The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) conducted an eviction drive in Anwara upazila of Chattogram to remove illegal structures along the Karnaphuli Tunnel six-lane connecting road. The operation began at 10 a.m. on Tuesday under the supervision of Executive Magistrate Razia Akter Chowdhury. According to RHD, the drive is part of a seven-kilometer road development project stretching from Chatri Chaumuhani Bazar to the Marine Academy.

The project, implemented at a cost of Tk 78 crore, includes the construction of a 1,200-foot-long and six-foot-wide RCC drain to address waterlogging in the market area. During the operation, RHD officials stated that the eviction was necessary to accelerate the ongoing road improvement work. Several senior engineers and officials from the Chattogram South District Road Division were present during the drive.

The initiative aims to ensure smoother progress of the infrastructure project and improve drainage and traffic conditions along the key connecting route.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to urgently repair the roads in Pirojpur district to make them suitable for traffic. The instruction came during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting reviewed the progress, challenges, and next steps of various development projects under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Pirojpur.

During the discussion, the Prime Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining a smooth and functional road communication system across the country. He particularly stressed the need to bring long-neglected and severely damaged roads under immediate repair programs to reduce the suffering of local residents. Relevant departments were instructed to take prompt and effective measures.

Officials present at the meeting reported on the previous progress of LGED projects in Pirojpur and noted that irregularities and corruption had occurred during the previous Awami League government’s tenure. The Prime Minister underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in implementing development activities going forward.

Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro met with Brigadier General Dr. A K M Shamsul Islam, the Prime Minister’s Defense Adviser, on Tuesday afternoon in Dhaka. The meeting took place at the office of the Defense Adviser in the Armed Forces Division within Dhaka Cantonment, with a four-member Italian delegation present.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged greetings in a cordial atmosphere and held productive discussions on strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the area of defense cooperation. They emphasized deepening the existing friendship between Bangladesh and Italy and making it more multidimensional.

The discussions also covered expanding collaboration in defense training, capacity building, and experience sharing, as well as enhancing cooperation in the context of regional and global security. Both parties stressed the importance of elevating mutual trust, cooperation, and strategic partnership to a new level.

Islami Chhatra Shibir Central President Nurul Islam has alleged that the Awami government carried out the Shapla Chattar killings as part of a plan to eliminate Islam and its leaders. Speaking at a human chain organized by the Dhaka South unit of Chhatra Shibir at Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar, he demanded the immediate publication of a white paper on the incident and the trial of those responsible in an international crimes tribunal.

Nurul Islam claimed that after the 2013 incident, many Islamic scholars were unjustly arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for years. He also alleged that several television channels were shut down to conceal the events of May 5. He urged the government to reveal the actual death toll, compensate affected families, and punish those who planned and executed the killings. He further called for a blasphemy law to prevent anti-Islamic activities.

Special guest Maulana Abdul Halim of Jamaat-e-Islami also demanded justice, claiming that some former RAB and military officials were directly involved. He reminded that the opposition alliance led by Begum Khaleda Zia had protested the killings the following day.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called on district administrators to engage closely with citizens and lead alongside them. Speaking as chief guest at the sixth session of the 2026 Deputy Commissioners’ Conference held Tuesday at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, he emphasized the administrators’ vital role in nation-building and urged them to focus on genuine public welfare. He also announced that the government would organize local government elections soon and stressed decentralization as key to strengthening democracy.

State Minister Mir Shah Alam, attending as special guest, highlighted the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, noting that among 64 district commissioners, 18 are women, and one of eight divisional commissioners is female. He instructed authorities to ensure coordinated waste removal within 12 hours during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. The session, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, included presentations and discussions among divisional commissioners and district administrators on local challenges and development priorities.

The event underscored the government’s focus on administrative innovation and effective local governance to advance national development goals.

Hefazat-e-Islam organized a rally in Narsingdi on Tuesday afternoon demanding justice for the killings at Shapla Chattar. The gathering took place at Darul Ulum Dattapara Madrasa and was attended by leaders of the organization’s Narsingdi district branch, including President Hafiz Maulana Shawkat Hossain Sarkar, Organizing Secretary Maulana Sadekul Islam, and several other clerics and activists.

Speakers at the rally alleged that people devoted to Islam were brutally killed during the incident and compared the violence to extreme acts of brutality. They accused the government of supporting anti-Islamic activities through the Shahbagh Gonojagoron Mancha movement. The speakers also announced the formation of the Shapla Foundation and demanded that the events of Shapla Chattar be included in school textbooks.

The rally reflected Hefazat-e-Islam’s continuing demand for official recognition and judicial action regarding the Shapla Chattar incident, which the group describes as a massacre.

An illegal network known as the 'Body Contract Syndicate' has reportedly become active again at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The group allegedly facilitates illegal immigration by helping individuals with incomplete travel documents pass through immigration in exchange for 30,000 to 50,000 taka per person. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has identified one of the key figures behind the operation as Abdul Bari Molla, an aerodrome operator at the airport.

According to CAAB, Molla secretly built a large human trafficking network involving immigration police and airline employees. A formal investigation has been launched against him, but sources claim he has attempted to influence the inquiry by pressuring administrative officials and using external contacts to obstruct the process. The syndicate reportedly sends people to Italy via countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Qatar, Egypt, or Syria using Umrah visas and sea routes.

Following recent reports of over 20 Bangladeshi deaths in the Mediterranean Sea en route to Italy, the Prime Minister’s Office instructed relevant agencies to investigate. CAAB’s Additional Secretary S M Lablur Rahman stated that strict action will be taken based on the investigation findings and reaffirmed the agency’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption.

Army Chief General Walker-Uz-Zaman has described the recent national election as the most remarkable in the country’s history. Speaking on Tuesday at the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, he said the election demonstrated that both military and civilian forces can successfully complete even the most challenging tasks when working together. Before his remarks, the chiefs of the navy and air force, along with the prime minister’s defense adviser, also addressed the event.

The army chief thanked the deputy commissioners for their role in organizing the election, noting that while the army provided support, the responsibility for conducting the polls rested entirely with the civil administration. He added that despite earlier doubts about whether the election would take place, the process had restored the nation to a democratic path. He assured the officials that the army would remain ready to assist them promptly in any emergency, disaster, or other critical situation.

His comments underscored the military’s commitment to supporting civil authorities and maintaining stability following the election.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Division, Md Masud Alam, has been transferred to Chattogram as Superintendent of Police. The transfer order was issued on Tuesday through a circular from the Police-1 branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs, signed by Deputy Secretary Tawsif Ahmed. The order stated that the decision was made in the public interest and would take immediate effect.

The same circular also appointed new Superintendents of Police in eleven other districts, including Panchagarh, Bandarban, Joypurhat, Pabna, Nilphamari, Narail, Satkhira, Chandpur, Jhalakathi, Moulvibazar, and Feni. Md Masud Alam, a 28th batch BCS (Police) officer, previously served as Deputy Commissioner of DMP’s Ramna Division after the fall of the Awami League government.

During his tenure, he was responsible for key areas such as Dhaka University, the residence of the former Chief Adviser of the interim government, the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice’s residence, Shahbagh, and the Press Club, where he gained attention for his role during various protests and road blockades.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and opposition leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman declared that the recent referendum result in Bangladesh would be implemented without fail. Speaking as chief guest at a community reception in Nagoya, Japan, he said nearly 70 percent of voters supported the referendum, and ignoring their decision would insult the nation. He pledged that the opposition would continue its movement both inside and outside parliament to ensure the verdict’s execution.

The event, organized by the Bangladesh community under the supervision of Islamic Mission Japan, was attended by expatriate Bangladeshis, academics, and professionals from the Aichi Prefecture. Dr. Rahman expressed gratitude to expatriates for their support during past political movements and promised to work with the expatriate ministry for the release of 39 detained Bangladeshis in the UAE. He also urged the government to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against extortion and corruption, citing rising commodity prices.

Dr. Rahman emphasized moral and religious education as essential for eradicating crime and corruption and reaffirmed his commitment to building a moral, educated, and advanced Bangladesh in cooperation with friendly nations like Japan.

A Dhaka court has again postponed the submission date for the reinvestigation report in the murder case of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi. On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam set May 17 as the new date after the investigating officer, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Abdul Kadir Bhuiyan, failed to submit the report. This marks the 13th postponement in the case.

Earlier, on January 15, 2026, the case’s complainant, Inqilab Moncho member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber, expressed dissatisfaction with the charge sheet filed by the Detective Branch and submitted a petition for reinvestigation, which the court approved. The initial charge sheet, filed on January 6, 2026, accused 17 individuals, including former ward councilor Taizul Islam Chowdhury Bappi and Faisal Karim Masud, the prime suspect.

According to the case details, Hadi was shot on December 12 in Motijheel while traveling after Friday prayers and later died on December 18, 2025, in Singapore while under treatment.

NCP’s southern regional organizer and Member of Parliament Hasanat Abdullah stated that Bangladesh’s recent fuel crisis resulted mainly from inadequate preparation. He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon after a views-exchange meeting at the office of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer in Debidwar, Comilla. Abdullah said that after the new government was formed, a lack of readiness led to problems in diesel supply, allowing a syndicate to take advantage and cause public suffering. He also criticized certain power-producing groups for exploiting capacity charges.

Addressing broader national issues, Abdullah emphasized the need to uphold communal harmony to counter negative portrayals of Bangladesh. He added that ensuring unity among people of all faiths would help dispel post-election concerns in India. On law and order, he noted that public discussions reflect serious deterioration, claiming current crime reports have surpassed those during the interim government.

The meeting, chaired by Debidwar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rakibul Islam, was attended by officials from the Roads and Highways Department and local political and community leaders.

Bangladesh Bank has announced a temporary relaxation in loan regulations for the leather sector ahead of Eid-ul-Azha 2026. According to a circular issued on Tuesday, businesses that previously rescheduled their loans will now be able to access new financing without paying the earlier required compromise amount. The relaxation will remain effective until June 30, 2026, allowing more traders to secure working capital for rawhide collection, preservation, and marketing during the festival season.

The central bank emphasized that the leather industry is a key export-oriented sector based on domestic raw materials, contributing significantly to national growth, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. As nearly half of the annual rawhide supply comes from sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha, the circular directed banks to ensure adequate financing and to distribute loans effectively to grassroots traders.

Banks have also been instructed to set loan disbursement targets for 2026 that are not lower than the previous year’s levels and to submit related data to Bangladesh Bank by July 31, 2026.

Bangladesh Bank has increased the maximum loan limit for purchasing cars under consumer loans from Tk 6 million to Tk 8 million. The central bank issued a circular on Tuesday to all commercial bank chief executives, stating that buyers can now receive loans covering up to 80 percent of a car’s price, particularly for hybrid and electric vehicles. Consumers will need to pay the remaining 20 percent themselves.

The circular explained that the decision reflects the growing demand for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient vehicles in Bangladesh. It also aims to align loan limits with current automobile market prices and encourage consumers to adopt hybrid and electric cars. Previously, banks could finance only 60 percent of a car’s price, requiring buyers to cover 40 percent.

Additionally, the central bank raised the ceiling for personal loans. Individuals can now borrow up to Tk 1 million without collateral, and up to Tk 4 million with adequate security. Banks have been instructed to ensure that consumer loan growth does not exceed their overall loan growth rate.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh, Md. Nurul Islam, has submitted 38 audit reports from various ministries and agencies to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon. Among these reports is the investigation into the widely discussed 'pillow scandal' corruption that occurred during the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s Green City residential complex. The scandal, first exposed in 2019, involved abnormally inflated prices for furniture and electronic items, including pillows purchased at Tk 5,957 each and additional lifting charges.

According to the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, the Prime Minister reacted to the report by remarking that such an expensive pillow should be kept in a museum. The audit found irregularities in purchases worth Tk 169 crore for the residential project, with several items priced far above market value, such as comforters at Tk 16,800 and bed sheets at Tk 5,936.

Senior officials including the Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani and Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Mojumdar were present during the submission of the 2021–22 fiscal year audit reports.