Rangpur City Corporation Administrator Advocate মাহফুজ উন নবী চৌধুরী Don said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had asked officials to prepare plans for all development in Rangpur and identify existing problems for submission to him. He made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon after inaugurating repair work on nearly three kilometres of roads from Mahiganj Shaheed Minar to Gosaibari and on Kasaituli Road in the city.

The administrator said the prime minister was sincere about development and that unified support was needed. He said four roads in Rangpur city would be newly constructed at a cost of nearly Tk14 crore. If the work is completed properly within the scheduled time, he said, travel hardship for residents of the affected areas would be reduced.

He declared zero tolerance for irregularities and corruption in road work and asked city residents to give him time and trust as the administration seeks to ease problems gradually. City Corporation sources listed four projects, including 4,100 metres of work on the Terminal-to-Barabari Road costing Tk8.68 crore. Superintending Engineer Md Azam Ali and other corporation officials were present.

Golam Mohiar Khan Shiper, a 73-year-old freedom fighter and former leader of several Manikganj organisations, died while receiving treatment at Manikganj Sadar Hospital on Wednesday at about 1:30pm. He was a resident of Panjankhara village in Garpara union of Manikganj Sadar upazila.

Shiper had served as former convenor and general secretary of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society’s Manikganj district unit and was a life member of the organisation. He was also a former president of the district Jubo Dal and former commander of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Manikganj district unit command.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister and Manikganj district BNP convener Afroza Khanam Rita expressed deep grief over his death. In a condolence message, she said Shiper had remained committed to the ideals of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and played an important role in the movement to restore democracy. His funeral prayers were held after Asr at Manikganj Government Boys’ High School field. He received a guard of honour before being buried beside his mother’s grave at the family cemetery in Garpara.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called for investigations into enforced disappearances under the draft Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act, 2026 to be handled by an independent institution rather than police. In a statement reported on July 29, TIB said the Home Ministry uploaded the draft on July 27 and set July 28 as the deadline for comments, describing the one-day consultation period as a farce. The group demanded at least two additional weeks for feedback.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the draft contains positive provisions, including recognition of disappearance as a distinct and continuing criminal offence and accountability for senior officials and those giving orders. However, he said the limited consultation period showed a lack of government willingness to gather views from victims and relevant stakeholders.

TIB questioned whether police could conduct impartial investigations given specific allegations that sections of police, intelligence, security agencies and law-enforcement forces were involved in most disappearance cases. It also raised concerns over provisions in Article 15, saying they could shield accused senior officials. The organisation urged revisions based on stakeholder recommendations and international best practices.

Ruling BNP has called a meeting of its standing committee, the party’s highest policymaking forum, for Saturday, August 1. BNP media cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan confirmed the development on Wednesday. The meeting will be held at the chairman’s political office in Gulshan, and committee members have been informed.

Khan said he had not yet received any instruction regarding the meeting’s formal agenda. As a result, the party has not specified which organisational or political matters will be officially taken up during the session. The report does not identify the expected participants or provide details of any planned announcement after the meeting.

Asked about possible agenda items, Khan said it was believed that the presidency issue could be discussed at Saturday’s meeting. The matter was presented as a possibility rather than a confirmed agenda item, with no final instruction reported. No further details were provided about the scope of a potential discussion or any decision the standing committee may make.

India’s Supreme Court has cleared late former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in a coal allocation case, declaring closure of proceedings against him on Wednesday. The decision, reported on July 29, 2026, came about a year and a half after Singh’s death in 2024. The case concerned alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal mines in Odisha while the UPA government was in power.

Singh held the coal ministry portfolio at the time, while allegations were also raised against the then coal secretary. The report says the CBI questioned officials in the prime minister’s secretariat but was accused of not questioning Singh, an issue that was also raised before the court. Singh had rejected the allegations from the beginning. In 2015, the CBI submitted to the court information obtained after questioning him.

The Supreme Court said the trial court had no strong basis to reject the CBI’s closure report and take cognizance of the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohanan announced the decision after accepting Singh’s challenge to summons issued by the trial court in 2015. Congress welcomed the ruling and demanded that the prime minister apologize to the country.

Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union, or JAKSU, held a sit-in on July 29 to press for implementation of 13 demands, including a teacher evaluation system. The programme began at 3pm in front of the university’s old registrar building. Key demands include research stipends for master’s thesis students, institutional access to international journals and online platforms, and an effective academic calendar.

JAKSU also called for faster publication of results, longer validity for institutional email accounts, opportunities for students to work as research assistants, and equipment-based certificate courses at the Wazed Miah Science Research Centre. Its demands further include addressing staff shortages in departments and the controller of examinations office, simplifying scribe approval for students with disabilities, answer-script re-evaluation, and special final-year honours examinations in exceptional circumstances.

Education and Research Secretary Abu Ubaida Usama said students’ demands had long been neglected and that results were taking six to 10 months despite an expected 75-day timeline. Co-Cultural Secretary Raihan Uddin said JAKSU had delivered the demands to all Academic Council members and urged reforms to create a student-friendly campus.

The Chattogram metropolitan unit of the National Citizen Party (NCP) held a protest march and rally against an attack on the party’s top leaders in Habiganj. The programme took place on Wednesday afternoon outside Chattogram Press Club in Jamalkhan as part of a centrally announced nationwide action. After the rally, participants marched through Cheragi Pahar and Momin Road.

NCP Chattogram metropolitan member secretary Arif Moin Uddin alleged that several youths led by Jubo Dal leader Shahed Boks tried to stop slogans during the programme. He said they identified themselves as activists of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal. An argument and scuffle followed between the two sides. No statement from Shahed Boks was available.

Witnesses said police stood between the groups and separated them after tensions rose, while both sides exchanged slogans. Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Abu Zayed Nazmun Nur said police quickly reached the site and brought the situation under control, with no major untoward incident reported. Rally speakers condemned the Habiganj attack and demanded that those involved be identified within 24 hours and face exemplary punishment.

National Citizen Party (NCP) activists held a protest march and rally in Cumilla over an alleged attack on the party’s central leaders in Habiganj. The programme was held at Pubali Chattar in the city at 5pm on Wednesday, with participation from NCP activists from the Cumilla district, metropolitan unit and educational institutions, according to a report published on July 29.

The march began at Pubali Chattar, moved through major city roads and returned to the same location for a brief rally. NCP Cumilla metropolitan joint coordinator Masumul Bari Kawsar led the programme. Among those present were Kazi Md. Zayed, district committee member Abdus Samad, metropolitan Chhatra Shakti convener Mostofa Jihan, chief organiser Kazi Muhib and former organiser Abdullah Araf.

Speakers alleged that district BNP leaders and activists of its affiliated bodies carried out a planned attack on an NCP peaceful march in Habiganj. They claimed the central leaders’ vehicle convoy was damaged and several activists were injured, including a student whose eye was seriously affected. Protesters demanded the prompt arrest and exemplary punishment of those involved, as well as security for peaceful political programmes. Kawsar said NCP would be compelled to announce tougher nationwide protests if a fair investigation and justice were not ensured.

Bangladesh Medical University held a video documentary screening and discussion on July Martyrs’ Day 2026, calling for a discrimination-free and anti-fascist Bangladesh. The event took place on Wednesday at the university’s Shaheed Dr Milon Hall. BMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A F M Siddiqui chaired the programme, while Dental Faculty Dean Dr Sakhawat Hossain Sayonth moderated it.

The vice-chancellor said the July movement showed that no government can endure for long through authoritarian and fascist conduct, attacks and repression. He said people who committed visible wrongdoing under the previous fascist period should not receive current benefits or opportunities. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Nazrul Islam described the July mass uprising as the result of a movement by all people of the country, rather than any individual or party.

Shafiqul Alam, father of martyr Wasim, said respect for the martyrs’ sacrifice requires building a discrimination-free Bangladesh and ensuring honesty, merit and qualifications are valued in employment. He also called for an end to an unethical practice of obtaining jobs with money. Participants held prayers for the martyrs and for the country’s development and prosperity.

Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam has described a Human Rights Watch report questioning the standards of International Crimes Tribunal trials as biased. Speaking to journalists at his tribunal office on Wednesday, he said no HRW representative had approached the prosecution or made necessary inquiries with the investigation agency. He said the report appeared to have been influenced by an accused person.

HRW published its report on Tuesday night, raising questions about the international standards of the tribunal’s proceedings. Responding to claims that prosecutors repeatedly brought similar allegations against defendants, Aminul Islam said statements and charges can be similar when separate cases concern killings at the same location. He said lethal weapons and shootings were used in a planned, similar manner across the country.

Aminul Islam said a prosecutor accused of seeking a bribe was removed immediately. He alleged that the person who made the offer had spoken with the prosecutor 24 times and may have intended to make the tribunal’s trials controversial. He also said 24 senior officials work at the investigation agency and questioned reports by HRW and other organisations that he said were issued without verification.

Social Welfare Minister and BNP standing committee member Professor Dr. A Z M Zahid Hossain said BNP and its activists would not allow any alleged plot to endanger Bangladesh by provoking people and opening the way for authoritarianism. He made the remarks on Wednesday at a discussion marking the sixth death anniversary of late Shafiul Bari Babu at the Muktijoddha Hall of the Diploma Engineers Institute in Kakrail, Dhaka. Lakshmipur-2 lawmaker Abul Khayer Bhuiyan chaired the event.

Zahid Hossain said freedom of speech does not mean unrestricted freedom, and that insulting, belittling or damaging another person’s dignity is not a lesson of democracy. He urged restraint in language and public statements, calling abusive and provocative political rhetoric unacceptable. He said BNP would respond on the streets, with the public, to what he described as attempts to rehabilitate authoritarianism.

He said BNP’s history was one of resistance to authoritarianism rather than compromise or retreat. He credited BNP leader Tarique Rahman with keeping people across the country united through organisational skill and leadership during 17 years abroad. Zahid Hossain said alleged conspiracies were defeated through the public verdict in the 2026 national election and urged party activists not to create opportunities for the party to be questioned.

Dhaka University has formed a four-member investigation committee to examine demands for banning the political activities of the pro-Awami League teachers’ organization, the Blue Panel, and to consider disciplinary action against it. The decision was taken at a Syndicate meeting on the afternoon of July 28. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A B M Obaidul Islam will lead the committee, joined by two vice-chancellors and White Panel convener Professor Dr Morshed Hasan Khan.

University sources said the panel will investigate allegations concerning support for fascism on campus over the past 17 years, involvement in repression of students and dissenting teachers, and the Blue Panel’s role during the July mass uprising. If allegations are substantiated, the committee will recommend necessary action against concerned teachers and the organization. Individual teachers found involved in criminal activities could face university disciplinary measures and, if needed, legal action.

Earlier, more than 100 BNP- and Jamaat-aligned teachers submitted a memorandum under the banner of the Anti-Fascist Teachers’ Association. They sought a ban on the Blue Panel’s political activities and legal action against 231 teachers linked to it. The administration said the committee will submit its findings to the Syndicate, which will make final decisions based on the report.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi alleged in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah authorized the use of force against students protesting in Delhi. Gandhi said police action on 20 July against students demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was carried out on Home Ministry instructions. His remarks triggered an uproar in the House.

Gandhi said the home minister had ordered firing at students and that pellets had entered their bodies. He argued that only the home minister or prime minister could authorize such force. He also praised the protesting students and alleged that the RSS had taken control of India’s education system and expanded its influence in universities, limiting students’ ability to question freely.

Union parliamentary minister Kiren Rijiju strongly objected to the allegation and demanded evidence, saying such a serious charge against the home minister could not be made without proof. After the session was adjourned, Congress leader K C Venugopal said Delhi Police works under the Home Ministry and that the home minister must explain the police action against students. Gandhi said Pradhan’s resignation would be symbolic because, in his view, the Education Ministry is effectively run by the RSS.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and the prime minister’s political adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said a continuous 17-year struggle under Khaleda Zia and later party chairman Tarique Rahman created the background for the July 2024 mass uprising. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists at BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, on Wednesday.

Rizvi said the movement’s foundation led to a mass awakening among students, workers and ordinary people, culminating in the fall of what he described as fascism. He said an unprecedented eruption of students and the public took place in July 2024 as part of the 17-year, blood-stained struggle. He also said the movement sought freedom of speech, personal liberty, press freedom and citizens’ rights.

He said the uprising reached its final outcome on August 5, with the end of autocracy and fascism, and claimed Sheikh Hasina fell within 36 days. BNP will hold a special discussion at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh on August 4, with Tarique Rahman as chief guest and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir presiding. Rizvi also urged political parties to use civil language and avoid provocation, abusive speech and false propaganda.

National Citizen Party leaders and activists travelling to Habiganj for a Wednesday protest said their convoy faced repeated obstruction in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal. The protest was called over allegations of an attack on Tuesday’s July march. Led by convener Nahid Islam, the group encountered an empty truck placed across the Dhaka-Sylhet regional highway near the Bahubal-Rashidpur gas field, after passing the Tea-Kanya intersection. NCP leaders removed the truck and continued forward.

NCP said its convoy was stopped shortly before 4 p.m. in Sreemangal. Chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the group had been blocked at three locations by 5 p.m. He alleged that police were used first, followed by trucks placed on the road with punctured tyres, and finally a tractor positioned on the roadway.

Sreemangal police investigation inspector Abdur Razzak said the convoy had been stopped out of concern for its safety, but did not listen to police and passed through Sreemangal. Because Section 144 was imposed in Sreemangal around the programme, NCP had called an emergency press conference at Habiganj Circuit House at 4:30 p.m. Party leaders and activists had not reached the venue by the latest report.