The government has promoted 277 senior assistant secretaries and officers of equivalent rank to deputy secretary posts. The Ministry of Public Administration issued the notification on Monday afternoon, August 17, 2026. Deputy Secretary Mohammad Nur-e-Alam signed the notification.

According to the order, the promoted officials have been appointed as special officers on duty, at deputy secretary rank, under the Ministry of Public Administration. If an official’s office or workplace has already changed from that stated in the promotion order, the official must submit a joining letter identifying the name and address of the current office.

The authorities reserved the right to amend or cancel the order for any official if adverse or different information emerges later. The promoted officials may submit their joining letters to the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration directly or online through sa1@mopa.gov.bd. The order, issued in the public interest, takes effect immediately.

A new satirical online movement called “Dimagi Naxal” emerged on social media after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about “Dimagi Naxalism.” According to a report published on August 17, 2026, an Instagram account using the name surpassed 181,000 followers within a day and exceeded 200,000 by Monday afternoon. Several accounts with the same name also appeared across social media platforms.

The account describes itself as an online satirical movement. An early post said the key condition for joining was being able to disagree with one’s own leaders. Its slogan is: “We think. We research. We resist.” Posts say the group follows Bhagat Singh’s ideals and define a “Dimagi Naxal” as a mind capable of identifying systematic patterns of oppressive rule.

The debate followed Modi’s Independence Day speech from Delhi’s Red Fort, where he said the nature of the Maoist threat had changed and alleged that people influenced by Maoist thinking had affected policymaking. Congress leader P. Chidambaram said he was proud to be a “Dimagi Naxal,” while minister Kiren Rijiju said Modi’s term did not target opposition leaders. The account was briefly inaccessible on Monday, and its operators alleged a cyberattack on X. Their identities remain unclear.

Nandangachhi Degree College in Charghat, Rajshahi, has temporarily suspended home economics lecturer Soheli Akter after a social media post she made for 15 August triggered tensions, protests and demonstrations on campus. The college deployed additional police to maintain control and ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff, according to an administrative source. The report was published on 17 August 2026.

College sources said the Facebook post drew mixed reactions among students and other groups. College Chhatra Dal members and general students joined demonstrations, raised slogans against the lecturer and demanded her resignation. College Chhatra Dal convener Sahedur Rahman said the post had created anger and dissatisfaction among them. No formal statement from Soheli Akter was available.

Principal Wahedul Islam said the executive committee unanimously decided at a Monday morning meeting to suspend Akter temporarily, citing evidence of involvement in anti-state and institutionally undisciplined activities. The meeting was chaired by president Saiful Islam. Akter joined the college's home economics department as a lecturer in 2013.

Bangladesh State Reform Movement said applying constitutional Article 70 restrictions to members of parliament in a presidential election would violate the constitution and betray reform commitments. Leaders, constitutional experts and political analysts made the assertion at an August 17 discussion titled “Presidential Election: The Role of Article 70” at the group’s central office on Topkhana Road in the capital.

In a keynote paper, Shahidullah Farayji argued that although Article 48(1) provides for the president to be elected by lawmakers, the vote is not a parliamentary sitting or decision-making process. He said it is an independent election conducted under the Election Commission, where lawmakers vote as members of an electoral college. He also criticized the chief whip’s statement that voting against a party decision would vacate a member’s seat.

The movement issued three demands: withdrawal of the chief whip’s statement, a clear Election Commission explanation that Article 70 does not apply, and amendment of Article 70 in line with a referendum mandate. President Hasnat Kaiyum urged members of the 13th National Parliament to remove party barriers and vote using conscience and independent judgment.

Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said the government considers completing six months, or 180 days, in office a major success amid what he described as a fragile economy and disorder left by the previous government. He made the remarks in a welcome address at a special discussion meeting marking the 180-day milestone at the Prime Minister’s Tejgaon office’s Shapla Hall on Monday at noon.

Ruman said the previous government had left the country in a state of clutter and fragility. According to him, the present administration’s ability to run the country normally despite those conditions was a significant achievement. Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli moderated the meeting. Political advisers Nazrul Islam Khan and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, along with Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, addressed the gathering.

Ministers and advisers responded to journalists’ questions during the session. Those present included State Minister for Local Government Shahe Alam, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yaser Khan Chowdhury, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, and other officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and information ministry. Representatives of journalists’ organizations and the Journalists Welfare Trust also attended.

Prime Minister’s Public Administration Adviser Ismail Jabiyullah said the government will not tolerate any “mob culture” in the country and that it will be governed under existing laws. He made the remarks while answering journalists’ questions at an exchange meeting marking the current government’s 180 days in office, held Monday, August 17, 2026, at the Shapla international conference centre in the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

Responding to a question about measures against mob culture, Jabiyullah described it as undesirable and said it should never occur. He said he had no clear example of a recent incident of mob culture. He also said that the type of mob culture seen toward the end of the interim government was not currently present.

Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the extent of mob culture had declined considerably. He said political support and implicit political influence had contributed to it, and argued that stronger rule of law would further reduce the trend. Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin presented statistics on the government’s activities and achievements during its 180 days.

The Islami University unit of Chhatra Dal held a protest march against what it described as activities by the banned organisations Awami League and Chhatra League. The march began in front of the university’s faculty building at about 2pm on Monday, travelled through several campus roads, and ended in front of the administration building. The report said activists also staged a demonstration there against “fascists.”

Unit convener Masud Rumi Mithun, member secretary Rafiz Ahmed, senior joint convener Anwar Parvez and former general secretary Rashedul Islam attended, along with joint conveners and members of the convening committee. Participants chanted slogans calling for justice for Hasina, action against Awami League and Chhatra League, vigilance against conspiracies, and a safe campus.

After the march, Mithun said teachers he described as fascists who were still conducting activities in the country should be arrested and dismissed from their jobs without delay. He said such teachers and the banned Chhatra League would have no place on the campus. He also asserted that they would have no place in the country.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit Saudi Arabia. The invitation was reported in an article published on August 17, 2026.

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Jafer H. bin Abiyah met the prime minister on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat. During the meeting, the ambassador handed over the invitation letter sent by the Saudi crown prince.

The information was confirmed by Shahadat Hossain Swadhin, deputy press secretary to the prime minister. The report did not specify a possible date for the visit, a programme for the trip, or whether the invitation had been accepted.

The government is set to retain Cabinet Division Senior Secretary Nasimul Gani and Public Administration Ministry Senior Secretary Ehsanul Haque in their current posts, extending their contract-based appointments by another year. A high-level government source confirmed the information to Amardesh on Monday. The report was published on August 17, 2026.

Nasimul Gani received a contract-based appointment as cabinet secretary on February 16, 2026. Before taking up that role, he served as senior secretary of the Home Ministry on a contract basis. Under the reported decision, he will continue in his role as senior secretary at the Cabinet Division.

Ehsanul Haque was appointed on a contract basis as senior secretary at the Public Administration Ministry on October 12 last year. Before that appointment, he served as secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division. The planned extension would keep him in the Public Administration Ministry's senior secretary post for another year.

National Citizen Party convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam alleged that democratic space and room for free expression have gradually narrowed during the BNP government’s six months in office. He made the remarks on Monday at a hotel in the capital during the Democratic Journalist Alliance’s “July Through Journalists’ Eyes” event. He called on journalists, political parties and others to work together to prevent further restrictions.

Islam said democratic protests demanding gas and electricity services were being described as reckless and linked to bus vandalism. He warned that it would be troubling for democracy if future opposition street protests were associated with vandalism to create grounds for cases or arrests. He said opposition parties should be able to speak both inside and outside parliament as part of a democratic state.

He urged journalists to publish truthful and objective reporting and stressed that their safety must be ensured for independent work. Islam expressed disappointment that recommendations of the Media Reform Commission had not been implemented. He also called for media independence from political and business interests, stronger democratic institutions, and rejection of violence against media outlets despite disagreements over their policies or political positions.

The High Court will issue an order Tuesday on a writ petition challenging the validity of Article 70 of the Constitution and seeking suspension of the presidential election schedule. On Monday, August 17, a bench comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Chowdhury and Justice A F M Saiful Karim fixed the matter for an order.

Lawyer Md. Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ last Thursday and argued the case himself. Attorney General Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal, Deputy Attorney General Mamun Chowdhury, and Akhtar Hossain Md. Abdul Wahab appeared for the state during the hearing.

Under Article 70, a member of parliament elected as a nominee of a political party loses their seat if they resign from that party or vote against it in parliament. The provision does not disqualify the person from becoming an MP in a future election. The petitioner argued that Article 70 prevents MPs from voting independently and undermines their democratic rights.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, or DUCSU, has demanded an independent and impartial investigation into allegations that Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall student Md Ibrahim was abused in the provost’s office. In a statement published on August 17, 2026, DUCSU said Ibrahim was allegedly confined, physically and mentally abused, threatened, deprived of his mobile phone and forced to sign a written statement after criticizing irregularities at the hall.

DUCSU called for preservation and release of relevant CCTV footage and for provost Ilyas Al Mamun to be relieved of duties until the investigation is completed. It said students had peacefully surrounded the provost’s office, seeking his resignation and release of footage, when Chhatra Dal activists allegedly arrived with a procession late at night and attacked students and elected representatives.

According to DUCSU, about 10 students, including hall union vice president Khandakar Md Abu Nayeem and general secretary Imamul Hasan, were injured. It demanded treatment for the injured, identification and punishment of those involved based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, and an investigation into the university administration’s role in removing the accused provost.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is preparing to implement the 11-party alliance’s planned long marches toward four major cities. Its Long March Implementation Committee met on Monday at the party’s central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka, according to a report published on August 17. Party Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar chaired the meeting, which focused on making the September 5 Dhaka-Chattogram march successful.

The meeting formed several committees and distributed responsibilities to ensure the marches are carried out peacefully, orderly and successfully. Participants also called on people at all levels in the relevant areas and across the country to support the programme fully. Those attending included Jamaat assistant secretaries general, members of its central executive and working councils, metropolitan leaders, and representatives of the Bangladesh Sramik Kalyan Federation and Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The 11-party alliance announced four nationwide long marches on August 6 from a sit-in at Muktangan in Dhaka, citing an 11-point demand including protests over electricity and gas shortages and rising commodity prices. The schedule lists marches from Dhaka to Chattogram on September 5, Rangpur on September 19, Khulna on October 10, and Sylhet on October 24. The first three will travel by road, while the Sylhet march will use rail. A grand rally in Dhaka is planned for November 14.

A youth-led movement known as the “Cockroach Janata Party,” or CJP, has emerged as a new political challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP in India, analysts say. After seven weeks of protests, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. The BJP also lost two of three by-elections held in the first week of August, including the Bankipur seat in Bihar, which it had held for nearly three decades.

The movement grew from youth anger over unemployment, leaked job-exam papers and the education system. It began as a satirical Instagram platform in May, prompted by a comment from India’s chief justice, and later became a symbol for student and youth protests spreading beyond Delhi to cities across India. Participants have included young people from different religions, castes and social classes, including upper-caste Hindu youth identified as BJP supporters.

The BJP has responded with videos by Modi and new social-media outreach efforts, including a special youth contact programme in Uttar Pradesh. Analysts say such campaigns have often drawn criticism and mockery, while older tactics of portraying protesters as anti-national or foreign-funded have been less effective. They caution that the movement has not immediately weakened BJP power, but say youth grievances could become a major political issue.

US Democratic Senator Jackie Rosen has called for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to resign after he allegedly encouraged the killing of 30 to 40 people each night during Israel’s military operation in Gaza. In a report published on August 17, 2026, Rosen described Ben-Gvir’s remarks as “horrific and completely unacceptable.”

In a Monday post on social media platform X, Rosen said people who advocate violence against innocent civilians should not hold public office. She said Ben-Gvir should therefore resign. The reported comments were made recently in a podcast, where Ben-Gvir allegedly urged the killing of 30 to 40 people nightly in Gaza.

Rosen also called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn Ben-Gvir’s comments. She said Netanyahu should make clear to the world that such statements do not represent the Israeli government’s position. The report said Ben-Gvir’s remarks have drawn widespread criticism and intensified calls for his resignation.