RELIANCE

Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 2, 2026: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former army officer Major (Retd.) Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman has been arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (DB) in connection with allegations of creating disorder and obstructing government duties at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Police took Akhtaruzzaman into custody from his residence in the Dhaka Cantonment area on Friday afternoon, according to DB officials. He was subsequently taken to the DB office for questioning. The arrest came hours after a case was filed against him over an incident at the airport involving allegations of disorder, obstruction of official duties and assaulting or harassing a security official on duty. The case was filed by airport security officer Mohammad Shahriar Alam Sajib at Airport Police Station. Police said the complaint was lodged under several provisions of Bangladesh's Penal Code. Dispute Over Airport Trolley Shortage According to the c...

Chattogram, Bangladesh: Students at Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) staged a protest march for the 11th consecutive day on Friday, demanding the reinstatement of former Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem. The protesters began their march from in front of the university's Central Mosque at around 2pm and paraded through several roads across the campus before ending the procession in front of the Central Shaheed Minar. During the demonstration, students reiterated their demand that Professor Sayem be reinstated as vice-chancellor. They also said they would continue their movement until a decision was reached on their demand. The CUET Teachers' Association and Employees' Association have also announced plans to resume a full work stoppage from Sunday in solidarity with the students. Zulkarnaine Mihad, a fourth-year student in CUET's Department of Mechanical Engineering, said the students had been protesting for 11 days without...

Dhaka, September 28, 2026 — A Dhaka University Chhatra Dal leader has accused content creator Salman Muqtadir of unfairly linking the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to an attack on his studio at ECB Chattar, arguing that the incident appears to have stemmed from a land dispute involving individuals associated with other political groups. Abidul Islam Khan Abid, joint general secretary of Dhaka University Chhatra Dal, criticised Muqtadir’s comments in a video statement posted on social media. He alleged that Muqtadir had attempted to associate the BNP with extortion allegations without sufficient evidence. The comments followed an attack on BrownFish Studio , founded by Muqtadir, at the New Gini Properties housing project in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area late on September 26. The studio was among several properties reportedly vandalised and looted during the incident. Police have said the violence was linked primarily to a dispute over land possession and control. According to Abid, the...

Dhaka | September 27, 2026 Students of Dhaka Central University staged a protest on Sunday against the appointment of the university’s new vice-chancellor, while also demanding urgent action to resolve what they described as prolonged academic uncertainty. The protesters marched through the capital before holding a press conference, where they presented a six-point set of demands focused on academic migration, the introduction of a semester and schooling system, curriculum reform, faculty recruitment and the development of modern educational infrastructure. The demonstration began at around 12:30 p.m. from the main gate of Dhaka College. The students marched towards the Science Lab intersection before returning to the college premises, where they addressed reporters. During the protest, students chanted slogans including “No lobbying, only the streets”, “Break the Dhaka University syndicate”, “Action, direct action” and “We reject the Dhaka University vice-chancellor.” Students questio...

Dhaka | September 27, 2026 The attack and vandalism at popular Bangladeshi content creator Salman Muqtadir’s BrownFish Studio in Dhaka’s ECB Chattar area have triggered reactions beyond Bangladesh, including in neighbouring West Bengal. A social media post by Kolkata-based journalist and former Republic Bangla presenter Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh has, however, drawn particular attention after he described those behind the attack as “fundamentalists”, even as Bangladeshi police have so far linked the incident to a land dispute. In a post on his verified Facebook page, Ghosh praised the design of Muqtadir’s studio, saying he liked the studio’s set and that, had it been located in Kolkata, he would have considered renting it himself. He also expressed concern over the attack, saying he was disturbed by the fact that such an incident had occurred in Dhaka, which he described as being only about 400 kilometres from Kolkata. He warned that a rise in what he called “fundamentalists” in Kolkata could...

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh's Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced the 51st Special Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Examination 2026 , opening recruitment for 5,000 positions in the health cadre . The recruitment drive will include 4,700 posts for assistant surgeons and 300 posts for assistant dental surgeons , according to a notice signed on Wednesday by Masuma Afrin, Controller of Examinations (Cadre) at the PSC. The special examination is being held to fill vacant positions in the government health service and strengthen the country's medical workforce. Applications open on October 1 According to the PSC notice, applicants must be between 21 and 32 years of age as of September 1, 2026 to be eligible for the examination. Online applications will open on October 1 and remain open until October 25 . Candidates will have until 6pm on October 28 to pay the required examination fee. The total application fee, including the service charge, has been set at Tk 205 . ...

MANIKGANJ, Bangladesh — The sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products within 100 metres of educational institutions has been prohibited, with authorities in Manikganj announcing plans for mobile court operations to enforce the restriction. The decision was disclosed at a quarterly meeting of the district-level task force on implementation of tobacco-control laws, held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference room on Thursday afternoon. Officials at the meeting said shops and other sales points operating within the designated 100-metre zone around educational institutions would not be allowed to sell tobacco products. Violations would constitute a punishable offence under the country's tobacco-control legislation. The district administration is expected to launch mobile court drives shortly to identify violations and take legal action against those found selling tobacco products in restricted areas. 11 Mobile Court Drives Conducted According to information presented at the me...

TANGAIL, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s anti-graft agency has launched an investigation into allegations that bamboo was used in place of steel reinforcement during construction of a footpath slab on a bridge being built at a cost of more than Tk 100 million ($830,000) in Tangail’s Basail upazila. A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) inspected the under-construction bridge on Wednesday and examined several sections of the structure, including the footpath slabs and railing pillars. The inspection was led by Biplob Hossain, an assistant director at the ACC’s Tangail district office. Other officials, including deputy assistant director Based Ali, also took part. “Initially, it appears that there may have been irregularities,” Hossain told reporters after the inspection. He said officials broke open sections of the footpath slab and railing pillars and found that the quantity of steel reinforcement in some areas appeared to be lower than required. The findings will be reviewed by ...

DHAKA: Bangladesh has set the airfare for pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the 2027 Hajj at Tk 130,000, reducing the cost by Tk 24,830 from the previous year, according to the government. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister’s adviser for information and broadcasting, during the government’s weekly briefing at the Press Information Department. Citing information from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Rahman said the airfare for the 2027 Hajj had been fixed at Tk 130,000. He said the new rate represents a Tk 24,830 reduction compared with the airfare set for the 2026 pilgrimage. Government seeks to reduce Hajj costs Rahman said the government had been gradually lowering Hajj airfares over the past several years as part of efforts to make the pilgrimage more affordable for Bangladeshi pilgrims. “The government is working to make the overall cost of Hajj more manageable,” he said. The airfare is one component of the overall cost of...

DHAKA: Shafiq Rehman, editor of JaiJaiDin , has been elected president of the National Editors Council (NEC), while Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman has been chosen as its general secretary. The appointments were made at the NEC’s first general meeting, held on Monday at a hotel in the capital, where editors representing 29 daily newspapers from Dhaka and different parts of Bangladesh took part. Shafiqul Alam, editor of Wada , was elected treasurer. The meeting also approved the council’s proposed constitution after incorporating several amendments. The newly formed organisation said its primary focus would include protecting press freedom, strengthening professional journalism and creating greater cooperation and communication among newspaper editors across the country. Speaking at the meeting, General Secretary Mahmudur Rahman said the NEC should gradually expand its membership and bring more editors and newspapers under a common platform. He stressed the importance of closer commu...

DHAKA — Bangladesh is moving to strengthen its defense cooperation with China and Pakistan as part of a broader effort to modernize its military capabilities, with plans reportedly advancing for the acquisition of Chinese-made fighter jets, helicopters and drones. The developments could mark a significant upgrade for Bangladesh's air force and come amid a changing strategic environment in South Asia. Expanding Military Cooperation with Pakistan Bangladesh and Pakistan have also stepped up military-to-military contacts. In January, the chiefs of the two countries' air forces held talks on expanding cooperation in areas including military training, space technology and possible defense procurement. The discussions reportedly included the potential acquisition of Pakistan-China jointly developed JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, as well as greater cooperation in training and technological capabilities. The growing engagement represents a notable expansion of defense contacts betwe...

DHAKA: Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice-President Sadik Kayem has said the killing of student activist Sharif Osman Bin Hadi will not bring an end to the struggle against what he described as fascism, domination and injustice. In a message published in “Barudmakha Kathamala,” a compilation of Hadi’s speeches and statements, Kayem said the campaign to build a more just and discrimination-free Bangladesh would continue. The book has been edited by Musaddiq Ali Ibn Mohammad, DUCSU’s literature and cultural affairs secretary. ‘The struggle will continue’ Kayem said Hadi had inspired young people to stand up for justice, speak out against what he called domination and aggression, and challenge systems of political and social influence that he described as “mafia rule.” According to Kayem, Hadi’s speeches reflected a firm commitment to building a new Bangladesh based on justice and equality. He said those responsible for Hadi’s killing may have believed that elim...

DHAKA, Aug. 29: Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has described enforced disappearance as one of the gravest forms of human rights abuse, saying his government is investigating every reported case of disappearance and has begun legal proceedings against those responsible. In a message issued on Saturday ahead of the International Day of the Disappeared, observed on Aug. 30, Rahman expressed sympathy for people who have disappeared in Bangladesh and elsewhere, as well as for their families who continue to await answers about the fate of their loved ones. “Enforced disappearance is a global problem and one of the most extreme violations of human rights,” Rahman said in the message. He said such abuses have particularly occurred under authoritarian systems and in regions affected by political conflict, where security and law-enforcement agencies have sometimes been accused of targeting opposition figures and people holding dissenting political views. Government pledges invest...

DHAKA: Rainfall is expected to continue across Bangladesh for at least five more days, with showers likely to intensify in several parts of the country over the weekend, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The weather office said some areas could experience moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall, particularly on Sunday. Temporary gusty winds accompanied by rain or thunderstorms are also likely during the period. The forecast, issued for the 120 hours from 6 p.m. Friday, said temperatures could fall slightly in some parts of the country as rainfall persists. Rain and thunderstorms expected Friday From Friday evening, many areas of Rangpur, Mymensingh, Khulna, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions may receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms accompanied by temporary gusty winds. Some parts of Rajshahi, Dhaka and Barishal divisions may also experience similar conditions. Moderately heavy rainfall is possible in isolated areas. Daytime temperatures may rise sligh...