On February 4, students in Kaliganj surrounded the local police station, demanding the arrest of a dismissed lecturer from North Bengal College in Lalmonirhat. Lecturer Tamanna is accused of vandalizing a police vehicle and assaulting the officer-in-charge (OC). She had earlier organized a human chain protest demanding the resignation of the college principal and the Upazila Executive Officer. However, local residents and students disrupted the protest. Later, she staged a hunger strike in front of the Kaliganj police station but had to take shelter inside due to pressure from protesting students. The students are demanding her immediate arrest.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam accused BBC Bangla of being biased in favor of Sheikh Hasina in a Facebook post. He alleged that the media outlet omits key details when reporting on Hasina, particularly her alleged escape to India. He accused Hasina of ordering mass killings, unprecedented violence, looting, corruption, extrajudicial killings, and the disappearance of over 3,000 people before fleeing to India. He also cited a Human Rights Watch report that claimed Sheikh Hasina was responsible for issuing orders related to killings and disappearances.

After a meeting with Netanyahu, Donald Trump announced in a press briefing that the U.S. will take ownership of war-torn Gaza, relocate Palestinians elsewhere, and develop the region economically. Trump stated that Gaza will be cleared of destruction and transformed into a prosperous economic zone under U.S. ownership. He also mentioned the possibility of deploying troops if necessary. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that Gaza should never become a security threat again.

One month and four days into the current academic year, nearly 18 free textbooks are yet to be printed. Although 50 publishers, including Lecture, Panjeri, Advanced, and Poppy, were tasked with printing books, they prioritized guidebooks instead of following the National Curriculum and Textbook Board’s (NCTB) directives. The market is now flooded with unauthorized guidebooks under the pretense of “All-in-One” practice books. Education experts warn that this will increase rote memorization and have advised strict action. The total number of primary and secondary students exceeds 43.4 million, with a demand for 401.5 million textbooks. Despite a daily printing capacity of 4 million books, only about 2 million are being produced due to a paper shortage. Meanwhile, in Nilkhet and Bangla Bazar, textbooks are being sold at high prices due to the shortage.

Bangladesh Bank has decided to freeze all its reserved lockers following suspicions by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that these lockers contain a large amount of undisclosed wealth. The ACC has stated that only the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has the authority to freeze bank lockers. As a result, the ACC has requested banks not to allocate new lockers or open existing ones for now. Reports suggest that Bangladesh Bank has complied with this request. During an investigation into a former governor, the ACC discovered significant amounts of undisclosed wealth stored in lockers by other bankers.

The concluding prayer of the second phase of the first part of the Shura-e-Nizam Ijtema will take place today (Wednesday) at 12 PM, led by Maulana Zubair Ahmed. Today’s teachings were delivered by India’s Maulana Jamal, while Maulana Ibrahim Deol spoke with senior scholars, and Maulana Farid addressed students. After Zuhr prayer, Maulana Ismail delivered a sermon, followed by Maulana Zuhairul Hasan after Asr prayer. Later, dowry-free marriages were conducted. Tomorrow, sermons will be given by Maulana Faruq and Abdur Rahman.

There are allegations of appointing a favored individual as the Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL). Concerned parties claim that discrimination is being exercised to benefit certain individuals or groups. According to DMTCL’s articles, the chairman is not involved in the appointment process. Some metro rail officials are dissatisfied with the mandatory requirement for the candidate to be an engineer. Allegations suggest that despite lacking the necessary qualifications, a specific candidate was awarded higher marks by the appointment recommendation committee. The advisor to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges stated that the 2017 amendment has been repealed, and only individuals with metro rail experience will be appointed as MD.

During a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, recommendations were made to make the Foreign Ministry more efficient. In the first session, three advisors discussed internal matters of the ministry with Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain. The five-member committee, formed to assess the government’s response to the July coup, includes Advisor Touhid Hossain, Adilur Rahman Khan, Mahfuz Alam, the Foreign Secretary, and a representative of the Chief Advisor.

At 12:15 AM today, Jahangirnagar University (JU) administration decided to abolish the quota for employees’ dependents following student protests. Earlier, university staff and students staged counter-protests over the quota issue. The Vice-Chancellor stated that after discussions with all stakeholders, the central admission committee was assigned to review the matter. In an emergency meeting, the committee decided to cancel the quota.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Special Judge’s Court has granted permission for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to open the lockers of current and former Bangladesh Bank officials in the presence of a magistrate. The ACC Director filed a petition seeking permission to open the sealed safe deposits after discovering them during a search of the safe deposit vault of a former deputy governor, related to an ongoing investigation. He stated that these lockers might contain unprotected assets. The court later approved the request.

Tension erupted in Uttara after police detained three students—Akash, Robin, and Bappi—from a student gathering on Gausul Azam Avenue. Protesters first surrounded Uttara East Police Station before attacking Uttara West Police Station around 7 PM, injuring ASI Mahadev. Believing their peers were held at the East station, students clashed with police, throwing bricks and attacking the gate. Senior police officials, including DC Rawnak Jahan, arrived to negotiate. The situation calmed after discussions, and students suspended their protest upon police assurances.

The metro rail has generated revenue of 24.4 billion BDT from ticket sales during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with an additional 1.8 billion BDT expected next year. Last Monday, a record 282,000 passengers traveled on the metro rail. The Agargaon section was launched on December 8, 2022, followed by the Motijheel section in October of the next year, and the Kamalapur section is set to open in June, completing the entire project. Initially, the metro operated 10 trips per day, but now it runs 200 trips daily. Once extended from Diabari to Tongi, the expected daily ridership will reach 500,000, eliminating the need for government subsidies.

On the afternoon of February 4, a violent clash broke out between two groups in the Baipail area of Ashulia over control of the jhut (textile waste) business. Local weapons were seen at the scene, and multiple gunshots were fired. Upon receiving the news, police arrived and arrested six individuals. Harun Mondal had been running the jhut business at Prudent Fashion Limited, but after the government changed, a man named Alamgir attempted to take control. This led to the conflict. Police recovered 35 local weapons from the site.

The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has permanently expelled 8 students and imposed various disciplinary actions on 33 others, while issuing warnings to 27 students. The decision came after an administrative investigation found them guilty of violating university regulations based on student complaints. Twelve students have been suspended for six semesters, while six others face two-semester suspensions. However, the expulsion orders remain conditional—if they commit further offenses, the punishments will be enforced. Additionally, seven students have been expelled from the dormitories.

The family of Shaikh Ashhabul Yamin, the first martyr of the anti-discrimination student movement who was shot by police in Savar, obstructed efforts to exhume his body for an autopsy. As a result, the magistrate suspended the exhumation process. After failing to convince the parents, they formally objected to the exhumation, citing Yamin’s status as a martyr. The magistrate acknowledged their stance and stated that any further decision would be taken by the court.