Former Indian Lieutenant General Prakash Chandra Katoch has urged Delhi to rebuild trust with Bangladesh through economic diplomacy, water-sharing, border management and greater people-to-people contact. In an analysis published by South Asia Monitor on August 29, 2026, he argued that deteriorating Bangladesh-India relations could create long-term security and geopolitical risks for India.

Katoch identified Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India after her August 2024 removal from power and Bangladesh’s extradition request as a major bilateral obstacle. He also cited the unresolved Teesta water-sharing agreement, the expected expiry of the 1996 Ganges water treaty late in 2026, border disputes, and trade barriers. Bilateral trade is about $13 billion, but customs delays, transit fees, bureaucracy and non-tariff barriers constrain its potential.

The article proposed regular ministerial meetings of the Joint Rivers Commission, an interim data-based Teesta arrangement, advance flood and river-release information sharing, and regular local BSF-BGB meetings. It also recommended expanding border markets, restarting CEPA talks, easing medical and student visas, and increasing track-two dialogue. The source notes that Katoch’s assessments reflect an Indian security perspective and personal opinion.

A 45-year-old man died after being electrocuted while allegedly attempting to steal a tube-well motor in Loknathpur West Para of Damurhuda upazila, Chuadanga, early Tuesday. The incident occurred at the home of Keramat Ali. The deceased was identified as Shafiqul Islam Karun, son of Sirajul Islam of Shantipara in Darshana.

According to local sources, Karun entered Keramat Ali’s house during the night with the intention of stealing the tube-well motor. He was electrocuted while trying to disconnect the motor’s electrical connection and died at the scene. Family members found his body near the tube-well at dawn.

As news of the incident spread, local residents gathered at the location. Damurhuda Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mesbah Uddin said police had been sent to the scene after receiving information. The body was being recovered and necessary legal procedures for a post-mortem examination were under way.

A Dhaka court has postponed the verdict in a corruption case over alleged irregularities in the construction of the collapsed Rana Plaza building in Savar. On Tuesday morning, the court of Dhaka Divisional Special Judge B M Tarikul Kabir set October 6 for further arguments against owner Sohel Rana and seven others, according to court bench assistant Ariful Islam.

Rana was brought to court from prison, where he is held in a murder case, although he is on bail in this case. Two accused, Mahbubur Rahman and Farzana Islam, have remained fugitives since the beginning, while the other accused attended court on bail. Rana’s father Abdul Khaleque and mother Morzina Khatun Begum died during the trial and were discharged from the case.

The Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against 17 people on June 15, 2014, alleging construction outside the approved design. Investigators later included Rana after finding he was the building’s principal supervisor. The trial began after charges were framed on May 21, 2017, and 19 of 20 witnesses testified. Rana Plaza collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing 1,136 people and injuring more than 1,500.

A purported trade fair has been operating on the runway of the inactive Cumilla airport, despite residents’ longstanding demand for the airport to be reopened. Local businessman Amir Hossain arranged the event for two months from August 16, according to the report. His associates Badal and Billal Hossain were also named in connection with local supervision of the fair.

Visitors are alleged to be buying entry coupons that offer a chance to win prizes through a lottery. The lottery activity was initially halted but resumed from last Friday, the report said. Various rides and temporary structures have been built on the runway. Amir Hossain said stalls had been set up to sell domestic and foreign products and denied that any illegal activity was taking place.

Cumilla-6 MP Monirul Haque Chowdhury said 10 local BNP leaders had sought his approval for the fair, but he did not grant permission. Cumilla City Corporation administrator Yusuf Molla Tipu said no permission had been obtained from the corporation and it did not know who was organizing the event. Police Superintendent Md Anisuzzaman said no application for permission had reached his office.

Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr. Jahed Ur Rahman said the government is trying to reduce load shedding with the highest priority despite the country facing various crises. He made the remarks at a regular press briefing in the Secretariat at about 11:15am on Tuesday, held to provide information on the government’s recent activities.

Ur Rahman said that in the past, electricity supply was ensured in Dhaka while rural areas experienced greater load shedding. The current government, however, has decided that the burden of the crisis should be shared by everyone.

He also said data would be released on the actual level of load shedding during periods when uninterrupted electricity supply was claimed under the previous Awami League government and the interim government. He said he was working on the data and hoped to provide it to journalists next week, including figures on how much load shedding occurred and its megawatt level.

BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the party’s central goal is to fulfil promises made to the public. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday morning after paying tribute at the graves of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, he said work was under way on development, production and public-welfare programmes after a government was formed through what he described as a free election.

Rizvi said the country’s progress could face challenges, conspiracies and plots, but efforts would continue to address them. He praised Khaleda Zia’s leadership of the country and party through repression, persecution, abuse and disorder, saying attempts had been made by domestic and international forces to weaken both her and the BNP.

Addressing energy and electricity shortages, Rizvi said the government was taking initiatives to ensure fuel supplies and resolve obstacles. He alleged that bombs had struck more than one ship carrying fuel to Bangladesh. He also said substantial spending beyond the allocated energy and power budget was being used to address gas shortages, while technical faults at a terminal in Maheshkhali were being addressed.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested 442 people in regular operations across the capital over the past 24 hours. Police also filed 19 cases during the same period, according to the report. The operations covered several policing divisions in Dhaka.

Among those arrested, Mirpur recorded the highest number with 133. Tejgaon arrested 59 people, Motijheel 56, Wari and Uttara 50 each, Lalbagh 36, Ramna 32, Gulshan 23, and the Detective Branch five.

During the operations, police recovered one locally made revolver, four rounds of ammunition, 6,324 yaba tablets, 33 packets of cannabis, and Tk 3,400. Legal action against those arrested is under process.

An opinion article argues that textbooks should serve as blueprints for nation-building rather than political documents. It says classroom materials strongly shape children’s confidence, identity and social understanding, and warns that content reflecting inequality, narrowness or irrational social ideas can cause long-term harm. The writer calls for Bangladesh to rethink how curricula and textbooks are developed.

The article says curriculum discussions often begin after books have been printed, while research and consultation should occur before writing starts. It argues that teachers, students, parents and researchers are often excluded from national-level policymaking, leaving centrally designed curricula poorly matched to classroom realities, particularly in remote areas. It also urges textbooks to treat cooking and household responsibilities as life skills for all children, alongside finance, technology and leadership.

The writer proposes consulting experienced teachers from urban and rural model institutions, specialists in child development and subject experts. Draft curricula should be opened for public feedback, then piloted for at least a year with a national online feedback platform for registered teachers. Examples from Finland, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom are cited to support participatory development, research, piloting and sustained evaluation.

A 35-year-old man, Shamim Hossain, was allegedly beaten overnight and killed after the tendons in his leg were cut in Barpur, Bogura. The incident occurred at about 4:30am on Tuesday. His body was taken to the morgue at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura.

Relatives alleged that ABM Shafi, a ward 5 member of Nishindara Union Parishad and a Union Awami League leader, his son Nazmul Hossain Kayum, described as a Chhatra Dal leader, and several others were directly involved. Shamim’s mother-in-law, Chhobeda Begum, said he had gone to Barpur to attend the burial of a close relative.

She said Shamim was detained while walking in the area at night, severely beaten and left in an abandoned place after his leg tendons were cut. Village police rescued him and took him to hospital, where he died during treatment. Bogura Sadar police station officer-in-charge Ibrahim Ali visited the scene. Residents blocked a road following the incident, according to the report.

The article argues that an active opposition is essential to parliamentary democracy and says Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament has gained a more vocal opposition following the July uprising of 2024 and the fall of fascism. It cites recent tensions over the home minister’s remarks, including opposition protests, a walkout and the speaker’s concern, as signs that parliamentary questioning and dissent have returned.

It contrasts this with the author’s assessment of parliamentary politics during the previous one-and-a-half decades of Awami rule. The article says parliaments formed after the 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections lacked a meaningful opposition, describing the legislature as a rubber-stamp body. It refers to the British model of a loyal opposition, shadow cabinet and prime ministerial questioning, and to US checks and balances, as examples of accountability.

The article cautions that vigorous debate must not become disorder. It says both government and opposition should show restraint, notes that the home minister withdrew his statement, and credits the speaker with handling the situation. It urges lawmakers to focus on economic fragility, gas and power shortages, and law-and-order instability while strengthening democratic institutions.

A commentary published on September 1 traces the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s four-decade history from its founding by then-president Ziaur Rahman in 1978 to its present leadership under Tarique Rahman. The article says BNP has returned to power for a fifth time and that Tarique Rahman has led the government for six months after the party formed a government following the February 13 election.

The piece describes BNP’s establishment after Ziaur Rahman announced a 19-point programme and founded the party at a September 1, 1978 press conference. It says the party embraced nationalism, democracy, faith in Allah, and economic and social justice, while seeking to build national unity. It portrays Khaleda Zia as leading BNP after Ziaur Rahman’s 1981 killing and says she remained its leader until her death on December 30 last year.

The commentary says Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on December 25 last year after 17 years in London and led BNP into the parliamentary election. It urges him to follow Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia’s policies, prioritise public welfare, discipline, competent appointments, and zero tolerance for corruption and political violence.

State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md. Shariful Alam said Bangladesh’s existing electricity and gas problems were not created in a single day, accusing the previous “fascist government” of misleading people with signs claiming universal electricity coverage. He made the remarks on Monday morning at a coordination meeting in the Narsingdi deputy commissioner’s conference room on law and order, development and public welfare activities.

Alam alleged that the former government had not pursued a permanent solution to the power crisis and had instead used quick-rental power arrangements to move thousands of crores of taka abroad through selected individuals. He said the current prime minister’s government has undertaken plans for a lasting solution to ensure uninterrupted electricity and gas supplies, although implementation will require time.

Addressing law and order, the minister said narcotics are closely linked to the issue and cannot be eliminated by police alone. He called for social resistance, social boycotts of offenders and legal action regardless of an offender’s identity. He also urged public support for the government to prevent what he described as efforts by vested interests to create disorder.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Golam Parwar has called for repeal of an Election Commission provision that disqualifies MPO-listed private school teachers from contesting local elections. He raised the demand while briefing journalists after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Building on Tuesday afternoon. Parwar led a six-member delegation to the meeting.

Parwar said the provision violates Articles 27 and 28 of the Constitution. He said the rule could face a legal challenge if it is not withdrawn. According to him, about 30,000 MPO-listed teachers are employed.

The Jamaat leader also said the delegation requested that the government be informed of its demand to remove an Election Commission additional secretary. He alleged that the official is a member of the BNP election management committee and was appointed to the additional secretary post.

Mongla police detained শাহরিয়ার সুমন on Monday at about 10:30pm in the Baidyamari Bazar area of Mongla উপজেলা in a case over alleged poison fishing in the Sundarbans. Local people said he identified himself as a Jubo Dal worker, though local sources said he held no organisational post. Police said the detention followed allegations that fish were caught using poison in the forest.

Villagers earlier detained two fishermen, about 200 kilograms of fish and a boat on Saturday afternoon in a canal in the Chandpai Range's Goraburburia area. The fishermen, মুহিদুল হাওলাদার and নাঈম শেখ, were later released with the fish and boat after alleged threats from an influential group. In videos recorded by locals, the two fishermen said they had used poison and went to the Sundarbans on Suman's instruction; Suman denied sending anyone.

The fish and boat have not yet been seized by police or the Forest Department. Sundarbans East Forest Division has formed a five-member committee, led by Sharankhola Range Officer Md Shariful Islam, and requested its report within five working days. Police said Suman would be sent to court Tuesday morning and the case was being investigated seriously.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has formed a steering committee bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to prevent trade-based money laundering. The committee was established under a public-private partnership model following a BFIU-led meeting of relevant stakeholders held last Sunday, according to a BFIU notice issued Monday.

The meeting discussed existing challenges, risks and future actions for preventing trade-based money laundering. Participants included representatives of Bangladesh Bank’s Foreign Exchange Policy Department and Foreign Exchange Operation Department, National Board of Revenue intelligence and customs bodies, the Anti-Corruption Commission, Criminal Investigation Department, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Dhaka Customs House. Representatives of 15 scheduled banks involved in commercial activity also attended.

The committee will review risks and challenges, assess progress of measures already taken, strengthen information-sharing arrangements and determine future actions. It will also hold regular meetings to review agencies’ activities and provide necessary guidance. BFIU described trade-based money laundering as a complex financial crime with inter-institutional and international dimensions, requiring coordinated action, stronger risk analysis and close cooperation among regulators, law enforcement agencies, banks, customs authorities and the private sector.