Human rights organisation Odhikar held a rally and human chain in Mymensingh on Sunday to observe the International Day Against Enforced Disappearances and remember people subjected to disappearance. The programme was moderated by Odhikar Mymensingh coordinator and Mymensingh Press Club general secretary Abdul Qayum. Speakers included NCP Mymensingh district convenor Advocate ATM Mahbubul Alam, disappearance survivor Golam Mostafa, journalist Abdul Awal and Abdul Bari of the city Jamaat youth wing.

Golam Mostafa said he was taken away by people in plain clothes despite being a factory worker. He alleged that RAB kept him disappeared for 96 days and subjected him to inhuman torture to force a confession branding him a militant. He demanded that disappeared people be traced, their families’ safety and rights ensured, and those involved be tried through an impartial investigation.

Speakers alleged that enforced disappearance was used to suppress dissent and political opponents during the Awami League government’s more than 15-year rule. They said expectations of justice and remedy after its fall have not been fully realised under the BNP government. They also criticised the failure to pass the 2025 ordinance on preventing and remedying disappearances, and voiced concern over allegations of new cases after the July mass uprising.

Opposition members walked out of the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry on Sunday afternoon at the National Parliament Building, declining to join discussion of the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026. Jamaat-e-Islami MPs Nurul Islam and Abdul Baten left before the discussion began. Earlier on Sunday, opposition members also boycotted a Law Ministry-related committee meeting over discussion of the National Human Rights Commission Bill.

Both bills were introduced in parliament last Thursday and referred to the respective Home Ministry and Law Ministry standing committees for examination and reports. Committee chairman Zainul Abedin said members could present amendments, opinions, advice or objections in meetings, but said walking out was not within parliamentary practice. Sources said the opposition members linked their committee boycott to their earlier parliamentary walkout opposing the bill’s introduction.

The meeting discussed the bill in detail and decided to send it to parliament. According to a parliamentary secretariat release, the meeting also said no extrajudicial killings or political repression had occurred in the previous six months, and law enforcement agencies had not used excessive force. It also discussed claims seeking to place responsibility for the disappearance of Mongla fisherman and motorcycle driver Miraj Sheikh on the government.

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the government follows a zero-tolerance policy toward killings after visiting the site of an alleged four-person murder in Rangpur on Sunday afternoon. He spoke to reporters after meeting relatives of the victims and described the incident as horrific and tragic. Dulu said police had arrested two principal accused soon after the killings and that they had confessed in court.

Referring to what he learned during the visit, the minister said the accused may have been drug-addicted and had allegedly disturbed Ganapati Chakraborty. He said Chakraborty may have tried to stop them, after which the killings may have occurred. Dulu said drugs were, in his view, the main cause of the deterioration in law and order.

The minister said the police would submit a charge sheet soon after further investigation and that exemplary punishment would be arranged within a short time. He also said Parliament had provided for the death penalty as the maximum punishment in drug-related matters, while stressing that public awareness and cooperation from people, law enforcement and the administration were necessary to eliminate drugs.

BNP standing committee member and Dhaka-3 lawmaker Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said drug traders and criminals would have no place in the BNP associated with martyred president Ziaur Rahman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He made the remarks on Saturday as chief guest at a sports-equipment distribution event at Chunkutia Girls School and College in South Keraniganj for the 2026–27 fiscal year.

Roy said the party was alert to drug-related offences and pledged that even a senior party leader involved in such activity would be handed to police. He said political identities are often used to conceal crimes and called for a strong social movement involving community elders and residents, arguing that parental and social resistance would help the administration take legal action quickly.

He said Keraniganj’s population had risen from 400,000 to nearly 2 million over the past 20–30 years while playgrounds had become scarce because of encroachment and plot trading. Roy and reserved-seat lawmaker Advocate Nipun Roy Chowdhury later distributed sports equipment allocated by the prime minister to local schools, colleges and sports organizations.

A march organised by the National Committee to Observe the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances reached the area in front of the National Parliament Building on Sunday. Participants began gathering at Saudiya Trade Centre in Banglamotor, Dhaka, at 3pm before starting the march. They held a sit-in intending to submit a memorandum to the speaker, while opposition members of parliament joined them.

Hasinur Rahman, a former military officer described as a victim of disappearance during the Awami League period, chaired the gathering. He strongly criticised Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and demanded that an ordinance on preventing disappearances, drafted during a previous interim government, be turned into law. Akhtaruzzaman and several others also addressed the event.

Participants included Jamaat secretary general Mia Golam Parwar, assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, former BNP leader Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis secretary general Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad and JAGPA vice-president Rashed Pradhan. Several people described as victims of disappearance during the Awami League government also took part. Demonstrators chanted slogans against “Aynaghar” facilities and called for a parliament building siege.

Bangladesh’s government wants to elevate its longstanding friendly relationship with Malaysia, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan said. He discussed expanding cooperation in labour export, renewable energy, infrastructure, education, health and trade during a meeting at the Secretariat with Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Shuhada Bin Othman. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam also attended.

The Malaysian high commissioner expressed satisfaction over the Bangladeshi prime minister’s recent visit to Malaysia, describing the visit as successful. The two sides then held detailed talks on bilateral relations, including the export of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia and registration of undocumented workers. They also discussed creating employment opportunities in Malaysia for Bangladeshi engineers.

Other issues included joint construction of hospitals, wider higher-education opportunities in Malaysia for Bangladeshi students, renewable-energy investment and cooperation in producing sports equipment. Discussions also covered electric vehicle imports, the construction sector and halal food. Both sides expressed interest in turning the countries’ longstanding friendship into a more effective economic partnership. Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan and senior ministry officials were present.

The National Committee for Observing the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances began a march toward the National Parliament in Dhaka on Sunday. The programme seeks trials for those involved in enforced disappearances and killings. Participants gathered in front of Saudia Trade Centre in Bangla Motor at 3pm before starting the march at about 3:45pm.

The march is led by the committee’s joint convener, retired Brigadier General Hasinur রহমান Bir Protik. Leaders and activists from the 11-party alliance also joined and helped lead the programme in support of the initiative, including Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar.

After the march, participants are scheduled to gather again in front of the National Parliament building. Leaders plan to submit a memorandum to the Speaker. Before the event, the programme implementation committee called on people across the country, regardless of political affiliation, to participate spontaneously, while the 11-party alliance urged support for making the programme successful.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police has transferred eight officers holding deputy commissioner and additional deputy commissioner ranks. The transfers were ordered in two separate office directives signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed on Sunday. The reassignment includes officers serving in traffic, detective, procurement, workshop, security and administrative units.

Deputy Commissioner Md. Sharafuddin was moved to the Procurement and Workshop Division. Azad Rahman, previously with Traffic Wari Division, was transferred to the Diplomatic Security Division, while Mohammad Nur-e-Alam moved from the City Research and Development Division to Traffic Wari Division.

Among the additional deputy commissioners, Md. Sonahar Ali shifted from Detective Mirpur to Detective Gulshan, and Md. Sajjad Hossain was posted to Cantonment Zone. Mohammad Abir Hasan was assigned as Staff Officer to the Commissioner. Md. Ziaur Rahman Chowdhury moved to the POM-East Division, while Md. Nazrul Islam was transferred from POM-East to the Detective Ramna Zonal Team.

Eleven Jamaat-e-Islami members of parliament have filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of assigning ministers, state ministers and whips responsibility for specific districts. The petition names the cabinet secretary as a respondent, according to petitioners’ lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir, who confirmed the matter on Sunday morning.

Monir said a similar allocation of district-based responsibilities to ministers, state ministers and whips was made in 2001. When that decision was challenged through a writ petition, the High Court Division declared the responsibility-allocation decision unconstitutional, he said.

A Cabinet Division notification issued on August 27 assigned 30 ruling-party lawmakers, ministers and state ministers to the country’s 64 districts. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani signed the notification by order of the president. It said those assigned would oversee and coordinate overall government activities without undermining the legal authority of local government bodies and other constitutional and statutory institutions. The notification cited sustainable development, good governance, transparency, accountability, anti-corruption efforts, law and order, and national security among government priorities.

Mohammad Selim Uddin inaugurated a canal-cleaning activity beside Rupayan City at Khidir Khal in Uttara Sector 12, Dhaka, on Sunday morning, August 30, 2026. The event was held under the “Clean Dhaka” programme. Selim Uddin, chairman of the Urban Development Forum and a Jamaat-nominated DNCC mayoral candidate, said waste had been removed from hundreds of locations across 54 wards of Dhaka.

He questioned why garbage could not be removed despite the city corporation having necessary resources and said the initiative was driven by responsibility to solve public problems. He alleged that a leader of the ruling party objected to his group cleaning a canal bank in Uttara. Selim Uddin said the country belongs to everyone and called on political groups to work together on public problems.

Addressing the city administration, he said an unelected urban administration may struggle to understand public suffering. He called for city elections to be held before village elections and demanded swift implementation of the public verdict and referendum. The programme also installed a smart bin for separating three types of waste, which he said would be recycled into pens for distribution to schools on Literacy Day.

Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman inaugurated three new buildings at the Bangladesh University of Professionals’ West Campus on Sunday at Mirpur Cantonment. Addressing the event as chief guest, he said a university’s true success is not limited to academic excellence but lies in developing human resources with ethics, values, honesty and a sense of responsibility.

The army chief praised the university’s role in building a modern educational environment, expanding research opportunities and nurturing a patriotic generation. He wished BUP continued success and prosperity. Members of the BUP Senate, senior officials from the army, navy and air force, former vice-chancellors, university officials, distinguished teachers and students attended the programme.

The three new buildings are expected to strengthen BUP’s academic and administrative operations. They will also play an important role in expanding opportunities for modern education, research and creative activities for students and teachers at the university’s West Campus.

Food Minister Afroza Khanam Rita said Bangladesh currently faces no food shortage and has adequate food reserves. She made the remarks on Sunday afternoon after inspecting food warehouses in Beutha, under Manikganj municipality, and in Saturia. She said ensuring food security and safe food remains one of the government’s key priorities.

During the visits, the minister closely reviewed warehouse conditions, grain stock levels, storage arrangements and relevant records. She urged responsible officials to ensure proper preservation and distribution of food supplies so that reserves can be used during any disaster or crisis. Officials briefed her on current stocks and the overall management situation at the warehouses.

Rita warned that no one would be spared if irregularities are found at any food warehouse in the country. She said inspections would gradually be extended to all food warehouses and that immediate, strict legal action would be taken against syndicate operators and people involved in irregularities in food distribution. Senior district administration, police and food department officials attended the inspections.

Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed tabled the Prevention and Remedies for Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026, in parliament on August 27. If passed, the bill would establish enforced disappearance as an offence and provide punishment, rights, compensation and rehabilitation for victims and their families. The proposal gives a legal definition of disappearance for the first time, covering detention or abduction by state employees, disciplined-force members or those acting with government approval, followed by denial or concealment of a person’s whereabouts.

The bill provides for life imprisonment and a Tk50 lakh fine if an allegation is proven. If a victim dies or remains missing after five years, the maximum penalty would be death or life imprisonment, along with a Tk1 crore fine. It also allows planned disappearances to be tried as crimes against humanity at the International Crimes Tribunal and includes provisions on legal aid, medical care, digital evidence, trials in absentia, and witness and informant protection.

Rights advocates and legal experts question the proposal to assign investigations to law-enforcement agencies rather than an independent body. They argue that allegations involving security personnel require a separate commission or civilian authority with dedicated staff, funding and access to secret detention sites. Experts also raised concerns about victim support, witness protection and the feasibility of completing complex cases within 120 days.

State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said battery-powered autorickshaws will not be allowed to operate on the capital’s main roads. Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday morning, he said a law has been enacted and regulations will be prepared soon.

He said two-seat and four-seat e-rickshaws will be brought under registration for operation in Dhaka. Six-seat rickshaws will not receive registration, according to the minister. The announcement sets out distinctions among vehicle types for registration in the capital.

The minister also said Malaysia will begin taking 200,000 workers within six months from September, including 10,000 workers free of charge. He added that Malaysia will invest $2 million in Bangladesh across various sectors.

Allegations of irregularities in development work have created a deadlock at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogura. The dispute centres on claims that low-quality equipment was supplied under government tenders and that a proposed new substation, estimated to cost nearly Tk 70 million, was advanced without adequate capacity assessment. The college principal, Professor Dr Md Wadudul Haque Tarfadar, has raised objections through letters to the Public Works Department.

In a complaint sent to the department’s chief engineer on July 15, the principal said 24 five-ton air coolers were installed at a cost of about Tk 7.3 million without ensuring sufficient electricity capacity. He said a proposal was later sent for a 3,000-kilowatt substation costing about Tk 67.5 million. He also alleged that a planned 250 KVA generator from the United States, Japan or Europe was replaced by a Chinese-made 120 KVA generator.

The principal said the college already has a substation and a 500-kilowatt transformer, arguing that an additional 500 kilowatts would meet demand. Bogura Public Works executive engineer Md Al Mamun Haque denied any irregularities, saying work was being implemented according to rules. An unnamed electrical engineer said adding transformers could meet the institution’s needs.