United News of Bangladesh

A group of Dhaka University students besieged Shahbagh Police Station on Tuesday alleging that police assaulted DU student Nayem Uddin, journalists, and others during an anti-narcotics drive at Suhrawardy Udyan on Monday. The protesters gathered in front of the police station around 1 pm and submitted a three-point demand. Their demands included taking punitive action against DC Masud and all police personnel involved in the assault, halting policing activities inside and outside the campus, and ensuring round-the-clock safety and protection of university students. Earlier at 1200 pm, Chhatra Federation held a protest rally at the Raju Sculpture. Dhaka University Central Student Union(DUCSU) also issued a statement condemning the incident and demanded punishment for those responsible. Meanwhile, the left-leaning student alliance ‘Ganatantrik Chhatra Jote’ announced a protest in the evening calling for the removal of DC Masud and action against the police members involved.  

The government has assigned departments and responsibilities to 10 advisers of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman who hold the rank of ministers and state ministers. The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification in this regard on Tuesday. Among the five advisers with ministerial rank, three have been appointed as political advisers. They are Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed, Nazrul Islam Khan and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed. Besides, Md Ismail Zabiullah has been made adviser to the Public Administration Ministry while Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Five advisers with state minister rank have been assigned various ministries and fields. Humayun Kabir has been assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. Brigadier General (retd) Shamsul Islam has been assigned the Ministry of Defence while Dr Zahed Ur Rahman will oversee policy and strategy. Mahdi Amin has been made adviser to the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Besides, Rehan Asif Asad has been appointed adviser to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to take steps immediately for mosquito control in and around airports in the country. She also instructed the authorities to strengthen cleanliness measures at all airports across the country to ensure greater comfort and safety for passengers. The Civil Aviation Minister came up with the directives at a meeting on the implementation progress of the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for January of the 2025–26 fiscal year, held at the Ministry. Biman flight cancelled as boarding bridge hits engine at Sylhet airport State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat stressed the need to resolve the trolley shortage at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to improve passenger services. He emphasised taking prompt initiatives to procure 1,000 new trolleys at the earliest possible time. The state minister also called upon all agencies concerned to work in coordination to ensure that passengers can travel smoothly without facing any form of harassment.

A ‘Ramadan Food Basket’ distribution project has been implemented across Bangladesh to support needy and disadvantaged communities, directly benefiting 22,500 people. The initiative has been carried out by the Dhaka office of the Muslim World League under the supervision of Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Zafer H. bin Abiyah. The Muslim World League (MWL), known in Arabic as Rabiṭat al-ʿAlam al-Islami, is a prominent international non-governmental Islamic organization headquartered in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The relief programme has been conducted in various districts of the country, including camps hosting forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees, providing essential food supplies in the holy month of Ramadan. Manager of Muslim World League, Dhaka Office Turki Almajdui on Tuesday said the project aims to reinforce the Islamic values of compassion, solidarity and brotherhood by standing beside vulnerable communities during Ramadan.

Stocks witnessed mixed performance on Tuesday as key indices fell on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed marginally higher. At the DSE, the benchmark DSEX shed 10 points, while the Shariah-based DSES declined by 5 points. However, the blue-chip DS30 index advanced 6 points, indicating gains in selected large-cap stocks. Most issues ended lower on the premier bourse, as prices fell for 221 companies against 119 gainers, while 57 issues remained unchanged. Stocks gain in early trade at DSE, CSE The turnover at the DSE rose to Tk 824 crore, up from Tk 718 crore in the previous session. In the block market, shares worth Tk 29 crore from 26 companies were traded, with Grameenphone dominating the segment with transactions worth Tk 6 crore. Intech Limited topped the gainers’ chart at the DSE with nearly a 10 percent price surge, while LR Global Bangladesh Mutual Fund One was the worst loser, shedding around 6 percent. Meanwhile, the CSE ended in positive territory as its All Share Price Index (CASPI) gained 5 points. Gainers outnumbered losers at the port city bourse, with 83 issues advancing against 64 decliners, while 40 remained unchanged. The CSE recorded a turnover of Tk 19 crore, slightly higher than Tk 18 crore in the previous session. Prime Finance and Investment Limited emerged as the top gainer at the CSE, rising nearly 10 percent, while EXIM Bank 1st Mutual Fund was the worst performer, losing about 6 percent.  

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain  and Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu visited the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute on Tuesday morning to see victims of Chattogram and Cumilla fire incidents. The ministers arrived at the institute in the morning where its Director Professor Dr Md Nasir Uddin briefed them on the condition of the patients and the ongoing treatment. After the briefing the Health Minister told reporters that the best possible treatment would be provided to all injured patients. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said gas leak related accidents occur in different parts of the country every year. He said the Ministries of Industries, Health, and Disaster Management and Relief will work together to bring expired gas cylinders under proper regulation. The ministers will hold a joint meeting soon to decide on measures to reduce such accidents, he said. Professor Dr Md Nasir Uddin said the institute had been informed earlier about the Chattogram incident and preparations were taken accordingly including deploying additional medical staff. One woman died on the way from Chattogram while several patients are being treated in the ICU and HDU, he said. Eight patients are currently receiving treatment under different categories. Gas explosion in Chattogram claims third life Three people died and six others were injured in a blast from gas leak at a residential building in Halishahar area of Chattogram city early Monday. Besides, Four members a family including a woman and a child were burned in a gas cylinder explosion in Daudkandi of Cumilla early Tuesday. The injured victims of the two incidents were shifted to the Burn Institute.  

The Cabinet Division has directed all officials and employees of government, semi-government and autonomous institutions to strictly follow prescribed office hours in a move to strengthen good governance. In a letter sent to senior secretaries and secretaries of all ministries and divisions, as well as divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners, the division instructed authorities to ensure that staff attend and leave their workplaces in line with existing rules. The directive refers to the Government Employees (Regular Attendance) Rules, 2019 and the Secretariat Instructions, 2024, which require officials and employees to maintain punctual attendance and remain in office for the full duration of working hours. Authorities have also been asked to issue necessary instructions to their subordinate offices to ensure compliance. Field-level officials and employees must obtain prior approval from the appropriate authority before leaving their workplace on weekly or other holidays, the letter said. On Monday, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued a separate office order declaring unauthorised absence, late arrival and early departure to be punishable offences. Under the order, officials and employees are required to be present at their respective offices by 9:00am on working days and may not leave before the end of official hours. Govt warns of disciplinary action over irregular office attendance During Ramadan, staff are prohibited from leaving before 3:30pm. After the fasting month, they will not be allowed to depart before 5:00pm. The directive further states that officials seeking to leave the office for official or urgent reasons must obtain prior permission from the head of the relevant sub-division, such as a Joint Secretary or Solicitor.  

The newly appointed administrators of six city corporations assumed office on Tuesday after meeting Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the Secretariat. The administrators are Abdus Salam for Dhaka South City Corporation, Shafiqul Islam Khan for Dhaka North City Corporation, Nazrul Islam Monju for Khulna City Corporation, Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury for Sylhet City Corporation, Sakhawat Hossain Khan for Narayanganj City Corporation and Shawkat Hossain Sarkar for Gazipur City Corporation. After the meeting, the minister said political leaders were appointed as administrators as the government believes this would help improve public services. “As government officials were previously in charge of these posts, we think that if political persons serve as administrators, people will receive better and more services. That is our belief. For this reason, we have appointed political persons as administrators,” Fakhrul said. “The gap between the authorities and the people will also be reduced, through this move,” he observed. Jamaat accuses govt of appointing BNP-backed individuals as city administrators On Monday, the government issued a gazette notification appointing six BNP leaders as administrators of Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Khulna, Sylhet, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations. According to the notification, the six leaders have been appointed under Section 25A(1) of the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024. They will serve as full-time administrators of the respective city corporations until elected representatives assume office or until further orders are issued.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will pay tribute to martyred BDR (Now BGB) members at Banani military graveyard on Wednesday. The President will place a wreath at 10:00 am, marking the National Martyred Army Day, said a notification issued by the Protocol Wing of the President’s Office on Monday. The programme will be held to honour the sacrifices of the BDR members who lost their lives at the BDR (now BGB) headquarters with due dignity and respect. President Sahabuddin to administer oath to new cabinet members: Cabinet Secretary The Prime Minister’s Office, the Armed Forces Division and the other concerned were requested to take necessary measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the programme. On February 23, 2025, the government decided to observe February 25 as National Martyred Army Day, honouring the sacrifices of army officers who lost their lives in the Pilkhana incident.

The National Board of Revenue has(NBR) introduced a new system allowing Bangladeshi taxpayers living abroad to receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) through email instead of mobile phones. The initiative is aimed at helping expatriate taxpayers who earlier registered for the e-return system using biometric-verified Bangladeshi mobile numbers but are now unable to access those numbers while staying overseas, said a press release on Tuesday. The NBR said the new arrangement will allow such taxpayers to complete special registration and reset their passwords using OTPs sent to their verified email addresses. This will remove a major obstacle to accessing the online tax platform from abroad. To verify their email addresses, expatriate taxpayers must apply to the NBR by email, attaching copies of their passport, national identity card and visa page. They also need to provide their overseas address, foreign mobile or telephone number, and the date of their last departure from Bangladesh. The NBR said it will review and verify the submitted information upon receiving the application. Once the email address is verified, taxpayers will be able to use OTPs sent to that email to reset passwords, complete registration and carry out other activities related to filing income tax returns through the e-return system. The revenue authority noted that the online filing system has become increasingly popular due to its convenience and efficiency. In the 2025–26 tax year, nearly 3.9 million income tax returns have already been submitted electronically.