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Bangladesh
Bangladesh's interim government of Muhammad Yunus on Sunday promised to quicken investigations into incidents of rapes and assaults on women amid growing such incidents prompting nationwide protests. Law adviser Asif Nazrul said the government planned to enact a law requiring police to complete investigation of rape cases within 15 days and trial in 90 days. The accused cannot be granted bail on the pretext of not completion of trial within 90 days. If there is any negligence on the part of the administration, specific provisions for punishment will be added to the law, he said. The government's comments came three days after an alleged brutal assault and rape of an eight-year-old girl by her sister's father-in-law in western Magura visibly sparked a nationwide outrage, prompting authorities to come up with the announcement. Bangladesh recently saw several incidents of rapes and attack on women on the street. In one such incident, two women were assaulted in the capital ahead of th
A commission instituted by Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Saturday asked deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 14 others to submit their testimony as part of a re-investigation into the 2009 mutiny in the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) frontier force. The National Independent Investigation Commission on the 2009 BDR carnage has issued a public notice urging 15 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to testify as part of its ongoing inquiry, the state-run BSS news agency said. The notice stated that legal measures would be taken against those who will fail to cooperate adding that the special notice was issued expecting to complete the process of recording testimonies of the 15 people, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said. The 15 people included the then army chief retired general Moeen U Ahmed, his grand successor general Aziz Ahmed and several other former military and police officers and politicians belonging to Hasina's ousted Awa
In a veiled reference to China and Pakistan, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said there is a "high degree of collusivity," which must be accepted. "What it means, as far as I am concerned, the two-front threat is a reality," he said in response to a question on proximity between China and Pakistan during an interactive session at the India Today Conclave here. During the session, he fielded a broad range of questions about the army's preparedness for the future, lessons from ongoing conflicts, the situation in Bangladesh, and at the Line of Actual Control and the Line of Control. "Now, the second thing that you have brought out is collaboration or the relationship between our western neighbour and Bangladesh. "As far as I am concerned, since I have said that the epicentre of terrorism is in a particular country, they have a relationship with any of my neighbouring country, I should be looking worried, because as far as I am concerned, the terrorism route can be used from
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called for the meticulous preservation of records documenting alleged atrocities committed under the administration of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. During a Sunday meeting with United Nations officials, Yunus emphasised that without a proper archival system it is difficult to know the truth and ensure justice", Dhaka Tribune reported. A statement issued by the chief advisor's press wing said the chief adviser during his conversation with UN Resident Coordinator Gwen Lewis and UN human rights expert Huma Khan cited the crackdown on demonstrators at Shapla Chattar, police brutality against protesters following the Delwar Hossain Sayedee verdict, and years of alleged extrajudicial killings. The UN officials, in response, reaffirmed their willingness to assist Bangladesh in documenting human rights abuses. This is a process of healing and truth-building, Lewis said, offering the UN's expertise in technical assistance and capacity-building. Yunu
Expressing deep concern over the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said his friend Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the neighbouring country's interim government, is taking significant steps but has a long road ahead to resolve the impasse. Sen said the situation in Bangladesh had deeply affected him and he was concerned about how the country would navigate the challenges. In an exclusive interview with PTI at his Santiniketan home in West Bengal's Birbhum district, Sen emphasised that Bangladesh, which has largely kept communal forces like Jamaat in check, should continue its admirable commitment to secularism. "The situation in Bangladesh affects me deeply because I have a strong Bengali sense of identity," Sen told PTI. "I have spent a lot of time in Dhaka and began my school education there. Aside from Dhaka, I often visited my ancestral home in Manikganj. On my maternal side, I regularly visited Bikrampur, particularly Sonarang. These places have deep
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Friday directed the Delhi Police to take strict action against the networks that help illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas entering India, saying it is an issue of national security and should be dealt with strictly. Chairing a meeting to review the national capital's law-and-order situation, he said strict action should also be taken against police stations and sub-divisions that consistently perform poorly. Shah said it should be the Delhi Police's priority to eliminate interstate gangs in the city ruthlessly. Action must be taken with "top to bottom and bottom to top approach" in narcotics cases, and such drug networks should be dismantled, he said. "Strict action should be taken against the entire network that helps Bangladeshi and Rohingya intruders enter the country, get their documents made and facilitate their stay here. The issue of illegal intruders is also related to national security, and it should be dealt with strictly. They should be ...
Bangladesh wants good working relations with India based on mutual respect and shared interests, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain said on Monday. Hossain made the remarks while responding to a question on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent remarks on bilateral relations between the two countries. "Of course, Bangladesh will determine its stance. But at the same time, India also needs to decide what kind of relationship it wants with Bangladesh. This is a mutual matter, and there is nothing wrong in stating that, Hossain was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency. He said that Bangladesh has a clear stance on its relations with India, emphasising the importance of a good working relationship based on mutual respect and shared interests. We want a relationship built on mutual understanding, and there is no ambiguity in our position, he told reporters. Hossain also criticised ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's statements during her stay in India,
Bangladesh's Election Commission said on Sunday that preparations are underway for the general elections, based on the two deadlines set by the interim governmentDecember this year and June 2026, in case of major reforms. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin made the comments during a discussion with district administration officials in Cox's Bazar, state-run BSS news agency reported. "The interim government has given two deadlines for election, by December or by June next year if there is a major reform," Nasir Uddin was quoted as saying. He said the Election Commission is progressing based on the two deadlines. Asserting that the commission wants to hold a free, fair and neutral election, he said the polls will be "credible" and internationally acceptable. The CEC expressed hope that the final voter list for the next general elections would be available by June this year. For now, the Election Commission's first goal is to prepare an accurate voter list. There are 16 lak
A BNP leader was beaten to death in front of his wife by his rivals in Dhaka, police said. Mohammad Babul Mia, the former vice-president of BNP's Kulla union unit, was killed when he and her wife were harvesting mustard near Akshirnagar Housing of Dhamrai upazila on Friday afternoon, Daily Star Bangladesh reported. Babul's wife Yasmin Begum said villagers had a long-standing dispute over Akshirnagar Housing, a real estate business. "Although my husband was not involved in the matter, local criminals Afsar, Arshad, and Monir had been threatening both of us for days," she alleged. "They beat him with sticks and SS pipes, seriously injuring him. They even gouged out both his eyes. When I and some locals tried to intervene and take him to a hospital, they stopped us. Only after he became unconscious did they leave the place," she said. Babul was later taken to Savar Enam Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Dhamrai Police Statio
The chief of Bangladesh's border guarding force on Thursday termed the reports of attacks on minorities in his country as "exaggerated", asserting that authorities have taken steps for their protection. Addressing a joint press conference along with chief of India's Border Security Force (BSF) Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui said the Bangladeshi delegation has raised objection with regard to fencing at some places along the Indo-Bangladesh border and it was hopeful that the issues would be resolved in the future. Chaudhary, on his part, said infiltration along the international border has come down substantially after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024. On the issue of minorities, Siddiqui said, "Attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are exaggerated. We got several requests from minorities as they were afraid but BGB convinced them that we will help". The BGB chief said