The National Citizens Party (NCP) has condemned alleged question leaks, irregularities, and negligence by authorities in the recruitment of assistant teachers for government primary schools. In a statement issued on Monday by NCP’s Joint Member Secretary and Education and Research Secretary Faisal Mahmud Shanto, the party demanded that if any truth is found in the allegations, the examination held on January 9 should be canceled and retaken.

The NCP expressed deep concern over reports of question paper leaks and irregularities in the recent primary teacher recruitment exam, noting that similar incidents had previously occurred in the Directorate of Primary Education’s office assistant recruitment test. The party criticized the interim government formed after the 2024 student uprising for failing to establish a transparent and fair recruitment system, accusing ministries and departments of focusing instead on tender and recruitment trade.

The NCP urged an impartial investigation into all allegations and called for withholding publication of results until the probe is complete. It also warned that if negligence persists, the party will join job seekers in protest to demand justice.

An awareness meeting on the upcoming National Parliament Election and Referendum 2026 was held at the Taraganj Upazila Parishad hallroom in Rangpur on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. The meeting was presided over by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Monabbir Hossain. Among those present were Taraganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ruhul Amin, Upazila Livestock Officer Md. Ifthekharul Islam, Upazila Election Officer Shimu Parvin, other local officials, and journalists from print and electronic media.

Discussions at the meeting focused on the importance of the Referendum 2026 program, raising voter awareness, adherence to the electoral code of conduct, and expanding public outreach on election-related information. Participants emphasized the need for collective efforts by all concerned to ensure a fair, free, and peaceful election process.

The meeting underscored the role of local administration, law enforcement, and media in promoting transparency and voter participation ahead of the national election.

A seven-year-old Bangladeshi girl named Afnan has been placed on life support after being critically injured by gunfire that crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar’s ongoing internal conflict. The incident occurred in the Hwaikyang border area of Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, on Sunday afternoon. She was brought to Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 4:30 p.m. in critical condition, where doctors performed emergency surgery on her head that night.

Hospital Director Brigadier General Taslim Uddin confirmed that the bullet struck Afnan’s head, leaving her in a highly critical state. A CT scan and emergency operation were conducted, and she was later placed on life support due to deterioration. Earlier in the day, rumors of her death spread in the area, prompting local unrest.

The shooting followed intense clashes between the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, which escalated Saturday night. A stray bullet from the Myanmar side hit Afnan’s home in the Techchibridge area. Local residents staged protests after hearing of her supposed death, but law enforcement and community leaders later restored calm.

A joint operation by the army and the local administration was carried out in Ward 6 of Bajalia Union under Satkania upazila in South Chattogram to prevent illegal hill cutting. According to the upazila administration, the raid took place around 1 a.m. on Sunday, January 11, led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) Shamsuzzaman, following a tip-off. Clear evidence of hill cutting was found at the site, but no suspects were apprehended. The perpetrators fled, leaving behind an excavator, which was later disabled with army assistance to prevent future misuse.

The upazila administration stated that operations against environmentally destructive activities such as hill and farmland soil cutting will continue. It also warned that strict legal action will be taken against those responsible for environmental damage and threats to public safety. Local residents reported that illegal hill cutting and soil sales had been ongoing in the Bajalia area for a long time, and the recent operation has brought relief to the community.

Two senior staff nurses at Feni General Hospital have been temporarily suspended after a video surfaced showing cooking on a gas stove inside the labor ward’s operation theater. The suspension order, signed on Sunday evening by Md. Anwar Hossain Akand, Acting Director General of the Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery and Joint Secretary of the Health Services Division, named Nursing Supervisor Kalpana Rani Mondal and Senior Staff Nurse Rani Bala Halder.

The order stated that the incident, which occurred at the 250-bed district hospital, was a serious breach of discipline and professional conduct. The video’s circulation on social media and subsequent news coverage reportedly damaged public health confidence, patient safety, and the reputation of the nursing profession. Authorities said the nurses failed to maintain discipline and hygiene in the sensitive operation theater environment.

Hospital Superintendent Dr. Mohammad Saiful Islam confirmed receipt of the suspension order and said further action would follow after the investigation committee submits its report. The incident had earlier sparked widespread discussion and criticism across the district.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman has accused the government of surrendering to bureaucratic power. Speaking at a press conference on Monday morning at TIB’s headquarters in Dhanmondi’s Midas Center, he said the bureaucracy has become more powerful than the advisory council, reflecting group and political interests. He argued that a section of the bureaucracy is stronger than government advisers.

Dr. Iftekharuzzaman stated that the government has given no importance to the urgent recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Reform Commission. He alleged that as long as the bureaucracy maintains exclusive control, the ACC’s full independence will remain deliberately excluded. He further said that the formation of the Police Commission contradicts the July Charter.

The remarks highlight TIB’s concern over bureaucratic dominance in governance and the lack of priority given to institutional reforms aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability.

S M Jilani, the BNP-nominated candidate for the Gopalganj-3 constituency and president of the party’s central volunteer wing, carried out a grassroots campaign in Tungipara’s Patgati Dakshinpara area on Monday, January 12, 2026. Starting early in the morning, he met farmers in the fields and visited local homes to exchange greetings and discuss community issues. He listened to residents’ concerns about local hardships and expectations.

During the campaign, Jilani stated that standing beside the people in their joys and sorrows is the core of his political philosophy. He pledged to work for the rightful interests of the people of Tungipara and Kotalipara if elected. Local residents shared their views on development, employment, education, and healthcare, while Jilani assured them of sincere efforts to address their problems.

Local BNP leaders and representatives from affiliated organizations were present during the campaign and interactions with residents.

A Bangladeshi fisherman was seriously injured in a landmine explosion on Monday morning near the Hwaikyang border area of Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar. The victim, Mohammad Hanif, 22, from Lombabil area of Hwaikyang Union, lost his right leg in the blast that occurred between Shahjahan’s Island and Hansher Island on the Bangladeshi side of the Naf River.

According to family and local sources, Hanif was fishing with nets and a boat when the landmine exploded, leaving him critically wounded. His father, Fazal Karim, confirmed the incident and claimed the mine had been planted by the Arakan Army. Locals rescued Hanif and took him to the MSF hospital in Kutupalong, Ukhiya, for initial treatment before he was referred to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for advanced care.

Following the incident, agitated locals blocked the Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf highway for about half an hour before traffic resumed. No official statement was available from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) regarding the explosion.

A Dhaka court has acquitted actress Mehazabien Chowdhury and her brother Alishan Chowdhury in a case filed by a businessman alleging threats and intimidation. The order was issued on Monday by Dhaka District Executive Magistrate Md Adnan Zulfikar after a hearing. Earlier, the siblings had surrendered and secured bail on November 16 of the previous year. The court had set January 12 for submission of their written response, which was found satisfactory, leading to their release from the case.

According to the complainant’s lawyer Raihan Gazi Noyon, the actress and her brother submitted a written undertaking promising not to issue further threats, which the court accepted before granting acquittal. Defense lawyer Tuhin Howlader stated that the court found their explanation satisfactory. The case was filed under sections 107 and 117(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code after the complainant, businessman Amirul Islam, alleged that Mehazabien and her brother had taken 2.7 million taka under a business pretext and later threatened him when he demanded repayment.

The court’s decision effectively ends the proceedings, contingent on the defendants’ compliance with their written undertaking.

A Dhaka court has granted two additional days to Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inqilab Moncho, to review the Detective Branch (DB) police charge sheet in the murder case of the platform’s spokesperson, Shahid Sharif Osman Bin Hadi. The plaintiff appeared before the court on January 12 and sought more time, after which Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam set January 15 for the hearing on the charge sheet’s acceptability. Three state-appointed lawyers—Abdus Sobhan Torofdar, Barrister S.M. Moinul Karim, and Assistant Attorney General Mostafizur Rahman Mukul—have been assigned to represent the plaintiff.

According to the case, DB Inspector Faisal Ahmed submitted the charge sheet on January 6 against 17 accused. The main accused, Faisal Karim Masud alias Dawood, and five others remain absconding, while 11 are in custody. The case stems from the December 12 shooting of Hadi in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area, after which he was treated in Dhaka and later in Singapore, where he died on December 18.

The court will decide on January 15 whether to accept the charge sheet or raise objections.

A mobile court led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) Tania Akter Lubna fined two excavator operators a total of one lakh taka for illegally cutting and selling soil from farmland and government land in Bhitikandi Union of Titas upazila, Cumilla. The operation took place on Sunday in the Dorikandi area, where excavators were found removing soil from the banks of the Gomti River near local brickfields.

According to local residents, a powerful group has long been involved in illegal soil extraction due to weak administrative monitoring. The activity has reportedly damaged the fertility of agricultural land, weakened riverbanks, and increased the risk of embankment collapse. Heavy vehicle movement has also deteriorated local roads and caused severe dust pollution, disrupting normal farming and daily life.

Following the mobile court’s action, the excavators were removed from the site. The administrative move came after local journalists drew attention to the ongoing illegal activities, prompting authorities to intervene.

Police in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj arrested a man for operating a secret yaba manufacturing factory inside a rented house. The raid took place around 10 p.m. on Sunday in Dakshin Betka village under the leadership of Officer-in-Charge Monirul Haque Dablur. The arrested man, identified as Md. Firoz, aged between 35 and 37, is the son of Abu Taher from Dhaka’s Basabo area. Police recovered 800 yaba tablets, 25 grams of crystal meth, modern production machines, and a large quantity of chemicals from the site.

Investigations revealed that Firoz had been involved in drug trafficking in Dhaka for nearly a decade and had several drug-related cases filed against him. About five years ago, he moved to Tongibari to hide and secretly set up the factory inside a concrete building. Police said Firoz brought modern yaba-making equipment from Hong Kong six to seven months ago and imported hazardous chemicals via courier to start production.

According to police, Firoz admitted during interrogation that he had recently begun producing and attempting to distribute yaba. Authorities are now working to identify and arrest other members of the network based on his information.

Two unidentified bodies were recovered from the Atrai River at the border of Dinajpur Sadar and Chirirbandar upazilas on Monday morning. Local residents discovered the floating bodies around 7 a.m. while heading to work and informed the Chirirbandar police after pulling them ashore. Police officials, including the officer-in-charge (investigation) Ahsan Habib, arrived at the scene and began preparations to send the bodies for autopsy.

According to police, the cause of death and the identities of the deceased remain unknown. No family members have yet come forward to claim the bodies. Local residents suspect that the victims may have been killed elsewhere and dumped in the river, as the waterway has little current, making it unlikely for bodies to drift naturally.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the victims’ identities and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

A special tribunal has formally initiated the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Huq for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July Revolution. The Tribunal-1 panel, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar with Justices Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury, issued the order at noon on Monday. The court also set February 10 for opening statements and the testimony of the first witness.

The decision followed hearings from both prosecution and defense, after which the tribunal rejected a plea for discharge filed on January 6 by defense lawyer Munsurul Haque Chowdhury. The prosecution had earlier, on December 22, presented five charges against the two accused. The first charge alleges that under their instigation and support, law enforcement and armed Awami League cadres used lethal weapons in Rangpur, killing over 1,400 people and injuring more than 25,000. Other charges include killings and assaults in Mirpur and surrounding areas on July 20 and July 28, 2024.

The tribunal’s order marks the formal start of proceedings in one of the most significant post-revolution human rights cases in Bangladesh.

The Habiganj Battalion (55 BGB) seized Indian goods worth Tk 15.5 million during an operation in Jagdishpur, Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj, along the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. The operation took place on Sunday evening following a tip-off, according to a BGB press release issued at night. The seized items included various cosmetics, sarees, and cumin seeds hidden inside a truck loaded with old paper cartons.

The BGB patrol team conducted the raid around 5 p.m. at the Jagdishpur Muktijoddha Chattar area, uncovering the smuggled goods concealed in an unusual manner. The seized products are currently being processed for handover to the customs authorities for further action.

The operation highlights ongoing efforts by border security forces to curb illegal cross-border trade and smuggling activities along key transport routes in the region.