A prayer and discussion meeting for martyrs and injured people of the July movement was held in Chauddagram, Cumilla. Jagannathdighi Union Jamaat-e-Islami organized the event at the Payarkhola High School auditorium on Friday afternoon, July 24. Upazila Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Mahfuzur Rahman attended as the chief guest.

The meeting was chaired by Jagannathdighi Union Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Rota Sahab Uddin and moderated by its secretary Belal Uddin Majumdar. Speakers included union naib-e-ameer Kazi Shahidul Islam, assistant secretary Rabiul Islam Rocky, and former union president Abdul Momin Vendor, along with leaders from different levels of the organization.

Abdullah Al Masum, president of the Jagannathdighi Union Expatriate Forum, several ward Jamaat presidents, and banker Mohiuddin Sopu were also listed among attendees. Following the discussion, participants held a special prayer and munajat seeking forgiveness for the souls of those killed in the July movement and speedy recovery for those injured.

National Citizen Party (NCP) chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, an MP, alleged that BNP failed to fulfil its pledge to create jobs for one crore people over five years in power. Speaking as chief guest at an NCP July March rally on Friday afternoon, he said BNP had failed to provide employment to even one person. The event was held at the old bus stand in Nawapara, Abhaynagar upazila of Jashore.

Abdullah said ensuring employment for the country’s young people was a major challenge. He argued that those who had promised jobs to the public had not delivered on that commitment. His remarks focused on employment and the unmet pledges he attributed to BNP.

He also expressed anger over the drug situation, saying the home minister had announced that an anti-drug drive would begin after Eid, but no such operation had been conducted. Abdullah further alleged that drugs were being supplied into Bangladesh through the minister’s own area. The meeting was chaired by Shahjahan Kabir, chief coordinator of Abhaynagar Upazila Citizen Party, and included speeches by Sarwar Tushar, Dr Mahmuda Mitu and Ali Ahsan Junayed.

Acting President Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram called recently departed President Md. Shahabuddin Chuppu to inquire about his health, according to sources at Bangabhaban cited by Amar Desh. The phone conversation took place from Bangabhaban on Friday night, July 24, 2026.

A Bangabhaban official said the two exchanged inquiries about each other’s wellbeing. Hafiz Uddin Ahmed wished Shahabuddin a recovery, while Shahabuddin wished the acting president well. After signing his resignation, Shahabuddin said he was seriously ill, suffering from multiple physical complications, and had been advised by doctors to take complete rest and seek advanced treatment.

Shahabuddin’s signed resignation letter was handed to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed by the president’s military secretary at 5:01 pm on Friday. The speaker then assumed the responsibilities of acting president. A National Parliament Secretariat notice cited Articles 50(3), concerning a president’s resignation to the speaker, and 54, concerning the speaker’s assumption of presidential duties.

National Youth Force president Tarikul Islam warned that the NCP would take to the streets with 4 million unemployed people if steps are not taken to create jobs for young people. He made the remarks on Friday afternoon while presiding over the July Youth Convention 2026, organised by the National Youth Force at the Institution of Engineers, IEB auditorium. Addressing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he said the government would be brought down through such a movement if employment was not created.

Tarikul alleged that the BNP came to power after promising youth employment but, over the past five months, had arranged extortion opportunities for its own party workers in the name of job creation. He said the NCP was not responsible for keeping the BNP in power and that the party must remain in office through healthy politics and work for public welfare.

He also claimed that the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Facebook page had not posted any news about creating employment for young people over the past six months. NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain MP attended as chief guest, while chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary and Nari Shakti convener Monira Sharmin were among the special guests and leaders present.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the central government over allegations that security forces used pellet guns during a student protest in Delhi. At a Friday press conference, Gandhi appeared alongside Sahil Lochab, a student said to have been injured by pellets, and alleged that the government was concealing the truth. He displayed injuries on Sahil’s face, hands and body to reporters.

The allegations relate to a July 20 protest over a question-paper leak, when police action reportedly involved pellet guns. Delhi Police and the central government have denied the allegation from the outset. Several injured protesters, however, have claimed medical reports showed evidence of pellet injuries. Sahil, 19, is a final-year student at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning.

Gandhi said Sahil was injured while participating in the protest carrying the national flag and has lost vision in his right eye, with uncertainty over recovery. Sahil’s mother, Jyoti, said he was admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and underwent surgery on Tuesday. Gandhi called for action against those responsible, an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

Opposition Chief Whip and MP Nahid Islam accused the government of deceiving the public over implementation of the July Charter at a National Citizen Party rally in Mohanganj, Netrokona, on July 24. The gathering at Mohanganj Railway Station was part of the party’s July March 2026 programme, which began on July 6 and is scheduled to run for 36 days to mark the second anniversary of the July mass uprising.

Speaking as chief guest, Islam said the government did not want reforms and therefore was not moving to implement the charter. He said the young generation associated with the July revolution would not cooperate with the government if it failed to act, while adding that they would oppose unreasonable actions and support good work.

Islam claimed that 70 percent of people had supported the July Charter and said reforms should occur at every level. He also criticised restrictions on fishing in haor areas after fish fry were released, saying no livelihood alternative had been arranged for fishers. He alleged irregularities in fisher card distribution. NCP chief organiser Sarjis Alam and local leaders also addressed the rally.

Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon said Bangladesh’s history will be presented accurately in new textbooks and that no distortion of history will be tolerated. He made the remarks on Friday afternoon as chief guest at a teachers’ gathering and discussion at Monohorpur High School field in Kachua upazila of Chandpur.

Milon said work is under way to prepare new textbooks as part of efforts to implement joyful, technical and life-oriented education. Books are being prepared for grades six through eight, with emphasis on technical and life-oriented learning. He said 3.1 billion quality new textbooks would be distributed simultaneously across the country in January 2027.

The minister also highlighted sports and cultural activities for students’ overall development. He said each upazila would form its own sports team, while regular sports competitions would be held in all 64 districts and at five divisional levels. Sports and family values have been included in the new syllabus. Chandpur Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Ziaur Rahman and other local and education officials addressed the event.

Bangladeshi President Md Sahabuddin resigned on Friday, according to the source, drawing coverage from Reuters, the BBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the South China Morning Post, Moneycontrol and WION. Al Jazeera cited a statement from the president’s press secretary saying Sahabuddin was leaving office after being diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy. Reuters reported that the 76-year-old president, who took office in April 2023, formally resigned despite a term stated to run until April 2028.

International reports also focused on the political context surrounding the departure. BBC and the South China Morning Post said pressure on Sahabuddin grew after discussion of Sheikh Hasina’s possible return to Bangladesh. Moneycontrol linked the resignation to alleged secret contact and a recently disclosed phone conversation with Hasina, while the cited reports described health as the stated reason.

The reports said the parliamentary speaker will perform presidential duties until a successor is elected. Under the constitution, a new head of state must be chosen by members of parliament within 90 days of the vacancy. They said Sahabuddin submitted his written resignation to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed after the speaker returned from medical treatment in Thailand.

The National Citizen Party, or NCP, has demanded the arrest and prosecution of former president Mohammad Shahabuddin. The demand was made by the party’s Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain at a press conference held on Friday evening at the party’s temporary central office. Hossain said Shahabuddin, also referred to as Chuppu, should be arrested immediately and brought under trial.

Hossain said the narrative presented in Shahabuddin’s resignation letter was irrelevant. He argued that, although illness was cited, the way the resignation letter was framed could create room for a “safe exit” for Shahabuddin. The NCP opposes any such safe exit, Hossain said, and maintains that he must face trial for the offences the party says he committed.

The NCP leader described Shahabuddin as an accomplice of fascism and a fascist. He said that if Shahabuddin is not brought to trial, justice for those who gave their lives in the 2024 mass uprising would remain incomplete. Hossain urged the government to act promptly, arguing that following Shahabuddin’s resignation there is no legal basis for immunity from liability.

Mohammed Shahabuddin formally resigned as Bangladesh’s president on Friday afternoon, citing illness and an inability to continue carrying out his duties. Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad confirmed the resignation at a news conference. Despite leaving office, Shahabuddin will receive lifetime pension payments and several state-provided privileges under the existing law governing presidential remuneration and benefits.

Under The Presidents (Remuneration and Privileges) Act, 1975, amended through May 2016, a president who serves for more than six months or completes a full term receives a monthly pension equal to 75 percent of their last salary until death. As a former president, Shahabuddin will also be entitled to a personal assistant, an attendant and a government-determined annual allowance for official expenses.

The law also provides free use of government vehicles for official events, a government telephone connection at his residence with bills paid within prescribed limits, medical facilities equivalent to those of a minister and a diplomatic passport. He may stay free at government circuit houses or rest houses while travelling domestically. If he has retired from another government post, he may choose either that retirement benefit or the presidential benefit.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish said former president Md Sahabuddin’s resignation should have occurred much earlier and does not end his accountability. In a joint statement published on July 24, the party’s amir, Maulana Mamunul Haque, and secretary general, Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad, called for an impartial and transparent investigation into allegations against him, followed by action under the law.

The leaders said Sahabuddin had lost the moral and political legitimacy to remain president after the fall of the then government through the July mass uprising. They said political parties and participants in the uprising had demanded his resignation from that time. They also alleged that the BNP initially did not support the resignation demand for political reasons, and that he was compelled to resign only after the party changed its position.

The statement alleged inconsistencies in Sahabuddin’s remarks about Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, saying these raised questions about his neutrality and constitutional responsibilities. Khelafat Majlish also cited allegations of misuse of state power, constitutional violations and involvement in controversial activities. It urged legal measures against all those involved in past abuses of power, use of state institutions for partisan interests and deprivation of people’s rights.

Mawlana Mamunul Haque, writing in an article published on July 24, 2026, examines Bangladesh’s political debate over the July Charter and a referendum. He says opposition political parties are primarily demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, alleging that the current government is not interested in carrying it out and is instead seeking to obstruct or derail it. The article says its first part will cover the process from drafting the July Charter to holding the referendum, alongside the author’s position on why July is their struggle.

Haque argues that the political change of July-August 2024 is more accurately described as a mass uprising than a full revolution. In his account, the government formed after the fall of the previous administration did not declare itself a revolutionary government and instead maintained continuity with the earlier state structure. The National Citizen Party, which he identifies as a leading organization of the July movement, first raised the demand for a July Charter.

The interim government later initiated the charter process through the National Consensus Commission. The commission reviewed proposals from six reform commissions and held three rounds of dialogue over 72 days with 33 political parties. Unresolved disagreements were preserved as notes of dissent, while agreed matters formed the July National Charter, reflecting goals of preventing fascism and eliminating inequality.

Several student organisations demonstrated in Kolkata on Friday, backed by the Kakaroch Janata Party, to protest alleged question paper leaks in India. Police and security forces used batons and fired tear-gas shells to disperse protesters at Dorina Crossing in the Dharmatala, Esplanade area, according to a senior official cited in the report.

Protesters blocked the Dorina Crossing area and were reported to have thrown shoes and water bottles at police personnel on duty. Police were unable to fully remove the demonstrators from the area despite the baton charge and tear-gas firing, and the protesters continued their demonstration.

Police said a section of the protesters identified themselves as supporters of the Kakaroch Janata Party. According to the police account, they had cancelled their own gathering after failing to obtain permission for a separate protest march. The group later joined left-wing workers at the tail end of the procession in Dharmatala, police said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said mutual respect, harmony and human love are the true lessons of religious practice. He made the remarks on Friday as chief guest at a discussion meeting for the 2026 Sri Sri Jagannathdev Ulto Rathjatra festival at Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital. He said genuine believers never disrespect the faith of others and that people of all religions seek closeness to the Almighty in their own ways.

The minister said religious figures from different faiths have worshipped the Almighty through different paths. Whether called Allah, God or Bhagwan, genuinely devout people respect the love of God held by followers of other religions, he said. He described Rathjatra and Ulto Rathjatra as symbols of a distinctive bond between people and divine love, alongside prayers and worship in Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and other faiths.

Swapan urged people to remain alert to attempts by individuals and groups to use religious sentiment for political interests and create division. He said the government would not accept divisions based on religion, race, language, or hill and plains. Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam inaugurated the festival and attended the meeting chaired by Nitai Swami Maharaj, head of Swamibagh Ashram and general secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh.

A legal analysis published on July 24, 2026, examines whether Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s expulsion of Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam automatically ends his parliamentary membership. Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Ahmed A. Khan argues that, under the straightforward reading of existing law, expulsion by itself does not vacate an MP’s seat.

The analysis says Article 70 of the Constitution covers resignation from a party and voting against it, but does not mention expulsion. Article 66, concerning conviction for an offence involving moral turpitude and a prison sentence of at least two years, also does not apply to an internal party disciplinary decision. It cites earlier cases involving expelled lawmakers Abu Hena and Abdul Latif Siddiqui, while noting that Bangladesh has no authoritative ruling on this precise question.

The author says the Election Commission could consider an argument based on Articles 12(1)(b) and 12(8) of the Representation of the People Order, but that would require an expanded interpretation. If a dispute is properly raised, the Speaker must refer it to the commission within 30 days under the 1980 law and Rule 178. The commission’s decision would be final.