A Dhaka court has ordered the rearrest of three individuals, including Shahed Ahmed Mojumdar, son of former state minister for industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumdar, in a case over the attempted murder of madrasa student Nazim Uddin. The order was issued on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Sefatullah after a petition from the investigating officer of Gulshan Police Station.

The other two accused are Selim Pradhan, an active leader and financier of the Awami League, and Abu Sayeed, vice chairman of Ullapara Upazila in Sirajganj and secretary of the local Awami League unit. According to the petition, the accused were present at the scene and allegedly supported efforts to suppress an anti-discrimination movement through funding and direct involvement. The court approved their arrest for further investigation.

The case stems from a July 19, 2024, protest in Dhaka’s Bashatala area, where demonstrators were reportedly fired upon, injuring Nazim Uddin. His aunt later filed the attempted murder case with Gulshan Police Station.

A Chattogram court has sentenced Monir Hossain to life imprisonment and fined him Tk 50,000 for raping a three-and-a-half-year-old child in the city’s Baklia area. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday morning by Judge Syeda Hafsa Jhuma of the Chattogram Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal. The trial concluded within 28 days of the incident.

According to Public Prosecutor Mahmud-ul Alam Chowdhury Maruf, testimonies from 18 witnesses were recorded over three working days. The case originated from an incident on May 21, when the child was assaulted inside a warehouse near a sand field in Chairman Ghat, Ward 19 of Baklia. The victim’s father, Mehedi Hasan, filed the case with Baklia Police Station.

Police stated that evidence from witness statements, medical reports, and DNA tests confirmed the allegation. Based on these findings, a charge sheet was submitted to the court 13 days after the incident under the Women and Child Repression Prevention Act.

The Dhaka Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education has released three urgent notices ahead of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations scheduled to begin on July 2. The directives, published on June 17, outline rules for exam center entry, approved calculators and wristwatches, and the operation of a 24-hour control room for communication and emergency support.

The board has opened a dedicated control room to handle any exam-related issues, information exchange, or complaints from students, guardians, and exam center officials. Contact details including telephone, mobile numbers, and an email address were provided. To ensure transparency and prevent malpractice, only eight models of non-programmable scientific calculators have been approved for use. Additionally, digital or smartwatches are prohibited, with only traditional analog watches allowed.

To reduce traffic congestion and student inconvenience, exam centers will open at 8:30 a.m. for entry. However, existing rules for seating and question paper distribution will remain unchanged, according to an order signed by Exam Controller Professor Jesmin Taslima Banu.

Four members of a broker ring were sentenced to varying jail terms following a joint operation by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-9) and the district administration at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the detainees were arrested from the hospital premises and sentenced by a mobile court.

The convicted individuals were identified as Tanvir Ahmed Suman (30), Sayem Ahmed (34), Bokul Mia (56), and Suman Ahmed (28). RAB stated that the group had long been deceiving patients and their relatives to gain unethical benefits. They were involved in harassment, fraud, and commission-based dealings by referring patients to private clinics and diagnostic centers from within and around the hospital.

RAB confirmed that Tanvir Ahmed Suman and Sayem Ahmed received three months’ imprisonment each, while Bokul Mia and Suman Ahmed were sentenced to one month each.

European Union Ambassador Michael Miller paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Zahir Uddin Swapon, on Wednesday at the ministry office in Dhaka. During the meeting, both sides discussed various aspects of media freedom and freedom of expression in the country.

The EU ambassador praised the government’s initiative to establish an independent media commission and expressed the Union’s willingness to provide support in this regard. He noted that Bangladesh could benefit from the EU’s experience in ensuring media freedom. Minister Swapon reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting media freedom while also safeguarding citizens from misinformation and disinformation.

He added that a draft committee would be formed based on consultations with relevant stakeholders to prepare a national action plan for the proposed media commission. The commission will be established following the recommendations of that plan.

The Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party has alleged that the government has taken no visible steps to stop push-ins at the Bangladesh-India border. The claim was made on Wednesday at a press conference titled “Border Killings, Push-in and the Politics of Barbed Wire” held at the party’s central office in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju accused the Indian government of violating diplomatic norms, international law, and human rights through push-ins, expressing frustration over the Bangladeshi government’s lack of effective response.

General Secretary Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad said no other country treats its migrant citizens as foreigners and forces them across borders under such inhumane conditions. He compared the situation to Myanmar’s past actions that led to a refugee crisis in Bangladesh. Fuad urged India to end border killings and push-ins to build a sustainable bilateral relationship based on mutual respect and dignity.

The AB Party also demanded justice and compensation for thousands of Bangladeshis killed along the border over the past five decades and called for modernization of the Border Guard Bangladesh and a new independent foreign policy based on national consensus.

A Dhaka court has again postponed the submission of the further investigation report in the murder case of Inquilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Sefatullah set June 28 as the new date after the investigating officer, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Abdul Kadir Bhuiyan, failed to submit the report. This marks the 16th postponement of the report submission.

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

According to the case details, Hadi was shot on December 12, 2025, in Dhaka’s Motijheel area while traveling after Friday prayers. He later died on December 18, 2025, in Singapore while undergoing treatment.

Rasheda K. Chowdhury, Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education, stated that despite an increase in the education sector allocation, the government remains far from fulfilling its election pledges. She emphasized that allocation alone is not enough and called for timely fund release and good governance in expenditure. She made these remarks on Wednesday afternoon at a press briefing titled “How Is the Education Budget: Reality and Public Expectation,” organized by the Campaign for Popular Education.

Chowdhury also criticized the government’s plan to impose examination fees on primary students, saying it contradicts the law guaranteeing free education. The main paper at the event was presented by the organization’s Deputy Director, Dr. Mostafizur Rahman. Other speakers included Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD); Dr. Syed Shahadat Hossain, Professor at the University of Dhaka’s Institute of Statistical Research and Training; and Dr. Imran Matin, Executive Director of the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD).

Bangladesh is set to establish its first-ever free trade zones in the Chattogram Port and Matarbari areas, according to Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani. The announcement came after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs held on Wednesday at the Secretariat. The zones will allow both foreign and local businesses to trade without taxes, marking a new step in the country’s trade policy framework.

The Cabinet Secretary stated that two sites have been selected for the initiative—one near Matarbari Port and another adjacent to Chattogram Port—covering between 300 and 600 acres each. Alongside this development, the government also approved imports of 30,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer from Russia, 25,000 metric tons from Saudi Arabia, and raw materials for 15,000 metric tons of sulfuric acid from three countries.

He added that due to the closure of the Hormuz Strait, Bangladesh is purchasing fuel from the spot market and has approved two shipments for June and early July. The government emphasized that administrative activities are progressing rapidly with a focus on public service delivery.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the third phase of the family card distribution program in Moulvibazar on Wednesday. The event took place at the historic Victoria High School field around 1:30 p.m., marking the formal launch of the initiative’s latest stage. Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister arrived at Sylhet Osmani International Airport at 10:15 a.m. before traveling to Moulvibazar for the ceremony.

The family card distribution program is part of a broader government effort to support citizens through structured welfare initiatives. The launch in Moulvibazar represents the continuation of this program’s expansion across different regions, aiming to ensure equitable access to government assistance.

The source also mentioned other ongoing government priorities, including preparations for future pandemics, initiatives to restore extinct local fruit species, and plans to invite bids for onshore oil and gas exploration, indicating a wider policy focus on public welfare and resource development.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the Family Card program at Chandichhara Tea Garden in Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj on Wednesday afternoon. The virtual inauguration took place during a local administration event at the Chandichhara playground. The event was attended by Habiganj-4 MP Syed Md. Faisal, Deputy Commissioner Dr. G.M. Sarfaraz, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Galib Chowdhury, local BNP leaders, and thousands of tea workers.

The Family Card initiative, introduced for the first time in the district, generated significant enthusiasm among tea workers. Workers described the program as a vital support for their families, noting that their limited income and rations often fail to meet household needs. Leaders of the Bangladesh Tea Workers’ Union said the program fulfills a long-standing demand for measures to improve living standards.

MP Syed Md. Faisal stated that the program will gradually expand to other tea gardens in Chunarughat and Madhabpur upazilas. The government’s goal, he said, is to ensure that no family remains outside social safety programs and that essential assistance reaches every citizen.

A Chattogram court has sentenced Md. Abir Mia to death and fined him 100,000 taka for the murder of five-year-old Alina Islam Ayat. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by Judge Muhammad Ali Akkas of the Sixth Additional Sessions Judge Court. According to the prosecution, 33 witnesses testified in the case, and the state expressed satisfaction with the maximum punishment handed down to the main accused.

The case originated from the disappearance of Ayat, daughter of Sohel Rana, from the Bandar Tila area under EPZ Police Station on November 15, 2022. Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) found that Abir, a tenant known to the family, kidnapped the child for ransom and later killed her by suffocation when his plan failed. He dismembered the body and disposed of the parts near the sea and a canal. Abir confessed to the crime in court on November 25, 2022.

PBI inspector Manoj Dey submitted the charge sheet on October 10, 2023, naming Abir and a 17-year-old accomplice. The juvenile’s trial is ongoing in the children’s court, while Abir remains in prison.

A mobile court in Shariatpur’s Damudya upazila fined a local BNP leader Tk 200,000 and sentenced another person to four months in jail for illegally cutting and selling soil from agricultural land. The verdict was delivered at 8:45 p.m. on Monday in Uttar Syedbasta village under Koneshwar Union. The court found that fertile farmland soil had been excavated using an excavator and sold elsewhere, damaging both the land’s productivity and a rural road built by the Local Government Engineering Department.

According to the mobile court, Shafik Madbar received a four-month non-rigorous imprisonment for illegally cutting soil, while Ibrahim Member, a former joint general secretary of Koneshwar Union BNP and current union council member, was fined Tk 200,000 for supplying the excavator. In default of payment, he will serve three months in jail. Another accused, Sohel Bepari, was not found at the scene, and police were instructed to file a regular case against him.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Zahidur Rahman stated that illegal soil extraction harming farmland fertility is punishable under the Balumahal and Soil Management Act, 2010, and the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act, 2023.

Two young men from Madarganj in Jamalpur, Bangladesh, have been missing in Russia since May 29, 2026. They are Maful alias Mofiz, 23, and Arif Hossain, 27, who traveled to Russia on May 7 seeking work as a mason and electrician. Families say they were sent through local brokers who promised jobs but instead handed them over to the Russian military. Social media reports and an audio message have circulated claiming the two were killed in a drone strike, though no official confirmation has been received.

Relatives allege that the brokers deceived the men and sold them to the military for money. Both families last spoke with the men on May 29 before their phones went silent. Maful’s mother and sister expressed grief and demanded justice, while Arif’s family said they paid 1.6 million taka to send him abroad and now want a proper investigation. Local authorities acknowledged awareness of the case through social media and advised families to file formal complaints for further action.

The Madarganj Upazila administration has informed higher authorities and pledged necessary support if written applications are submitted by the victims’ families.

A surge in street crime has intensified concerns over public safety in Dhaka after police officers were injured during a pursuit of muggers. On Tuesday morning, robbers attacked a mobile financial agent in Adabor, stealing 350,000 taka. Later that day, when police launched an operation to arrest the suspects, the assailants attacked with sharp weapons, injuring the local police chief and a sub-inspector. Two robbers were shot and four were detained, according to law enforcement officials.

Reports indicate that Dhaka now has 466 identified mugging hotspots with nearly 1,000 active offenders. Despite special police drives, incidents continue to rise, with 33 cases recorded in May and 167 nationwide last month. Many victims avoid filing complaints, leading to underreported crime figures. Areas such as Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Jatrabari, Mugda, and Dhanmondi are among the most affected.

Experts warn that muggers are increasingly organized and armed, urging legal reforms to prevent easy bail. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy and intensified operations following the recent attacks.