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.

Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said India is eagerly awaiting a visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, while stressing that the decision rests entirely with the Bangladeshi leader. He spoke to reporters on Wednesday afternoon after meeting Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and State Minister Shama Obaed Islam at the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka. The meeting was Trivedi’s first with the two ministers since taking up his post in Dhaka.

Trivedi described the talks as very warm and said they covered various aspects of bilateral relations, including sports and cricket. He also referred to the resumption of Indian visas for Bangladeshis, calling it convenient for people in both countries. The high commissioner said India and Bangladesh share a historic relationship, as well as a border, common culture and common dreams.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Tarique Rahman, as the current BIMSTEC chair, to attend the outreach segment of the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. Bangladesh has not yet made a final decision on whether it will accept the invitation and attend the summit. Trivedi said he looks forward to building a relationship beneficial to people in both countries.

NCP southern region chief organiser and Cumilla-4 lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah said police cannot both serve as law enforcers and implement a party agenda. He made the remarks during an argument with police officers who stopped NCP leaders travelling to a rally in Habiganj on Wednesday. He said those wishing to engage in politics should do so openly under a BNP banner.

Hasnat alleged that police were blocking NCP leaders instead of detaining people who posed security threats. He asked officers under which law they were preventing him from proceeding. The National Citizen Party, or NCP, called Wednesday's protest over allegations of an attack during Tuesday's “July Padayatra”.

NCP central leaders and activists, led by convenor Nahid Islam, had set out for Habiganj to join the programme but were stopped at several points along the route, the report said. As of the latest update in the afternoon, they were stationed on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Kamaichhara in Bahubal upazila amid police barriers. Heavy rain began during the standoff, and NCP leaders remained there despite being soaked.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord Implementation Movement Committee has demanded a national commission to advance implementation of the accord, alleging a lack of visible action by the BNP-led government. At a discussion meeting held Wednesday at the National Press Club, representatives said no visible initiative had been taken during the government’s first five months in office.

The organization held the meeting under the title, “Five Months of the BNP-led Government: Assessment of Progress in Implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord.” Joint coordinator Zakir Hossain read a written statement saying the government had announced a 180-day programme after taking office. The committee welcomed that programme and had urged the government to place implementation of the accord on its priority list.

Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said full implementation of the accord and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights were necessary to fulfil the government’s pledge to build a multinational and pluralist “Rainbow Nation” under its 31-point programme. Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque alleged excessive militarization of the region in the name of security and called for an immediate commission involving stakeholders.

Law enforcement agencies imposed tight security in Bahubal upazila of Habiganj on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, amid rival programmes by the National Citizen Party (NCP) and BNP. Additional police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel were deployed at key locations from noon. At about 5pm, a convoy carrying NCP convener Nahid Islam and other central leaders encountered police barricades after reaching the upazila boundary.

Local sources said additional personnel were positioned in Mushai, Kamaichhara, Mirpur Choumuhana and Titarkona. The convoy also included Akhtar Hossain, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam. In the Mirpur area, police restricted traffic by parking private vehicles across the road, affecting movement on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.

Long-distance buses and other vehicles were stranded, causing a lengthy traffic jam and hardship for passengers. The NCP convoy, which had remained in the hilly Mushai area from 5pm, had not been able to proceed before evening. Local businesspeople and residents expressed concern, including over possible security risks from a prolonged stay. Law enforcement agencies gave no immediate official statement on the reason for the barricades or their next steps.

The National Citizen Party, or NCP, called a protest in Habiganj on Wednesday over alleged attacks during Tuesday’s July march. Central leaders and party workers, led by convener Nahid Islam, set out for Habiganj but said they faced obstructions along the way. As of the latest report in the afternoon, they were staying on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Kamaichhara in Bahubal upazila amid heavy rain.

NCP leaders said their convoy was stopped in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, shortly before 4 p.m. Chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the convoy had been blocked at three locations by 5 p.m.: first by police, then by trucks with punctured tyres, and finally by a tractor placed on the road. Nahid Islam wrote on Facebook that the group had crossed a fourth barricade and was continuing toward Habiganj.

Sreemangal police investigation inspector Abdur Razzak said the convoy had been stopped for security reasons, but did not heed police advice and passed through Sreemangal. NCP had scheduled an emergency news conference at Habiganj Circuit House after Section 144 was imposed in Sreemangal, though its leaders had not yet arrived. Police said Section 144 was also in force in Habiganj municipal area, where Border Guard Bangladesh personnel and a magistrate were deployed.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate and the party’s medical division amir, Dr SM Khaleduzzaman, criticised State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur in a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon. The report says Khaleduzzaman issued the remarks while commenting on Nur’s role in the ministry.

In the post, Khaleduzzaman wrote that Nurul Haque Nur should return to the “bikashprotha” of the past. He described the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry as important, saying the fate of millions of expatriates and the country’s economic wheel depend on it.

Khaleduzzaman further said that having an inexperienced state minister in charge of such a ministry was a cruel irony for expatriates’ fate. The source does not include any response from Nurul Haque Nur or information about any subsequent action related to the Facebook post.

Tension gripped Chhagalnaiya in Feni after rival BNP groups announced programmes and counter-programmes following clashes over sand extraction. On Wednesday, Rapid Action Battalion and police personnel were deployed at key points in the municipal town to prevent untoward incidents. Public concern grew from the afternoon as security patrols and searches were intensified.

Armed law enforcement personnel were positioned at Zero Point, College Road, the Chhagalnaiya-Feni road and the Chhagalnaiya-Shubhapur road, among other locations. Around 5pm, several supporters of the Alamgir Siddique group who tried to gather on College Road dispersed after being stopped by RAB and police. Police said an argument and scuffle occurred between Officer-in-Charge Md Abu Taher, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Nadim Uddin and an associate, but no one was detained or arrested.

Earlier, allegations said upazila BNP leader Riaz Uddin Mazumdar Tipu was seriously injured in a clash, while four others were hurt trying to rescue him. Tipu filed a written complaint naming 14 people and 20 to 30 unidentified suspects. Hanif, a member of the Siddique group, was also injured, and both sides denied allegations of attacks against each other.

Road Transport, Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam said those who gave their lives in the July movement were the nation’s finest sons. He made the remarks on July 29 as chief guest at a discussion titled “Shashwata July,” organised by the Dhaka College unit of Chhatra Dal in Dhaka. The event commemorated martyrs and injured people from the July mass uprising and the past 17 years of anti-autocracy movements.

Alam said the movement succeeded because of unity between students and the public, alongside an active role by politicians. He said politicians stood with students and the public from beginning to end, risking their lives. He also claimed that current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman appointed him chief coordinator when the movement began, and that he worked diligently to accelerate it.

The minister alleged that some people not seen in the field during the July movement are now claiming its main leadership. He said voters had answered such claims through elections. Alam also said the public knows whose hands keep the state safe and who stands beside people during crises. Chhatra Dal leaders and activists, the Dhaka College principal, teachers, students and guests attended the event.