Bangladesh’s cabinet has approved a draft law to abolish the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, and establish a new specialised police unit called the Special Response Battalion (SRB). The draft of the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Act, 2026 was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on the evening of August 17, 2026. The Cabinet Division later announced the decision in a press release.

According to the release, the proposed law provides for forming the SRB under the police force after repealing the RAB law. It also includes provisions for a multi-party grievance redress committee to address complaints from citizens and internal grievances among members of the unit. The SRB is described as a new specialised unit operating under the police force.

The draft law provides for transferring RAB-related personnel, orders, powers, authority, benefits, funds, property, accounts, records and other associated assets to the SRB. Until new regulations are issued, existing regulations on departmental procedures related to the SRB will remain in force with necessary adaptations, according to the cabinet announcement.

Bangladesh has extended the contract terms of Cabinet Secretary Dr Md Nasimul Gani and Senior Secretary Md Ehsanul Haque of the Ministry of Public Administration by another year. The Ministry of Public Administration issued separate notifications on Monday, according to a report published on August 17, 2026.

Nasimul Gani was appointed Cabinet Secretary on a contractual basis on February 16, 2026. Before taking up that position, he served as senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs on a contractual basis.

Ehsanul Haque was appointed senior secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration on a contractual basis on October 12 last year. Prior to that appointment, he served as secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division. The separate ministry notifications confirmed the one-year extensions for both officials.

Police detained three members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Habiganj while they were preparing for a protest march against load-shedding, higher electricity prices, gas shortages and unusually rising commodity prices. The detentions took place on Monday afternoon at the Court Mosque grounds in the district town, before the march organized under the banner of students and people from all walks of life began.

Those detained were the district movement’s member secretary, Mahdi Hasan, and members Mirza Suman and Rocky. Organizers said uncontrolled increases in prices of essential goods, frequent power cuts, higher electricity charges and a prolonged gas crisis had caused severe hardship for ordinary people and businesses. They said the march had been planned to demand solutions to those problems.

Habiganj Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Jahidur Haque said the three were detained because the protest assembly lacked permission and for security reasons. The detentions before the march began prompted reactions among local residents. It was not immediately known what legal action, if any, would be taken against the three detainees.

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology held its “July Uprising Memorial Programme 2026” at its auditorium on August 17, 2026. Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, attended as chief guest, while State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque was the special guest. BUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Ekramul Haque chaired the event, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Shariful Islam attended as convener.

The finance and planning minister said the courage and sacrifice shown by students and the public during the turbulent July days would remain memorable in national history. He said building the Bangladesh envisioned by those killed in the uprising would be the highest tribute. The state minister said young people had played an exceptional role during a national crisis and that the government was working to develop students’ talents into skilled human resources.

The vice-chancellor referred to BUET’s role in the 2024 July uprising, while the pro-vice-chancellor highlighted contributions by teachers, students, staff and alumni. Students and faculty members also spoke. BUET presented commemorative honours to relatives of several July martyrs and to the father of BUET student martyr Abrar Fahad.

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.