstrations for the 3rd consecutive days on Tuesday and gave a 5-day ultimatum to the authorities for reopening of the campus and the residential halls of the university.

BNP will stage demonstrations across the country on December 30, marking the second anniversary of the 11th parliamentary election.