Secretariat
Clashes erupt between police and students at secretariat gate
Clashes broke out between police and a group of students from Prime Asia University at the main gate of Bangladesh's Secretariat on Tuesday.
Witnesses reported that the students were involved in a standoff with police, though the reason behind their protest remains unclear.F
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Earlier, a four-member delegation from the university had entered the Secretariat building to meet the Education Adviser. They were scheduled to meet the adviser at 4:30 pm.
"Outside, however, a larger group of students, who had been waiting, became involved in a verbal altercation with the police," said an official.
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The situation quickly escalated into a clash when the police used batons. They also fired two rounds of blank shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
1 month ago
Trainee sub-inspectors stage sit-in at Secretariat for reinstatement
Trainee Sub-Inspectors (SI) of the 40th Cadet Batch of the police have staged a sit-in in front of the Secretariat, demanding their reinstatement to ongoing training after being discharged due to alleged misconduct.
The protests took place early Sunday morning at the west gate of the Secretariat.
Protestors carried placards with various slogans, including “In the land of red and green, there’s no place for discrimination,” “Why should we be a burden when our mission is to serve the country?” “365 days without pay, return our jobs,” “We demand reinstatement immediately,” and “Our sole demand is quick reinstatement.”
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The authorities dismissed 321 SIs in four phases for alleged misconduct both in the field and during classes.
The dismissed trainees have termed the allegations as absurd, claiming there was no disorder at the academy.
They claimed that checking the academy's CCTV footage would provide proof of their claims.
The trainee SIs also said they have been victims of discrimination.
A trainee SI said they were not present at the academy on the day the show-cause letter was issued, as they were on leave.
Renovation of burnt secretariat building to end in 10-12 days: Secretary
Another trainee shared the emotional toll of the situation, saying, “We come from lower-middle-class families. Our families sacrificed so much for us to secure this job, yet today we are dismissed. The pain is indescribable.”
They said they had submitted memorandums to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and other relevant departments, but have yet to receive any response.
They said will hold a brief press conference after their sit-in, where they would provide further details.
1 month ago
Fire-ravaged secretariat building can be repaired: Public Works Official
The Building No. 7 of the Secretariat, which was gutted by a devastating fire last week, can be repaired and made usable, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Sub-Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department has said.
"We responded promptly after the fire broke out on Wednesday. Our team was on-site without delay, and we provided maximum support to the Fire Service from the Public Works Department," he told reporters on the Secretariat premises on Monday.
The four-story building housed six ministries, with 40 to 50 rooms on each floor, he said, adding that four floors were damaged, with some parts completely burned while others sustained partial damage.
Secretariat fire: Activities of 6 ministries continue at several govt offices
When asked whether the building could be used again, he said, “Several high-level teams have conducted investigations so far. Future actions will depend on the recommendations from expert committees. However, preliminary observations suggest the building can be repaired.”
He added that the building has not yet been handed over to the Public Works Department by the law enforcement agencies. “Once the damage assessment report is provided, we’ll have a clearer idea of how long the repair process will take,” he said.
Journalists to be allowed to enter secretariat with temporary passes from Monday
1 month ago
Secretariat fire: Activities of 6 ministries continue at several govt offices
Activities of six ministries including the Finance Ministry have been going on temporarily at several government establishments in Dhaka following the massive fire at the Secretariat.
The activities of the ministries of Road, Transport and Bridges, Post and Telecommunication, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperative are going on at Railway Bhaban on Abdul Gani Road, GPO Bhaban, South City Corporation Bhaban in Phulbaria respectively, said sources at the ministries.
Moreover, the ministries of Youth and Sports, Labour and Employment and Finance are carrying out their activities at National Sports Council, Labour Bhaban and Finance Adviser’s office respectively.
The Building No-7 of the Secretariat caught fire on December 26 and offices, equipment, files, documents and furniture were badly damaged.
Read: Secretariat fire sabotage or accident still not known: Fire service DG
The fire destroyed vital documents of five key ministries.
Two committees were formed to assess the damages to the Labour and Employment Ministry’s documents .
One of the probe bodies is scheduled to submit an initial report to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today (Monday).
1 month ago
BSRF secures temporary secretariat access for journalists
Journalists reporting from the Bangladesh Secretariat, including members of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), will be allowed entry with temporary passes starting Monday, officials said on Sunday.
The decision followed a meeting between BSRF leaders and Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury at the Secretariat.
Masudul Hoque, General Secretary of the BSRF, said that the forum had requested a resolution to the restrictions that had limited access for journalists covering the Secretariat beat.
Journalists to be allowed to enter secretariat with temporary passes from Monday
"In response to our appeal, the Adviser assured that journalists working in the Secretariat beat, including BSRF members, will be allowed entry with temporary passes for the next 15 days," he said.
The Adviser also revealed plans to issue new press accreditation cards for journalists, which will be managed by the Directorate of Information under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The government aims to digitise these accreditation cards to streamline access and improve security.
Masudul Hoque said that a list of BSRF members has already been submitted to the Home Ministry.
This development is expected to ease concerns among journalists covering the Secretariat, enabling them to continue their professional duties unhindered.
1 month ago
Journalists to be allowed to enter secretariat with temporary passes from Monday
Journalists will get temporary passes to enter the Secretariat from Monday.
Accreditation cards of journalists are being re-evaluated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and new permanent or temporary accreditation cards / passes will be issued very soon, according to a PID handout.
Secretariat fire part of a deep conspiracy: BNP’s Rizvi
Visitors and journalists were barred from entering the Secretariat for the sake of investigation in the wake of the recent fire incident in the 7th building of the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The fire severely damaged four floors of Building No. 7, from the sixth to the ninth, which housed multiple key ministries and divisions on December 26.
Media access to Secretariat restricted for security of fire-hit KPI: CA Press Wing
Meanwhile, several investigative committees have been formed to look into the incident.
1 month ago
Media access to Secretariat restricted for security of fire-hit KPI: CA Press Wing
The decision to restrict journalists' access to the Secretariat was taken in view of the safety and security of the Key Point Installation (KPI), which was hit by a devastating fire this week, said the interim government on Saturday.
"The government regrets the inconvenience and seeks cooperation from journalists," Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said in a statement.
The government will soon review the existing press accreditation cards and invite fresh applications from all the local and international news outlets for the Press Information Department to issue new accreditation cards, he said.
Azad said temporary daily access cards will be issued by respective ministries for any press events.
Temporary Secretariat entry passes cancelled due to security concerns
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser's Senior Assistant Press Release Foyez Ahammad urged the professional journalists not to get worried, saying the leaders and activists of Chhatra League-Jubo League-Awami League are holding hundreds of accreditation cards like the professional journalists hold.
"Dear professional journalist friends, don't worry," he said in a Facebook post.
Foyez claimed that the Awami League regime harassed professional journalists by not issuing them accreditation cards and by canceling cards, but issued hundreds of cards in the names of their leaders and activists in favour of various fake news portals/newspapers.
"It is very difficult to verify these cards one by one. Again, there is no other option but to take immediate action in the recent fire incident at the Secretariat," he said.
Foyez said professional journalists will get new accreditation cards based on the needs of their organisations very soon.
However, journalism will definitely not stop, even the entry of journalists into the Secretariat will not remain halted, he said, adding that journalists will be able to enter with temporary passes from the ministry concerend.
1 month ago
Investigate and identify culprits of secretariat fire: BNP
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday demanded a thorough investigation into the fire at the Secretariat to identify the real culprits.
In a statement, he also expressed deep concern over the fire incident that broke out in the sensitive Secretariat building last night, leaving one person dead.
“The devastating fire at the Secretariat has caused significant damages, with important documents reduced to ashes. It is not unusual that the current interim government finds itself in an embarrassing situation in the wake of such an incident,” the BNP leader said.
“I strongly demand that the real culprits be identified and punished through a proper investigation into the fire,” he said.
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Fakhrul called upon the government to provide appropriate compensation to the family of the fire victim and those injured in the incident.
The fire, which broke on the sixth floor of Secretariat Building No. 7 around 1:52 am, was completely extinguished after 10 hours of firefighting efforts.
The fire severely damaged four floors of Building No. 7, from the sixth to the ninth, which housed multiple key ministries and divisions.
1 month ago
Cause of secretariat fire still unknown: Fire Service DG
The cause of the devastating fire that engulfed Building No-7 of the Bangladesh Secretariat still remains unknown, said Muhammad Jahed Kamal, Director General (DG) of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat at noon, DG Jahed said that the fire had been completely extinguished by 11:45 am.
He said 10 firefighting units were deployed to combat the blaze, and one of the Secretariat’s gates had to be demolished to allow two large firefighting vehicles access to the scene.
The fire severely damaged four floors of Building No-7, from the sixth to the ninth, where multiple key ministries and divisions were housed.
These included the Youth and Sports Ministry, Labour and Employment Ministry, Posts and Telecommunications Division, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, and the Road Transport and Highway Division.
Read: Fire ravages secretariat building, spreads across 3 floors: Home Adviser
The floors were completely destroyed, reducing them to debris, as reported by UNB’s senior correspondent from the scene.
Talking about the incident earlier, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that it would be determined through investigation whether the fire was an act of sabotage.
He said that the Cabinet Secretary had been instructed to form a high-level body to investigate the cause of the fire.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities are working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding this massive blaze at one of the country's most significant government buildings, he added.
1 month ago
Fire ravages secretariat building, spreads across 3 floors: Home Adviser
Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that the devastating fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Building No-7 of the Secretariat and spread to the seventh and eighth floors respectively.
He came up with the information while briefing reporters in front of the Secretariat, the hub of the country’s administration, on Thursday morning.
Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan was also present.
The home adviser said the fire began at 1:50am while the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) department was informed after two minutes at 1:52am.
The FSCD personnel started dousing the flame at 1:54am and brought it under control at 8:05am, he said. The fire was entirely doused at 11:45am.
“Now we look for what happened. We will inform (reporters) whether anything is found after searching the entire (building),” the home adviser said, adding that the fire did not go down from the sixth floor. Nineteen firefighting units were engaged in dousing the ablaze.
On the other hand, thousands of officials and staff gathered in front of the entrances of the Secretariat to join work in the morning but initially they were not allowed.
Read: High-level committee formed to investigate Secretariat fire
Later, some of them were allowed to enter the Secretariat through Gate No-5 upon showing their identity cards around 9am.
According to the website of the Cabinet Division, there are offices of six ministries and several divisions in the Building No-7 of the Secretariat.
The ministries and departments are Youth and Sports Ministry, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry, Posts and Telecommunications Division, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, Labour and Employment Ministry, Finance Ministry, Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, Internal Resources Division, Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, Road Transport and Highways Division.
An additional number of Army and Border Guard Bangladesh have been deployed in the Secretariat area to maintain law and order along with other forces.
Read more: Firefighter dies after being hit by truck during Secretariat blaze
While briefing the media, the home adviser announced to form a high-level body to investigate the devastating fire.
1 month ago