At the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka, Arisha Afroz, mother of slain school student Shahid Ashikul Islam, gave her testimony as the fifth witness in the case concerning the killing of 28 people during the July Revolution in Rampura. The hearing took place before a three-member judicial panel led by Chairman Golam Mortuza Majumdar, with Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury as members.

In her statement, Arisha Afroz described how her 14-year-old son, a ninth-grade student at Bonoshree Nibrash Madrasa, joined demonstrators after Friday prayers on July 19, 2024. She recounted seeing protesters shot as security forces opened fire, and later identified her son’s body at a hospital, where doctors confirmed he had died from a gunshot wound to the head. She alleged that several officials, including a Border Guard Bangladesh officer, were involved in the shooting and demanded justice for her son’s death.

The tribunal proceedings are part of an ongoing case against four accused officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Redwanul Islam, over the Rampura killings.

Twelve people were burned in an explosion caused by a gas leak at the canteen of the JERA Meghna Ghat power plant in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The injured were taken to the Burn Institute in Dhaka for treatment. The victims include both power plant officials and canteen staff.

According to colleagues, the explosion occurred during lunchtime when employees were eating at the canteen. Flames and heat caused burns to the hands, faces, and legs of at least twelve people. Burn Institute resident surgeon Shawon Bin Rahman confirmed that twelve patients had been admitted and their burn percentages were being assessed.

The plant’s safety officer, Fakhrul Islam, stated that four of the injured were canteen workers while the rest were plant officials. He suggested that the incident might have occurred because a gas stove was left on after cooking, and when someone lit a flame, the explosion took place.

Police in Chattogram recovered the body of a 27-year-old man, Abu Kausar, found hanging from the Sagorika flyover on Tuesday evening. Despite widespread social media rumors suggesting murder, police stated that CCTV footage, forensic examination, and other evidence indicate suicide. The footage reportedly shows Kausar walking alone onto the flyover before taking his own life. Officers said no signs of struggle or external injuries were found on the body.

Kausar, a resident of the Akbar Shah area, was described in several social media posts as a banned Chhatra League leader, and some political pages claimed he was murdered. The incident quickly drew national attention. However, police said they have no verified information about his political affiliation, and his family did not file any murder complaint. Instead, they initially tried to take the body without an autopsy, which was later completed at police request.

Police reiterated that all evidence supports suicide and dismissed online claims as baseless, emphasizing that their findings are based on physical and forensic proof.

A Chattogram court has ordered the transfer of a case involving violence, vandalism, and the murder of lawyer Advocate Saiful Islam Alif to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The case was previously under the Chattogram Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB). The order was issued on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, by Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddique. The case was filed by Alif’s brother, Jane Alam, following the unrest that erupted after the bail rejection of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case.

According to court sources, the DB had been investigating the case since the violent incidents at the Chattogram court premises on November 26, 2024, but made little progress. Dissatisfaction with the investigation led the plaintiff to request a change of investigating agency. During the hearing, the court found the DB’s explanation unsatisfactory and ordered the PBI to take over for a more impartial investigation.

The case names 116 individuals and 400–500 unidentified suspects, including Chinmoy Krishna Das. Despite the large number of accused, no arrests have been made so far, prompting the court’s decision to shift the investigation.

An illegal stone storage and trading operation along the Dhaka–Bogura highway in Ghurka, Raiganj upazila of Sirajganj, is obstructing traffic and raising accident risks. Local residents allege that stolen stones from northern regions are openly bought and sold on both sides of the highway, with piles occupying parts of the road and making vehicle movement hazardous.

A field visit revealed rows of stone heaps narrowing the road and endangering drivers. Local shopkeeper Abdus Salam said most stones are purchased illicitly from truck drivers, and several individuals are involved in the trade year-round without administrative intervention. Residents claim the activity is entirely illegal and expanding due to a lack of monitoring and enforcement.

Hatikhumrul Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Md Ismail Hossain stated that the illegal storage and sale of stones are under investigation and that necessary action will be taken soon.

Police have arrested Kazi Jahanara Parvin, the general secretary of the banned Women’s Awami League unit of Syedpur municipality in Nilphamari, in connection with a farmer murder case. She was detained on Tuesday night from a mediation meeting at Gol Chattar in Syedpur. Parvin previously served as a reserved female councilor of the municipality. The arrest was confirmed on Wednesday by Officer-in-Charge Zillur Rahman of Nilphamari Sadar Police Station.

According to the case details, she was arrested in connection with the killing of a farmer named Siddiq Ali, who was allegedly run over by a vehicle in Ramganj, Nilphamari Sadar. The case was filed on October 22, 2024, by the victim’s son. Former Member of Parliament Asaduzzaman Noor, district Awami League president Dewan Kamal Ahmed, general secretary Advocate Momtazul Haque, and 202 others were named as accused, along with 1,000 to 1,200 unidentified individuals.

The case statement mentions that the complainant could not file the case earlier because the Awami League was in power at that time.

In April 2026, Bangladesh recorded 586 transport-related accidents that left 563 people dead and 1,279 injured, according to a report released on May 13 by the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association. The report detailed that 527 road accidents caused 510 deaths and 1,268 injuries, 54 rail accidents killed 49 people, and five waterway accidents claimed four lives. The highest number of road accidents occurred in Chattogram Division, while Mymensingh Division saw the fewest.

The association’s accident monitoring cell compiled the data from media reports, noting that actual casualty figures could be higher. It identified multiple causes behind the accidents, including unregulated movement of motorcycles and battery-run rickshaws, lack of road signs and lighting, faulty vehicles, reckless driving, and poor enforcement of traffic laws. The report also analyzed accident distribution across highways, regional roads, and urban areas.

To reduce accidents, the association recommended expanding technology use on roads, improving driver training, ensuring vehicle fitness through digital systems, enhancing road lighting, and establishing a road accident research unit under the Ministry of Road Transport.

A man named Al Amin, aged 26, drowned in the Brahmaputra River after reportedly jumping into the water while fleeing an anti-drug operation in Jamalpur on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred in the Nandina area of Ranagacha Union. Fire Service divers recovered his body about four and a half hours later, around 5 p.m.

According to police, local sources, and the Fire Service, officers from the Department of Narcotics Control conducted the operation in the area. Several young men jumped into the river during the raid; four managed to swim ashore, but Al Amin went missing midstream. He was the son of Mukta Mia from Bashchara Union in Jamalpur Sadar upazila.

The Department of Narcotics Control stated that they were unaware of anyone jumping into the river and confirmed that five people were arrested during the operation. Police later received the recovered body from the Fire Service and sent it to the hospital morgue for autopsy.

RAB-14 seized 46 sacks of government rice under the Vulnerable Women Benefit (VWB) program in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur, allegedly stored for black market sale. The operation took place on Tuesday, May 12, at Shyamganj Kalibari Bazar in Sidhuli Union. The accused rice trader, Sajel, fled the scene during the raid. Authorities reported that the confiscated rice weighed around 1,380 kilograms and was handed over to Madarganj Model Police Station.

The raid was conducted based on secret information by RAB-14’s Jamalpur camp commander Major Labid Ahmed, with the presence of Madarganj Assistant Commissioner (Land) Rasel Dio. Police confirmed that a case has been filed against the fugitive trader, and efforts are ongoing to arrest him. The seized rice included 40 sacks of 30 kilograms each and six open sacks belonging to the Food Department.

Officials stated that the confiscated rice and empty government sacks were transferred to the police station, and similar operations against such irregularities will continue in the area.

At least five people were injured in a violent attack at Haji Kachom Ali Fakir Super Market in Mulayd village of Gazipur’s Sreepur upazila on Tuesday night. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. after a dispute over unpaid dues between Faisal, owner of New Jamalpur Glass and Thai Aluminium Fixicate, and Rona Bhandari. According to allegations, Rona and a group of 30 to 40 people armed with local weapons attacked the shop, vandalized property, and looted goods.

Faisal claimed that Rona fired three rounds at him, but the shots missed. The attack caused panic in the area, and locals later recovered bullet shells and handed them over to police. Sreepur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nasir Ahmed confirmed that police visited the scene and said the matter is under investigation, with legal action to follow.

The incident has heightened tension in the local business community as police continue their inquiry into the violent confrontation.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has ordered the commencement of trial proceedings against former Member of Parliament Shamim Osman and 11 others in a case concerning killings committed in Narayanganj during the July uprising. The three-member judicial panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, issued the order after formally framing charges of crimes against humanity. The tribunal also set June 10 for opening statements and the recording of the first witness testimony.

The tribunal rejected the defendants’ petitions seeking discharge before reading out the prosecution’s charges. Prosecutor Abdus Sattar Palowan presented three specific charges against the accused, while defense lawyers had earlier argued for dismissal of the case. The tribunal had previously postponed the order scheduled for Tuesday before delivering it on Wednesday.

The accused include Shamim Osman’s son Imtinan Osman Ayon, nephew Azmeri Osman, and several local political figures and associates from Narayanganj. The case marks a significant step in the tribunal’s ongoing proceedings related to crimes against humanity.

Residents of Fatullah in Narayanganj have been gripped by fear following a series of gas explosions that injured nine people from two families within days. On May 11, a blast in a rented house at Kutubpur Lakibazar burned four members of one family, while a similar explosion on May 10 in Giridhara injured five others. Witnesses said gas had accumulated inside the houses before the blasts, which occurred when stoves were lit early in the morning.

Local residents blamed the incidents on illegal gas connections, fluctuating pressure in the industrial zone, irregular supply, and negligence. They said gas often returns late at night after daytime shortages, causing leaks when stoves are left open. Workers added that irregular factory operations affect gas pressure in residential lines. Officials from Titas Gas and the Fire Service confirmed that investigations are underway but have not yet determined the exact causes.

Residents demanded the removal of illegal connections, regular monitoring, and awareness campaigns to prevent further accidents, warning that continued negligence could lead to greater loss of life.

A violent attack took place on Tuesday night, May 12, 2026, at a shop in Haji Kachom Ali Fakir Super Market in Mulaid village of Sreepur, Gazipur. The incident occurred after a dispute over unpaid dues and refusal to sell goods on credit. Witnesses reported that several rounds of gunfire were heard, causing panic in the area. Five people, including the market owner’s son Kamal Fakir, his nephew Siam, the shop manager Shahin, and employees Shanto and Shyamal, were injured.

According to shop owner Faisal Ahmed, accused Rana Bhandari and his brother Mamun, residents of Kewa village, had an outstanding balance from previous purchases. On May 9, Rana bought goods worth 72,000 taka, paying 30,000 in cash and promising to clear the remaining 42,000 later. When asked to pay the balance on Tuesday, Rana allegedly assaulted an employee. Later that night, Rana and Mamun led a group of 25–30 people who attacked, vandalized, and looted the shop. Police said they were investigating the incident and would take legal action.

The attack has left the local community in fear as investigations continue.

Villagers in Lalmonirhat’s Patgram upazila prevented Indian Border Security Force (BSF) members from taking Bangladeshi cattle near the Dhobalguri border on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred close to the 873 main pillar along the zero line, where the cattle were grazing. When BSF personnel tried to seize the animals, local residents intervened with sticks, leading to tension between the two sides.

According to local and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) sources, members of the Teesta 61 Battalion arrived at the scene after receiving reports of the confrontation. Their intervention brought the situation under control, and BSF personnel subsequently retreated into Indian territory. The area is now reported to be calm.

BGB’s 61 Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Syed Fazle Munim confirmed that the tension arose when BSF attempted to take Bangladeshi cattle from the zero line area.

A murder case accused, Abdul Latif Bhuiyan, aged 45, was hacked to death in Titas upazila of Cumilla on Monday night. The attack occurred around 9:30 p.m. at the three-road junction in Manikkandi village under Bhitikandi Union. Latif, son of the late Dhonu Bhuiyan, was severely injured by assailants who used sharp weapons and later died while being taken to a hospital in Dhaka.

Police and local sources said the incident stemmed from a long-running conflict between supporters of former Bhitikandi Union chairman Abul Hossain Molla and former member Saiful Islam over local dominance. The dispute had previously led to the 2022 killing of Abul Hossain Molla’s son, Jubo League leader Zohirul Islam Molla, for which Latif was an accused. He had recently been released on bail and returned to the area three days before the attack.

Titas police confirmed that multiple teams are working to arrest those involved in the killing, which appears to be linked to the earlier political feud.