United News of Bangladesh

Services have resumed in 177 more police stations across the country as of 3:00 pm on Saturday. This brings the total number of operational police stations to 538 out of 639 nationwide, according to the Police Headquarters. Of these, 84 are Metropolitan Police Stations and 454 are district police stations. On Friday, 361 police stations across the country resumed operations after being closed for three consecutive days. Miscreants had attacked and set fire to nearly all police stations in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police area, according to the Police Headquarters. Operations have now resumed in stations that sustained minimal damage. For those severely affected, a senior police officer wishing to be anonymous said that services would be restored within days through alternative arrangements.

Members of the Hindu community staged protest in Dhaka’s Shahbagh for the second consecutive day on Saturday, demanding immediate action to safeguard their rights and security. Demonstrators blocked the road in Shahbagh, condemning the recent wave of vandalism, arson, and looting targeting Hindu properties. The protest, attended by hundreds, drew attention to the persistent concerns about the safety and treatment of minority communities in Bangladesh, UNB’s photojournalist reported from the spot. Today’s demonstration follows a rally held at Shahbagh yesterday, where Hindu community leaders called for increased representation at the policy-making level and the establishment of a ministry dedicated to minority affairs. They also demanded the creation of a minority protection commission and strict laws to prevent violence against minorities. A key demand was the allocation of 10 percent of parliamentary seats to minority groups.

Police operations have resumed at 12 police stations in Bogura district following a five-day suspension. Officers have restarted internal work under Bangladesh Army protection; however, patrols outside the stations will not be conducted as of Friday afternoon. Bogura District Police Superintendent Zakir Hasan confirmed the matter on Saturday. All 12 police stations in the district are now operational, with army support ensuring security. The Bogura Sadar Police Station, which is completely destroyed, is currently being operated from the DB office, he said. In the morning, army officers, Bogura deputy commissioner, and the police superintendent inspected each police station. Abdur Rouf, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station, said their station has sustained damage. While operations have resumed, they are limited to internal activities.

Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Maksud Kamal, along with the provosts of seven university halls, has resigned following student protests. The resignation letters were submitted to the Ministry of Education on Saturday, confirmed Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Dr. Sitesh Basar. The seven halls are Rokeya Hall, Shamsun Nahar Hall, Bijoy Ekattor Hall, Bangabandhu Hall, Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall, and Salimullah Muslim Hall. Earlier on Friday, a number of Dhaka University students staged a protest rally demanding the resignation of the VC (administration and education), proctor, assistant proctor, treasurer, all provosts, and all senate and syndicate members, including Maksud Kamal. Maksud Kamal had been appointed as the 29th Vice-Chancellor, succeeding former Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, on November 4, 2023.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan has submitted his resignation letter to the law ministry, confirmed Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul on his verified Facebook account today. In a video message, Asif Nazrul said, “The Chief Justice has sent his resignation letter to the law ministry, and it will be forwarded to the president for further processing as soon as possible.” He added, “Only the Chief Justice has submitted his resignation, and no other justices have done so.” He also urged people to protect the country's assets and not destroy those. Earlier in the day, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement issued an ultimatum, demanding that the Chief Justice and the judges of the Appellate Division resign by 1 pm today.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday visited injured victims of the quota reform movement at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH). During the visit, Prof Yunus inquired about the condition of the injured and gave necessary instructions to the hospital authorities for their proper treatment. Before coming to RpMCH, he went to Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur and he exchanged views with the students. Earlier in the morning, Dr Muhammad Yunus reached Babanpur village of Pirganj upazila in the district. The Chief Adviser went to the home of martyr Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, who was killed in police firing during the quota reform movement, to console his parents.  Dr Yunus also visited and offered prayers at Abu Sayed’s grave and talked to his family members.  Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md Nahid Islam and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan were accompanying the Chief Adviser. Abu Sayed, who was a key coordinator of the students’ quota reform movement at BRUR, led from the front. He was an English Department student at the BRUR. On July 16, he was killed in police firing during the movement. He was buried the next day in Pirganj upazila.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Saturday said that the interim government will remain as long as there is coordination between the people's desire for reform and the desire of the political parties for election. He came up with the remark while taking charge of the office at the Secretariat. Asked about the tenure of the interim government, the law adviser said, "There has been no decision about the tenure yet. Please keep two things in mind—the election to be held as soon as possible as per the expectation from this government, and the reform aspirations of the people of this country.” “We've seen in the past that attempts were made to use different state institutions, including police, judiciary, Anti-Corruption Commission, public universities, as weapons of repression on the people. Some good services were found from these organisations. There are some good people in these organisations. But the system was set up in such a way that institutions became a terror for dissenting voices and for those who were exercising their basic rights.” “People have the desire to reform them. We will stay as long as we are supposed to, balancing the desire for reform and the desire for new elections. Not more, not less,” he said. The new advisor to the law ministry went to the Secretariat around 9:35 am. Golam Sarwar, secretary to the ministry, and other officials, welcomed him. Dr Asif Nazrul, was sworn in as adviser of the interim government on Thursday after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.  President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the 17-member interim government. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division has announced the portfolios of the interim government, with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to oversee 27 ministries and divisions.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed is finally set to return home on Sunday after spending over nine years in India’s Shillong. He is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2 PM, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Guwahati issued his travel pass on August 6, clearing the way for his return. After remaining missing for 62 days, Salahuddin, a former state minister, was found in Shillong, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya on May 11, 2015. He was arrested for entering India without valid documents and charged under the Foreigners Act. Later, Shillong police pressed charges against him in the case. BNP alleged that Salahuddin was abducted from his home in Uttara, Dhaka, on March 10, 2015, by individuals posing as detectives. On October 26, 2018, a court in Shillong acquitted him of the charges related to his illegal entry. This verdict was upheld by a higher court on February 28, 2023, which also directed the Indian government to arrange for his return to Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said it is the responsibility of all to build the new Bangladesh. “This is our responsibility to build the new Bangladesh,” he said after meeting family members of martyred Abu Sayed in Rangpur. He said that all have to come forward to build the new Bangladesh remembering the supreme sacrifice of Abu Sayed and others. “Abu Sayed is the son of all families in Bangladesh,” he said. CA Yunus visits Sayed’ Rangpur home, condoles family members Prof Yunus said that students will remember Abu Sayed and will pledge to be like him. “They will say, I will also fight for justice like Abu Sayed,” he added. He also said that Abu Sayed is now in every house of the country. The martyr belongs to everyone, irrespective of their religion and background, he said. The chief adviser urged all to remain vigilant so that there is no anarchy. “We are all children of this soil; we all are Abu Sayed,” he said. Blinken welcomes Yunus-led interim government; pledges to work with Bangladesh The interim government chief said that protecting all irrespective of their religion is the responsibility of all. “We have to ensure this, and take a stand like Abu Sayed,” he said. The Nobel laureate requested all not to create division among the people of Bangladesh. “We are all Bangladeshi, we are all children of Bangladesh,” he said. He also said that Bangladesh is now united. “This Bangladesh is the Bangladesh Abu Sayed wanted, there is no discrimination in this Bangladesh. My request to you all is to protect everyone, let there be no anarchy out there,” he said.  

On Saturday, the nation remembers the legendary artist Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, popularly known as SM Sultan, as the day marks his birth centenary. Globally revered as one of the pioneering Bangladeshi artists of all time, Sultan was born at the Machimdia village in the country's Narail Sadar upazila on August 10, 1924. On the occasion of his birth centenary this year, the SM Sultan National and International Birth Centenary Celebration Committee planned to inaugurate a two-year program at the National Museum on Saturday. However, the grand event been cancelled considering the ongoing situation in the country and is scheduled to take place in November, according to Nasir Ali Mamun, the member secretary of SM Sultan National and International Birth Centenary Celebration Committee. “Due to the current situation in the country, we are unable to organize the grand inauguration program on Saturday and decided to postpone the event and reschedule the ceremony for November this year. However, our plan of organizing various activities and programs for the two-year long Sultan Birthday Centenary Celebration will continue,” Nasir Ali Mamun told UNB. Often widely considered the most unique Bangladeshi artist of his timeline in terms of many aspects, SM Sultan created a lasting impression in the country's art scene and left many admirers who still remember the revered artist with utmost respect for his artistic brilliance. Many of Sultan's paintings are themed on nature and the rural landscape, and he is well known for his canvases populated with robust male and female peasants. His watercolour paintings, predominantly landscapes, are bright and lively, with vivid descriptions of Bengali rural culture and lifestyle - and his paintings never included urban elements or anything produced by modern technology, according to art historians. SM Sultan introduced Bangladeshi painting to Western countries, especially Europe and America. In the early 1950s', he toured several cities in the US, London and Europe. Not only did he travel - his photographs and paintings were exhibited alongside the works of world-renowned painters including Picasso, Salvador Dali and other eminent artists, and he held several solo exhibitions in various American cities and London. Then he travelled all over India, and in 1946, Sultan held his first solo exhibition in Shimla, India and in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan between 1948 and 1949. Exhibitions of his works were held in New York, Boston, Michigan University and London in 1959, and his first exhibition in his motherland was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in 1976. Eminent Bangladeshi photographer-writer and cultural personality Nasir Ali Mamun was fortunate to observe the life and works of the revered artist very closely, and he published a book titled 'Guru' in 2005, with 68 photographs of Sultan. With his role as the member secretary and having the Spain-based famous painter Monirul Islam as the convenor, the world-renowned master painter Shahabuddin Ahmed as the chief advisor, and a handful of 400 intellectual personalities including painters, art critics, students, intellectuals, cultural figures, poets, writers, journalists and admirers who support SM Sultan and love his philosophy.- the 'SM Sultan National and International Birth Centenary Celebration Committee was formed last year. The committee is set to organize many events including art and photography exhibitions, seminars, symposiums, workshops and SM Sultan Memorial Lectures, where prominent writers-researchers on SM Sultan's philosophy and life, will be the speakers. These lectures, alongside books on various topics regarding SM Sultan, his artworks, and his philosophy will be published frequently. Supporting the revolutionary anti-discrimination students, a recent press release of the committee stated: "The seeds of anti-discrimination spirit are embedded in SM Sultan's artwork, which can be read as an epic saga of the rebellious rise of the sons and daughters of Bangladesh against exploitation. The committee conveys its full support to this new uprising.” 2-day programme marking SM Sultan's death anniversary underway at BSA Besides his artistic endeavours, Sultan established the Kurigram Fine Arts Institute at Narail in 1969 and another art school, now named Charupeeth, in Jessore in 1973. For his achievement in fine arts, SM Sultan was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 1982; the Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Award in 1986; and the Independence Day Award in 1993. The master painter passed away in Jashore Combined Military Hospital on October 10, 1994.