United News of Bangladesh

The government has fixed the minimum Fitra at Tk 110 per person while the maximum Fitra at Tk 2,805. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Fitra Determination Committee held on Wednesday morning at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque conference hall, said a press release on Wednesday. Committee’s president and khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek presided over the meeting. The committee unanimously decided that according to Islamic Shariah, Fitra can be paid using any of the staple items including wheat, barley, raisins, dates, or cheese. The rates were determined based on market prices of these items collected from all divisions of the country. Fitra is an obligatory charity distributed to the poor at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Fitra is paid to the poor before the jamaat (congregation) of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said the government will not form a new probe commission over the Pilkhana carnage, as a national independent commission is already in place. Proper justice will be served for the Pilkhana carnage and necessary steps will be taken to make sure such an incident is never witnessed in future, he told reporters after paying homage to the victims of Pilkhana BDR carnage at Banani Military Graveyard in the capital. “During the tenure of the interim government, an independent national investigation commission was formed and its report is now before us. During the interim government, the report was already in hand but little action was taken for its implementation,” Salahuddin said. The minister said, “From what I have seen at a glance, it contains around 70 recommendations. I will study it in more detail. Many of these recommendations are currently being implemented. The judicial process will be completed. The remaining recommendations will be implemented gradually.” He said the previous government had formed two committees on the Pilkhana carnage but their reports were never made public. Salahuddin Ahmed said Pilkhana carnage was a threat to Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty aimed at weakening the nation’s armed forces. “Such motives can only come from those who do not believe in Bangladesh’s sovereignty or who want to see the country as weak,” he added.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has suspended its online VAT services due to technical maintenance work. All services of the eVAT system will remain closed from 1:30pm to 8:00pm on February 25 to facilitate the migration of the Next Generation Firewall, said an official notice on Wednesday. The move is part of efforts to upgrade the security infrastructure of the VAT system used for revenue collection. During the scheduled period, users will not be able to access any operational services under the VAT system. The revenue authority said the services will resume as usual after 8:00pm on the same day once the migration work is completed. NBR forms committee to prepare budget for 2026-27 fiscal The NBR has requested VAT-registered businesses and stakeholders to complete their necessary online activities outside the scheduled downtime to avoid inconvenience. The eVAT system introduced by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) marks a significant step in Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts to modernise tax administration and enhance transparency. Designed to automate Value Added Tax processes, the electronic VAT platform aims to simplify compliance, reduce human intervention and curb revenue leakage. The system enables businesses to complete VAT registration, return submission, payment and record-keeping online.

Ali Hossain Fakir took over as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday. He took over the responsibility at Police Headquarters succeeding his predecessor. Ali Hossain Fakir is a senior career police officer with decades of experience in policing and administration. The government  appointed Md Ali Hossain Fakir as the new  IGP, replacing Baharul Alam. The decision was announced in a notification issued by the Home Ministry on Tuesday. Ali Hossain previously served as an Additional Inspector General of Police at the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) of the Bangladesh Police.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday paid homage to the 57 army officers killed in the Pilkhana BDR carnage, marking ‘Jatiya Shaheed Sena Dibas’ (National Martyred Army Day). The President first placed a wreath at the Banani Military Graveyard in the capital around 10:05am, followed by the Prime Minister. The head of state and the head of government separately stood in solemn silence in honour of the 57 army officers who were killed at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka on February 25–26, 2009. A one-minute silence was also observed as a mark of respect to the victims of the BDR tragedy while members of the armed forces offered a state salute. A munajat was offered seeking eternal peace for the departed souls of the martyred army officers and the wellbeing of their family members. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff M Nazmul Hassan and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan were present on the occasion. Senior officers of the army, navy and air force, as well as family members and close relatives of the slain officers, were also present at the graveyard. ‘Jatiya Shaheed Sena Dibas’ is being observed today to mark the Pilkhana carnage, in which 74 people — including 57 army officers — were killed at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka on February 25–26, 2009, when BDR members staged a mutiny. Among the victims was the then BDR Director General, Major General Shakil Ahmed. Following the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising last year, the government decided to observe the tragic day as ‘Jatiya Shaheed Sena Dibas’. After the mutiny, Bangladesh Rifles was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and changes were also made to its uniform.

The death toll following a blast apparently from a gas leak at Halishahar in Chattogram has risen to five with the death of another victim on Wednesday morning. Shawakhat Hossain,49, who sustained 100% burns, breathed his last at 10:40 am, said Assistant Professor Dr. Shawon Bin Rahman, a resident physician at National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.  Earlier, another injured victim, Ashura Akter Pakhi ,30, daughter of Abul Bashar of Rahimnagar village in Chandpur district, succumbed to her injuries at the Burn Institute  at 10:47 pm on Tuesday. Besides, Nurjahan Akter, her son Shawon, and brother-in-law Sumon, who suffered injuries in the blast, died on Monday and Tuesday. Five other victims are receiving treatment at the Burn Institute. Doctors said their condition remains critical. A fire broke out at a house in Halishahar from accumulated gas, leaving nine members of the same family injured on Monday night. The victims were initially admitted to a local hospital and later transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment.

National Martyred Army Day is being observed on Wednesday to pay tributes to the martyrs of the 2009 Pilkhana massacre.   Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday issued a message marking National Martyred Army Day. The Prime Minister said the day had not been observed with due importance after 2009. “Since the country was freed from fascism in 2024, the day has been observed as ‘Martyred Army Day’,” he said. On the occasion, he prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and expressed deep sympathy and solidarity with the bereaved family members. “The trial over the Pilkhana killings is ongoing. As the matter is sub judice, there is no scope to comment in detail,” he said. “However, I believe it is important for us, as citizens, to recognise that activities opposing the country’s and the people’s independence and sovereignty were behind this massacre. After the incident, there were attempts to mislead the public through various falsehoods and misinformation,” said Tarique Rahman. “Let this National Martyred Army Day be a pledge that we will stand united against any conspiracy against the country and its people,” the message added. On this day in 2009, a massacre took place at the BDR headquarters in Pilkhana.Fifty-seven army officers were among the 74 people killed. Among the martyrs were 56 valiant army officers including the then BDR chief, Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed. Their sacrifice remains a dark yet solemn chapter in the nation’s history. Each year, the country remembers this tragic day with deep sorrow, paying tribute to those who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

A 25-year-old man reportedly died by suicide in Keraniganj on Tuesday evening after failing to arrange money for an NGO loan instalment. The deceased was identified as Jasim, a resident of Sonakanda area under Model Police Station. According to police sources, he hanged himself from a mango tree beside his house after being unable to manage the instalment payment of an NGO loan. SI Rashed Ahmed of Keraniganj Model Police Station said police recovered the body from the scene and brought it to the police station around 10pm for autopsy. An unnatural death case was filed with the police station at around 10:30pm in this connection, he added.

Two school students were killed and another injured after a goods-laden truck hit their motorcycle on the Asian Highway in Purbachal on Tuesday afternoon. The tragic accident occurred in the Galan area under Kaliganj police jurisdiction. The deceased were identified as SSC examinee Nihat Akand, son of Mosharraf Akand, and tenth-grade student Noairish Akand, son of Manjur Akand, both residents of Zinda area in Rupganj, Narayanganj. They were students of Zinda Little Angel Seminar. Another rider, Azizul Islam, sustained injuries. Sohel Rana, in-charge of Kanchan Highway Police Camp, said Azizul was riding the motorcycle from Zinda towards Ulukhola in Kaliganj with his two friends. While attempting to overtake a truck heading towards Gazipur on the Asian Highway, the motorcycle was hit, throwing the riders onto the road. Nihat and Noairish were run over by the truck’s rear wheels and died on the spot, while Azizul was injured. Police recovered the bodies and later handed them over to the families without autopsy following their consent. The truck and the damaged motorcycle have been seized, and an unnatural death case has been filed in this connection.

The left-leaning student alliance Ganatantrik Chhatra Jote staged a protest procession demanding justice over the alleged “police attack” on Nayem Uddin, a student of the Anthropology Department Dhaka University and a student leader. The procession began at 7 pm on Tuesday from Payra Chattar at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of the University. Marching through VC Chattar and the residential hall area, the rally ended at the Raju Memorial Sculpture. At the rally, the organisation demanded the removal of Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Masud and exemplary punishment for the police members involved in the incident. DU students stage protest outside Shahbagh police station over ‘assault’ Addressing the gathering, victim student Nayem Uddin alleged the police’s “reckless” and “anti-people” character had been exposed even before any offence was proven. “I identified myself as a University of Dhaka student. If the police can behave so aggressively even then, it is clear to ordinary people-from rickshaw pullers and day labourers to garment workers-how much class discrimination and class hostility this state maintains against the public,” he said. Speaking at the rally, Nuzia Hasin Rasha, president of the DU unit of Biplobi Chhatra Maitri, said there was no difference in character between the Awami League, the interim government, and the newly elected BNP government. Rasha added, “We are standing against that injustice, an injustice we have been protesting since the post-uprising period. Even after the arrival of an elected government, we are once again forced to stand here.” DU VC Niaz Ahmed Khan resigns