United News of Bangladesh

The international press freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has raised serious concerns about the safety and fair treatment of Bangladeshi journalist Farzana Rupa following her arrest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Rupa, along with her husband, Shakil Ahmed, was detained by authorities as they attempted to leave the country with their 17-year-old daughter, bound for France after securing visas. Farzana Rupa is a well-known investigative journalist and special correspondent at Ekattor TV, a privately-owned news channel in Bangladesh. She has also worked with foreign journalists, including reporters from France 24, although security concerns have limited her involvement in recent years. Ekattor TV has faced criticism, particularly from religious fundamentalist groups, adding to the risks Rupa and her family face in the current volatile political climate. RSF expressed particular concern for Rupa's safety, urging the Bangladeshi authorities to release her promptly and allow her to travel. The organisation emphasised the importance of ensuring Rupa's right to a fair trial and her safety while in custody. They also called on the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, to uphold its international human rights commitments and protect journalists from persecution. Rupa and her husband were reportedly prevented from boarding their flight by immigration police, despite having received prior clearance. They were subsequently handed over to the Detective Branch, where they were arrested and charged under several articles of the 1860 penal code, including charges that could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty. This morning, a Dhaka court denied their lawyers' request for bail and remanded them in custody for four days, said RSF. The arrests come amid growing concerns over the safety of journalists in Bangladesh. RSF has urged the Bangladeshi government to fulfill its responsibilities by ensuring the safety and fair treatment of all journalists. The organisation expressed its readiness to provide further assistance if needed.

Hilly Khagrachhari has been severely affected by flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands of people affected. The water levels in the Chengi, Maini, and Kassalong rivers have crossed two to six feet above the danger level, inundating surrounding areas, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release. Responding to the humanitarian crisis, the Bangladesh Army has been working tirelessly to assist those in need, it read. The army has already relocated nearly 2,000 residents of Khagrachhari to safer shelters through continuous rescue operations. Moreover, they have been providing cooked meals to those in the shelters, they are also delivering essential supplies such as dry food, candles, matches, and saline to remote areas. The Bangladesh Army will continue rescuing, providing relief along with treatment until the flood situation improves.

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha's Sylhet Bureau Chief Maksud Ahmad Maksud died in a road accident on Sylhet-Sunamganj road early Friday, said his younger brother Jaber Ahmed. The accident occurred as Maksud, also founder of Sylhet Online Press Club, was heading towards his city home in the Maiyarchar area by motorcycle around 3 am. He was the son of late Jamshed Ali of the Maiyarchar area. The bike, driven by him, collided with a road divider to save a dog in the Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College and Hospital area, causing him to fall on the ground and leaving him critically injured. Locals rushed him to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, where duty doctor declared him dead upon arrival. His Namaz-e-Janaza is scheduled to be held at Maiyarchar Central Mosque, followed by the Jummah prayer.

Several villages, fish enclosures and crop fields were inundated by heavy tides in Dakop and Paikgasa upazilas respectively of Khulna after the river embankments collapsed. The Panikhali embankment in Dakop upazila collapsed inundating fish farms and villages. Similarly, in Paikgasa’s Diluhti union, the WAPDA embankment also gave in allowing water to enter residential areas. Locals said that at around 1pm on Thursday, the WAPDA embankment at the southern end of the 22nd Polder in Kalinagar, Diluhti union, broke apart due to the high tide. This breach, extending over 300 feet, has flooded the villages of Kalinagar, Horinkhola and Darunmallik. Recently planted paddies and seedbeds, along with homes, have been submerged. Despite efforts by locals to repair the dam until midnight, the repairs have been largely unworkable due to heavy currents. Moreover, the Shibsa River's strong currents have caused collapses of the Panikhali embankment in Dakop, resulting in flooding in several villages and fish enclosures. On the other hand, nonstop downpour throughout the night has also led to severe waterlogging in Khulna city, with major roads in areas such as Tutpara, Boyra, Nirala, Maulavipara, and Baytipara submerged and rendered impassable. Khulna district administration informed that the Water Development Board has begun renovation work on the damaged embankments.

The flood situation in Habiganj remained unchanged till Friday morning, while it worsened in neighbouring Moulvibazar district as new areas are being inundated, said authorities. In Habiganj, although the water levels in the Khowai River have slightly decreased, they continue to flow above the danger level at all points. According to the Water Development Board’s control room, as of 9am Friday, the Khowai River's water level is 191 cm above the danger level at Ballah Point, 153 cm at Shayestaganj and 165 cm at Machuliya in the Sadar upazila. The flood was triggered by torrential rains over the past three days and water flowing in from India’s Tripura, causing widespread flooding and breaches in the Khowai Dam at Jalalabad and Laskarpur. The District Disaster Management and Relief Office said that 22 unions across five upazilas in the district have been affected by the flood with 8,240 families stranded and 33,468 people affected. A total of 116 shelter centres have been opened while only 140 people took refuge. District administration has allocated 965 metric tonnes of rice, 1,560 packets of dry food and Tk 2, 327,500 in cash. District’s Department of Agricultural Extension said that 373 hectares of aman seedbeds, 6,726 hectares of aman rice crops, 1,945 hectares of aush rice, and 468 hectares of vegetables have been destroyed. Moreover, rail communication between Sylhet and the rest of the country has been suspended since Thursday afternoon due to safety concerns with the railway bridge over the Khowai River near Laskarpur, In Moulvibazar, new areas are being inundated with the erosion of Kushiyara, Manu, Dhalai and Juri rivers People on the banks of the river are worried again as the water level has risen while the water levels of the Dholai and Juri rivers are flowing above the danger level. The Juri River is flowing about 2 meters above the danger level and the Dholai River is flowing 24 cm above the danger level. Moreover, the water level of the Kushiyara River has increased by about 2 meters in the last two days. Besides, the Manu River is about 123 meters above the danger level. The water level in the haor and rivers has increased after two days of continuous rain, making the common people concerned. However, the Water Development Board said that if the continuous rain stops, the water in the river will decrease. Md Javed Iqbal, executive engineer of Moulvibazar Water Development Board, said the water level of the rivers has increased due to rains in Bangladesh and Tripura of India. When the rain relents, the water will go down. Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Urmi Binte Salam and Army officer Maj Gen Chowdhury Azizul Haque Hazari visited the flood-affected areas on Thursday afternoon.

Around six lakh people have been stranded by floods triggered by the excessive rainfall and unusual tides under the influence of the monsoon in the coastal district of Lakshmipur. Hundreds of low-lying villages including four municipal towns of the district have been affected by the unprecedented floods, disrupting daily life, said locals. Since Thursday morning, water levels have been rising in various parts of the town and surrounding areas, with torrential rain persisting. Locals said many homes are inundated, making cooking and other daily activities difficult. Some have had to seek refuge with relatives or in shelter centers due to the severe conditions. Several hundred fish farms, poultry farms, aman seedbeds and vegetable fields have been damaged in the district.  

The flood protection embankment along the Gumti River in Cumilla has collapsed due to excessive rainfall and water inflow from India late Thursday, affecting hundreds of families, said authorities. The fall of the dam occurred around 11:45pm in Burichang upazila, specifically in Buraburia area of Sholnall union. Water began to inundate local areas following the dam collapse, Cumilla Water Development Board’s Executive Engineer Khan Mohammad Waliuzzaman confirmed on Friday. He informed that water had been seeping through the dam since the last evening, and despite local efforts to manage the situation using sandbags, the dam ultimately gave in around midnight with at least 300 feet of the structure collapsing. Responding to the situation, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saida Akhter said that several unions, including Sholnall, Pirjatrapur, Sadar and others under the upazila are getting affected by flooding. She informed that they alerted locals to take refuge considering the situation. Officials from the Water Development Board informed that the Gumti River reached the danger level by 113 centimeters on Thursday afternoon, breaking a 27-year record. In 1997, the river had exceeded the danger level by 96 centimeters. The recent surge in water levels has broken all previous records, indicating an unprecedented flood risk in the region.

The Editors' Council has urgently called for the completion of the trial process in the high-profile murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi. The couple was brutally killed in their West Rajabazar apartment in Dhaka on February 11, 2012. The court has extended the deadline for submitting the investigation report 111 times, prompting frustration among the journalism community. The Editors' Council has demanded immediate action to advance the case, stressing the need for timely justice for the victims, in a press release signed by its President Mahfuz Anam and General Secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud on Thursday. On August 19, the East West Media Group building in the Bashundhara residential area was attacked. The offices of the daily Kaler Kantho and Radio Capital, both owned by East West Media Group, were vandalized, and several vehicles parked in front of the building were damaged. The Editors' Council has condemned the attack and called for accountability. Additionally, on August 21, former Ekattor Television news head Shakil Ahmed and former principal correspondent-presenter Farzana Rupa were detained at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. They were handed over to the detective police and later informed to be arrested in connection with a murder case. The Editors' Council has expressed concern, stating that if Ahmed and Rupa have committed any crimes, proper legal procedures should be followed. The council has also emphasized the importance of maintaining professionalism in journalism and avoiding opportunistic and sycophantic practices.

With her fleeing the country, the long-reigning government of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh collapsed on August 5, 2024. As the political landscape undergoes a seismic shift, leaders of Awami League blame a tight inner circle for Hasina’s downfall, with many now in hiding and fearing retribution from opposition forces, reports The Indian Express. "Gang of Four" According to multiple Awami League leaders, four individuals played a pivotal role in isolating Sheikh Hasina from the ground realities, leading to her eventual exit. This group, dubbed the "Gang of Four," includes her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, her advisor Salman F Rahman, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan. "They cut her off from the people," an Awami League leader told The Indian Express, attributing Hasina's loss of political instinct to her reliance on the four. The leader noted that this coterie had led her astray, making critical decisions that alienated both party members and the general populace. Mistakes and Missteps One of the most significant mistakes cited by Awami League insiders was the failure to engage with the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ahead of the January 2024 elections. Attempts were made to establish a backchannel with BNP leader Tarique Rahman in London, but Hasina’s refusal to greenlight the proposal is now seen as a critical error, the report said. Following their fourth consecutive win in January 2024, Hasina and her advisers grew increasingly overconfident, leading to a series of unpopular decisions. A major flashpoint was the government's response to the quota reform protests, which saw students take to the streets in defiance of curfew orders. The decision to suppress these protests, including the detention and intimidation of student leaders, only fueled the public's anger. The Fallout On August 5, as protests intensified, Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana fled the country. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy remains in the US, while her daughter Saima Wazed is reportedly in India. Party leaders and activists remain vulnerable to retribution. One Awami League leader recounted how his family narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob. "We got out of our home just in time when the Army chief was addressing the nation," he said. The violence that erupted across the country saw the homes and businesses of Awami League leaders looted, vandalized, and burned. Fearing for their lives, many Awami League members sought refuge in Army cantonments. According to a statement from the Bangladesh Army, 626 people, including political leaders, judges, civil servants, and police officers, were given shelter in various military facilities across the country. Future of Awami League With Hasina gone and the party leadership either underground or arrested, the Awami League faces an existential crisis. Leaders are now grappling with how to rebuild the party, which had governed Bangladesh for 16-and-a-half years, the report said. One senior leader emphasized the need to appoint younger leaders with strong grassroots connections to restore the party’s credibility. However, they acknowledged that this would be a long and difficult process, given the public's current hostility towards the party. "The Hasina family should remain silent for now," one leader advised, noting that people’s anger was still fresh. "We need time. In a few years, whether under the interim government or a future BNP or Jamaat-led administration, we can rebuild. But it will take time and patience."

The High Court has withdrawn all previous directives and orders related to the ban on broadcasting and publishing statements by BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in all forms of media.A High Court bench comprising Justice Md. Khasruzzaman and Justice Md. Khairul Alam dismissed the rule and issued this order in response to the petitioner's appeal on Thursday.On January 6, 2015, Supreme Court lawyer Nasrin Siddiqua Lina, associated with the Awami League’s Legal Affairs Sub-committee, filed a petition seeking to prevent the media from airing or publishing any statements by Tarique Rahman. The petition argued that as a fugitive accused, Tarique’s statements were being made unlawfully and in violation of the Constitution, and therefore, should not be broadcast.In response to the petition, a High Court bench comprising Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md. Saifur Rahman issued a rule banning the broadcasting and publication of Tarique’s statements. The rule was supported by several advocates representing the petition, including the late Advocate Sahara Khatun.However, in a recent development, petitioner Nasrin Siddiqua informed the court on Thursday that she no longer wished to pursue the petition and requested its removal from the list. Consequently, the High Court dismissed the rule, effectively lifting the ban.During the hearing, Tarique Rahman’s legal team, including Barristers Kaiser Kamal, Badruddoza Badal, Ruhul Quddus Kajol, and Advocate Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, were present. Barrister Kaiser Kamal emphasized that the ban on broadcasting Tarique’s statements had been removed, meaning there was no longer any legal restriction on airing or publishing his statements. He also criticized the previous order as unconstitutional and issued under what he described as a fascist regime led by Sheikh Hasina.Media outlets are now free to broadcast and publish statements by Tarique Rahman without any legal barriers.