A house in the Khalpar area of Raipur municipality in Lakshmipur was completely destroyed by fire on Saturday afternoon while a woman was filming a TikTok video using a stove flame. The blaze quickly spread through the house, burning furniture, clothes, and cash, resulting in an estimated loss of around 1 million taka. Local residents and the Raipur Fire Service managed to bring the fire under control.

According to local sources, Rani Akter was alone at home when the incident occurred. The fire reportedly started from the stove flame used during the video shoot. Fire Service officer Jasim Uddin confirmed that the fire originated from the stove and was contained with local assistance. The house owner, Rubina Begum, said the property had been rented to Rani two years earlier.

Rani’s brother Miraj stated that his sister was making a TikTok video when the fire broke out, causing about seven lakh taka in losses, including cash saved for travel abroad. He added that Rani has been missing since the incident. Police said they are investigating the matter.

The government has appointed a state-funded defense lawyer in the case concerning the rape and murder of a child named Ramisa in Dhaka’s Pallabi area. The appointment order was issued on Sunday by the Solicitor Wing (GP-PP Branch) of the Law and Justice Division under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. According to the order signed by Senior Assistant Secretary (GP-PP) Md. Faruk Hossain, advocate Musa Kalimullah, a member of the Dhaka District Bar Association, has been assigned as the state defense lawyer to represent the accused in the case currently under trial at the Dhaka Metropolitan Tribunal for the Suppression of Violence Against Children.

The case originated from Pallabi Police Station case number 35, dated May 20, 2026, and has been filed under sections 9(2)/30 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, and sections 201/34 of the Penal Code. The ministry’s order also stated that the appointed lawyer will receive allowances and other benefits as per regulations, and the order takes immediate effect.

The case is registered as Tribunal Case No. 1390/2026 and remains under judicial process at the Dhaka Metropolitan Tribunal for the Suppression of Violence Against Children.

A man was killed in a violent clash between neighbors in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna after a dispute over a goat eating moringa leaves. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Sahapur Eastpara area under Sahapur Union. The deceased, Mahabul Hossain, aged 60, was the son of Aju Pramanik of the same area.

According to local sources, an argument broke out when Mahabul’s goat ate leaves from trees belonging to neighbors Bashar Munshi and his elder brother Toslim Munshi. The quarrel escalated into a physical fight, during which the two brothers allegedly attacked Mahabul with a lychee-picking stick and bamboo rods, striking him on the neck, head, and other parts of his body. He was seriously injured and died on the way to Ishwardi General Hospital.

Police from Ishwardi station arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control. Additional police have been deployed in the area. One suspect, Bashar Munshi, has been arrested, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the other accused.

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the trial of the rape and murder of seven-year-old Ramisa in Dhaka’s Pallabi area is expected to conclude within five to seven days. He made the statement on Monday during a media interaction at the Secretariat organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), emphasizing that the matter ultimately rests with the court.

The minister described the incident as a reflection of social decay and a decline in moral values, stressing the need for social reform based on religious and cultural principles. He said the government’s focus is on ensuring swift legal action and justice for such heinous crimes. According to him, the accused was arrested within seven hours of the crime, confessed in court, and implicated his wife as an accomplice. DNA and post-mortem reports were completed within three days, and the charge sheet was prepared and submitted promptly.

Ahmed added that a special public prosecutor has been appointed for the case and that the Chief Justice is considering canceling court holidays to expedite the trial.

At least 24 people were killed and 82 others injured when a train carrying law enforcement personnel exploded in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, according to police sources. The blast occurred around 8:05 a.m. local time on Sunday in a shuttle of the Jaffar Express that had departed from Quetta Cantonment. The train was transporting security personnel returning home for the Eid holidays.

The explosion caused several carriages to derail and set at least two on fire, damaging nearby vehicles as well. Among the dead and injured were women and children, sources said. Of the wounded, 57 were taken to a military hospital and 25 to Quetta’s civil hospital for treatment.

Preliminary investigations suggest the incident was a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack involving more than 70 kilograms of explosives, according to initial police assessments.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Sunday ordered the formal arrest of Awami League leader Rifat Niloy Joardar, known as the cashier of former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, in a case concerning crimes against humanity related to enforced disappearances at the DGFI’s Joint Interrogation Centre, also known as the ‘Aynaghar’. The tribunal also set July 23 for submission of the investigation report. Rifat was produced before the tribunal from prison earlier in the day, following a prosecution request to show him arrested in the case.

According to prosecution sources, Rifat Niloy allegedly directed and facilitated the abduction and secret detention of several victims, including Moshiur Rahman, in DGFI-controlled facilities, where they were subjected to physical and psychological torture. The preliminary investigation suggests these acts constitute crimes against humanity. The allegations also extend to systematic disappearances and killings across Bangladesh between 2009 and 2024, reportedly under directives from senior Awami League figures.

Rifat, currently imprisoned in another case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station, was responsible for managing several Dhaka apartments owned by Benazir Ahmed and collecting rent on his behalf, reflecting his close association with the former police chief.

Two truck drivers were seriously injured in a head-on collision between two trucks on the Barishal-Dhaka highway at Rahmatpur Kathaltala area on Sunday morning. The accident occurred around 7 a.m. when a brick-laden truck heading toward Barishal collided with an empty truck coming from the opposite direction toward Dhaka after losing control. The front sections of both vehicles were severely damaged, and locals rushed to the scene to rescue the injured.

The injured drivers were taken to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital for treatment. One of the drivers was identified as Jahirul, while the identity of the other driver was not immediately known. The collision temporarily disrupted traffic on the highway, which later returned to normal after the damaged vehicles were removed with the help of locals and law enforcement.

Police officials confirmed that officers were dispatched to the scene promptly and that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.

A tourist who went missing in the Guliakhali Sea of Sitakunda upazila, Chattogram, was found dead 16 hours after disappearing. The body of Rifat, 18, from Daudkandi in Cumilla, was recovered by a Fire Service diving team at around 9 a.m. on Sunday. He had gone to the beach with four friends on Saturday afternoon, and while bathing in the sea, they were swept away by a strong tide. Locals rescued four of them alive, but Rifat remained missing despite immediate search efforts.

According to Sitakunda Fire Service officials, the rescue operation continued from early morning with assistance from the Navy and Coast Guard. After recovery, the body was handed over to the police. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fakhrul Islam stated that the body would be returned to the family and that safety measures would be strengthened to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authorities plan to install warning signs in risky areas and enhance beach monitoring through the local beach committee to ensure tourist safety.

A shooting occurred at the Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court premises on Sunday morning, injuring one person. According to police and eyewitnesses, a group of five to six armed assailants arrived on motorcycles and opened fire targeting Liaquat Ali Sikder, the general secretary of the Jhilongja Union BNP. Although Sikder was unharmed, another man named Moin Uddin was shot and later transferred from Cox’s Bazar District Hospital to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Police, with the help of bystanders, detained two suspects immediately after the incident and recovered a pistol and a magazine from one of them. The attackers reportedly took one person away on a motorcycle, but his identity remains unknown. The shooting took place around 11:30 a.m. at the west gate of the court complex. Additional Superintendent of Police Ohidur Rahman confirmed the incident and said further details would be provided later.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify the remaining suspects and determine the motive behind the attack.

Protests continue in Dhaka’s Mirpur area following the rape and murder of seven-year-old Ramisa Akter, with demands for swift justice. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has met the victim’s family and assured them of a speedy trial. However, many in Bangladesh question whether the case will avoid the long delays that have plagued similar trials over the past two decades.

The renewed attention has brought back discussion of Rasu Khan, a convicted serial killer from Chandpur accused of murdering 11 women after raping them. Although lower courts and the High Court upheld his death sentences in two cases, the executions remain pending due to prolonged legal procedures. Lawyers and rights activists cite complex judicial processes and delays in preparing case documents as key reasons for such backlogs.

A joint study by the Supreme Court and BRAC found that conviction rates in women and child abuse cases are only three percent, with most cases taking years to conclude. Officials expect Rasu Khan’s appeal hearing to take place within months, but many similar cases remain unresolved in Bangladesh’s courts.

At least 13 people were killed in a security operation conducted by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) near Quetta on Saturday. According to a CTD spokesperson, four security personnel were among the dead and six others were injured, while nine suspected militants were also killed during the raid in the Panjpai and Nohsar areas on the outskirts of Quetta.

The operation came just hours after another major clash in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where police, peace committee members, and militants engaged in intense fighting in the Barakzai Akhundkhel area of Miryan tehsil. That confrontation left at least 25 militants dead and several others injured, according to police reports.

The two incidents highlight ongoing security challenges in Pakistan’s western regions, where law enforcement agencies continue to conduct counterterrorism operations against armed groups.

Five people were killed in a head-on collision between a BRTC bus and a patient-carrying ambulance in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur on Sunday morning. The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. on the Faridpur–Bhanga highway near the Shankarpasha area. Police said the Dhaka-bound BRTC bus from Faridpur and the ambulance coming from Madaripur towards Faridpur Medical College Hospital collided, leaving the ambulance badly damaged and all five occupants dead on the spot.

The deceased were identified as ambulance driver Kawser, 25, of Saidarbali in Madaripur; Jahangir Molla, 62; Alomgir Hossain Molla, 58; Khurshida Begum, 45; and Majeda Akter, 48, all from Madaripur district. Following the accident, Nagarkanda police, Bhanga Highway Police, and Fire Service personnel arrived at the scene, conducted rescue operations, and restored traffic on the highway.

Police confirmed that the bodies were recovered and inquest reports prepared. The damaged bus and ambulance were taken into police custody, and legal procedures regarding the incident are underway.

At least 25 militants were killed in a fierce clash with security forces in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday. The fighting occurred in the Barakzai Akhundkhel area of Miryan tehsil in Bannu district, involving police, a peace committee, and armed militants. Police confirmed that two officers and two civilians were also killed, while seven police personnel and three civilians sustained injuries.

Authorities launched the operation after receiving reports of a large militant presence in the area. Police from Lakki Marwat and members of a peace committee joined Bannu police in the operation. Despite intense gunfire, police managed to reach the station safely, and reinforcements were deployed to regain control of the situation.

Police officials stated that two key militant commanders, Jamari Noor and Abdullah, were among those killed. Local sources reported that tension remains high in Barakzai as a significant number of militants are still present, and intermittent exchanges of fire continue.

Police have submitted a charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court against Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akter in connection with the rape and murder of a child named Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Dhaka. The charge sheet was filed on Sunday afternoon by Sub-Inspector Ohiduzzaman, the investigating officer of Pallabi Police Station. Deputy Police Commissioner Ashis Bin Hasan of the prosecution department confirmed the submission. Both accused were presented before the court earlier in the day and later kept in the custody of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.

According to the case details, police recovered Ramisa’s body from a flat in Pallabi’s Section 11 on May 19. Investigators allege that Sohel killed the child after raping her and then fled by cutting through a window grill, while his wife remained at home. Ramisa’s father, Abdul Hannan Molla, filed the case the same day naming both as accused. The Dhaka Bar Association has decided not to provide legal assistance to the defendants.

A hearing on the court’s acceptance of the charge sheet is scheduled to take place shortly.

Former interim government adviser Farida Akhter has expressed grave concern over the growing number of child rape and murder cases in Bangladesh, linking the rise to delays in the judicial process. Writing in a commentary published on May 24, 2026, she cited the recent killing of eight-year-old Ramisa and the earlier 2025 case of seven-year-old Asiya, both victims of brutal sexual violence. In both incidents, family members of the perpetrators were accused of aiding the crimes.

Akhter noted that despite public outrage and legal reforms following Asiya’s case, including a 2025 amendment to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Ordinance, such crimes have not declined. Data from January 1 to May 20, 2026, show 118 children raped, 46 attempted rapes, and 14 murders following rape. She criticized the slow execution of verdicts, including the pending death sentence of Asiya’s killer, and questioned whether current laws adequately protect children.

She urged swift trials and enforcement of punishments, emphasizing that repeated delays undermine justice and embolden offenders. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has reportedly assured Ramisa’s family of prompt legal action.