National Citizen Party convener and opposition chief whip Md Nahid Islam has called for all people subjected to enforced disappearance during the Awami League period to be found, for their families to be told the truth, and for every case to be swiftly tried. In a Saturday statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, he also urged explicit provisions for independent, impartial and effective investigations of disappearance allegations in a prevention law. Nahid expressed sympathy for victims of enforced disappearance and their relatives in Bangladesh and elsewhere. He alleged that disappearances were used as a tool of state repression during Sheikh Hasina’s one-and-a-half-decade rule, leaving many opposition figures and citizens missing. He referred to alleged inhumane torture in dark facilities known as “Aynaghar” and said many families remain unable to locate their relatives. He said the allegation concerning Miraj Sheikh’s disappearance in Mongla prison was deeply concerning. Nahid also raised serious questions about the enforced disappearance prevention and remedy bill and the human rights commission bill presented in parliament, warning of possible impunity. He stressed that Bangladesh must ensure state-sponsored disappearance never returns.

Authorities opened all 16 spillway gates of Kaptai Dam in Rangamati at 8:30pm on Saturday as water in Kaptai Lake rose rapidly. Each gate was opened by six inches, releasing 9,000 cusecs of water per second into the Karnaphuli River. Mahmud Hasan, manager and superintendent engineer of the Karnaphuli Hydroelectric Power Centre, confirmed the development. At 2pm on Saturday, the lake level stood at 105.64 feet mean sea level, compared with its maximum holding capacity of 109 feet mean sea level. Authorities decided to discharge additional water to keep the situation under control as the level continued to increase. Five units of the Kaptai hydroelectric plant are currently operating, releasing about 32,000 cusecs per second through electricity generation. Another 9,000 cusecs is being released through the 16 spillway gates. The power centre said there was no reason for alarm, but warned that water levels in the Karnaphuli River may rise and urged residents of low-lying riverside areas in Chattogram to remain cautious. The same 16 gates were opened last month to release excess water.

A literary gathering and discussion meeting marking the 50th death anniversary of Bangladesh’s national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was held on Saturday evening at the Rangpur Central Public Library hallroom. Deshiyo Sangskritik Sangsad, Rangpur Metropolitan, organized the event, which also featured cultural performances in tribute to the poet. Dr Mohammad Hossain, vice-president of the National Doctors Forum’s Rangpur division and an adviser to the organizing body, attended as chief guest. The meeting was chaired by the organization’s president, Md Habibur Rahman Shamim, while writer and Bangla lecturer Md Mashiur Rahman presented a paper. Nazrul music artist Md Rezwanul Islam Prince was the main discussant. Speakers highlighted Nazrul’s literary works, music and ideals, saying his creations enriched Bangla language and culture. They described his messages of equality, humanity, resistance to injustice and commitment to an exploitation-free society as continuing sources of inspiration. The programme included Nazrul songs by Naim Siddiqui, Shahriar Rahman Sabbir and Matiullah Meschbah Nabil, and poetry recitation by theatre artist Wali Haider. Organizers stressed introducing Nazrul’s literature, music and secular humanist spirit to younger generations.

Bangladesh Premier League franchises have called on the Bangladesh Cricket Board to establish a long-term, professional framework for the tournament rather than make temporary changes. At an emergency meeting at the BCB headquarters, representatives including Rangpur Riders chief executive Ishtiaq Sadiq, Dhaka Capitals chief executive Atik Fahad and senior Rajshahi franchise officials raised existing problems and said they do not want this year’s BPL to proceed under the current arrangement. The franchises demanded broad reform, transparent policies, a fixed calendar, dependable financial arrangements and timely payment of dues to domestic and overseas players. They said last-minute changes to tournament rules and schedules complicate sponsorship efforts and squad building. They also sought permanent franchise agreements and a guaranteed five-year calendar. Rangpur’s Sadiq said such certainty is needed when negotiating player contracts in an international T20 market with many franchise competitions. Rajshahi chief executive Mokshedul Kamal Babu said the BPL is not being stopped but reformed, and franchises meeting league requirements would remain. The BCB said it views the position positively and is prepared to rebuild its roadmap. It is considering postponing this year’s scheduled tournament and staging a fuller version next year after reforms are completed.

Construction of Bangladesh’s first container terminal to be built entirely with foreign investment is set to begin at Laldiya Char in Patenga on the Karnaphuli River, Chattogram. An inauguration event is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Laldiya project site, with Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Bridges and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam expected to attend. Bangladesh and Denmark signed a memorandum of understanding for the $550 million project in June 2021. Chattogram Port currently has four active container terminals. Laldiya will become its fifth terminal and is expected to add capacity to handle more than 800,000 containers annually. Its 616-metre jetty and 10-metre depth will allow container ships carrying up to about 6,000 TEUs to berth directly, more than double the port’s current vessel-capacity level. The project covers about 49.15 acres, including a 32-acre main terminal, a 7.15-acre container yard, and roughly 10 acres for truck parking and pre-gate facilities. Plans include seven ship-to-shore cranes and 32 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes. Port authorities say foreign investment will bring jobs, modern management practices and technology. APM Terminals aims to develop the facility as a low-carbon, energy-efficient South Asian showcase project.

Professor Mujibur রহমান, central nayeb-e-ameer and member of parliament for Rajshahi-1 (Godagari-Tanore), urged students to develop moral character alongside strong academic results. He made the remarks as chief guest at an event at Godagari উপজেলা hall room on Saturday afternoon, organized by The Sunrise English Medium Cadet High School in Godagari, Rajshahi. The programme honored students who achieved distinction in the government primary scholarship examination and included an English debate competition, annual sports prize distribution and a cultural event. Mujibur রহমান said education develops the body, mind and soul, and stressed Quranic education, morality and character building. He said knowledge and education without ethics and character cannot properly serve society and the state. He called on students to study regularly, maintain discipline, work hard and lead ethical lives to achieve better results in the future. He expressed hopes for the school’s educational quality to improve. উপজেলা নির্বাহী অফিসার Israt Jahan, education federation district president Dr. Md. Obaidullah, police officer-in-charge Md. Sujon Mia and school director Mosa. Jannati Khatun were among those present.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and parliamentary opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman MP called for the immediate recovery of people subjected to enforced disappearance and exemplary punishment for those involved. In a statement issued on Friday, 29 August, ahead of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August, he urged the government to return missing people to their families safely. Rahman said families of disappeared people continue to face trauma and humanitarian hardship while awaiting news of their relatives. He alleged that more than 700 people, including opposition political activists and people from various professions, were disappeared during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, citing what he described as reliable information from domestic and international rights organisations. He named several people who remain missing, including Jamaat leader Hafez Zakir Hossain, Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam. He criticised proposed changes to the draft disappearance law, arguing that police should not investigate allegations commonly involving law-enforcement agencies. He also objected to excluding the National Human Rights Commission from related investigations and called for an independent legal framework, proper investigations and swift trials.

Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and Rangpur-Dinajpur regional director Maulana Abdul Halim urged the government to accept and implement the referendum verdict if it fears opposition protests. He made the call on Saturday afternoon while chairing a preparatory meeting in Rangpur for the 11-party alliance’s Dhaka-to-Rangpur long march scheduled for September 19. Halim said implementing the referendum verdict is among the alliance’s six demands. He alleged that the government had raised both parliamentary elections and a referendum on July reforms under a presidential order, but was ignoring the referendum result. He also criticised statements by BNP leaders on following the July Charter, arguing that this did not amount to accepting the referendum verdict. He said the long march would include a human chain from Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka to Rangpur District School, alongside public meetings, marches and picketing. Halim called on regional organisers to conduct the programme peacefully. He also criticised appointments of party-linked administrators to district councils and raised concerns over shortages of gas, electricity, fuel and fertiliser, as well as rising commodity prices.

Rangamati’s popular hanging bridge has been submerged in the rising waters of Kaptai Lake following hill runoff and rain. The bridge’s wooden deck began going underwater from Saturday afternoon, prompting authorities to prohibit tourists and the public from using it to avoid possible accidents. The bridge is located in the Deer Park area of Rangamati town and is under the Tourism Corporation. Tourism Corporation manager Alok Bikash Chakma confirmed that the bridge started submerging as lake water continued to rise. According to information from the Kaptai hydropower plant, the lake’s water level currently stands at 105.54 MSL. Five generating units are producing 22 megawatts of electricity. The bridge is submerged each year during the monsoon when Kaptai Lake water rises, and this has occurred annually for the past decade. Tourists arriving from distant areas have been returning disappointed because of the temporary restriction. Local residents and tourism business operators have long called for the bridge to be raised, saying sedimentation on the lakebed has reduced its water-holding capacity and contributed to unusually high water levels.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the BNP government wants to introduce a law on enforced disappearances that ensures justice for every victim and punishment for offenders. He made the remarks on Saturday, August 29, at an exhibition and discussion organised by Mayer Dak at the National Museum in Shahbagh. He said the proposed Enforced Disappearance Remedies Act 2026 has been placed in parliament. Ahmed said the draft addresses penalties for different forms of enforced disappearance and sets out who will investigate cases and how investigations will be conducted. He said victims would be able to approach courts directly, a provision he said was absent from the disappearance commission. The proposal also provides for heirs to receive a missing victim’s assets if the person cannot be found. The minister said the state could provide compensation if those responsible are ultimately unable to pay it. Acknowledging that the law may contain flaws, he said it could be amended. Ahmed, who said he was himself a victim of enforced disappearance, argued that the law should remain regardless of which government is in power. He also said victims had faced disregard and mockery over the past two years.

Police in Magura said they arrested Naimuzzaman Nayan, a former thana-level Chhatra Dal president, on Saturday evening over allegations that he slapped a police officer. The incident involving officer Md Imran Hossain reportedly occurred on Friday afternoon following what police described as a minor matter. A video of the alleged assault circulated widely on social media and was reported by several media outlets. Magura Superintendent of Police Molla Azad Hossain said a case was filed at Sadar police station against three people in connection with the incident. He said Nayan had been arrested and that the move had restored a sense of relief among police personnel. The report says Nayan faces several other cases involving drugs, weapons and alleged microbus hijacking. It also cites a recent allegation that he collected Tk100,000 through extortion after creating a mob over an alleged rape of a madrasa student in the PTI area. Nayan's elder brother, Jubo Dal leader Abbas Uddin, said the matter had been settled at the police station on Friday night through BNP leaders, but police called Nayan back on Saturday afternoon and detained him.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has demanded a judicial investigation into the killings of Rangpur teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and his family. The organisation also called on the government to make a statement in parliament, identify those truly responsible and ensure exemplary punishment. The demands were made on Saturday at a rally held after a human chain and protest march in front of the National Press Club. Nirmal Rozario, one of the organisation’s presidents, said it appeared to the group that a special circle had carried out the killings to serve its own objectives and interests. He alleged that police activity had begun to conceal the real incident or divert it in another direction. Other speakers strongly condemned the killings and said the police account of the case was not credible. Speakers said the incident had created fear not only among local minorities in Rangpur but also among minority communities across the country. They said such incidents could encourage minorities to leave the country and had harmed Bangladesh’s image internationally. The rally was chaired by Youth Unity Council president Shimul Saha and included several organisational leaders, activists, lawyers and journalists.

Human Rights Support Society adviser Nur Khan Liton called for a strong law and independent investigations to ensure justice for enforced disappearances allegedly occurring under law-enforcement supervision. He spoke on Saturday, August 29, at a roundtable organised by HRSS at the National Press Club. He said a law or commission would be of little value without a clear opportunity to prosecute such cases. Liton cited cases involving a victim who disappeared again after holding a press conference, missing person Miraj Sheikh, and Jubo Dal activist Robin. He alleged that information was provided by one force while another covered it up. Photographer and rights activist Shahidul Alam said judges should recuse themselves from cases involving allegations against their own institutions and that elected representatives must oversee law-enforcement agencies. HRSS submitted 12 demands to the government, including locating all those missing during the previous Awami League administration, independent investigations, a roadmap for implementing the disappearance commission's final report, prosecution of past cases, and clarification of command responsibility. It also sought amendments to the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act, 2026, full independence for the National Human Rights Commission, compensation, rehabilitation, protection for witnesses and complainants, and preservation of information on secret detention centres.

A Jubo Dal leader, Fazal Amin, died in East Soloshahar of Chattogram after he was allegedly shoved during an argument over vegetable vendors operating from vans on occupied footpaths. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon and became known on Saturday. Amin was the joint convener of the East Soloshahar ward Jubo Dal. His son, Zobairul Haque Inan, alleged that Amin had long spoken against footpath occupation and extortion in the area. He claimed his father was shoved after opposing the collection of money from van-based vegetable sellers. Residents said vendors had operated on the footpaths for a long time, forcing pedestrians to use the road. Chandgaon police investigation officer Md Sabuj said the actual cause of the incident and whether the shove was directly linked to Amin's death would be determined through an investigation. Amin's family has filed a case, he said. Chattogram metropolitan Jubo Dal president Mosharraf Hossain Dipti said the organization was seeking facts and had asked police to take action after establishing what happened.

Bangladesh identified 1,891 new HIV infections in one year, 453 more than the previous year, marking the country’s highest recorded infection level since 2000, according to a recently published study. During the same period, 254 people died from AIDS-related illnesses. Health authorities said testing has expanded, while limited access to services in many districts raises concern that the true number of infections may be higher than official figures. HIV testing and diagnosis services are available in only 23 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, leaving 41 without sufficient testing opportunities. Jessore recorded the highest number of identified patients, followed by Natore, while infections were also found in the Sonamasjid area of Shibganj in border district Chapainawabganj. Officials said expanded HIV screening and blood cross-matching procedures have contributed to higher detection. A July 2026 scientific review and national analysis said new infections are concentrated among key populations, including men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and transgender people. A final report based on ongoing surveys and field inspections is scheduled for release on World AIDS Day, December 1.