A Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officer, Deputy Assistant Director Abdul Motaleb, was killed in a gun attack by armed assailants in the remote hilly area of Jungle Salimpur in Sitakunda, Chattogram. Three others, including a RAB source, were seriously injured and admitted to the Combined Military Hospital. According to allegations, the attack was led by followers of local crime leader Yasin. In response, large numbers of RAB, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel have been deployed across Chinnamul, Alinagar, and Link Road areas, with a sweeping operation underway inside Jungle Salimpur.

Local sources said the assault occurred around 3 p.m. Monday during a special RAB operation to arrest an armed suspect. Around 400–500 members of Yasin’s group reportedly ambushed the team, using mosque loudspeakers to rally attackers. They beat RAB members, vandalized a microbus, and abducted three people, later torturing them in the Alinagar hills before police rescued them. RAB-7 confirmed the incident in a press release, stating one officer was killed and three injured.

The report adds that Yasin’s group has long controlled Jungle Salimpur and Alinagar, engaging in illegal land trading and extortion from local businesses and utilities.

In Syedpur, Nilphamari, the local unit of Jamaat-e-Islami launched a campaign supporting the 'Yes' vote in the upcoming national referendum. The event began on Monday night in front of the Press Club on Shaheed Dr. Zikrul Haque Road. It was presided over by Syedpur city Jamaat Ameer Md. Sharafuddin Khan, with Hafiz Abdul Muntakim, Jamaat’s nominated parliamentary candidate for Nilphamari-4 and Syedpur upazila Ameer, attending as the chief guest.

During the campaign, Abdul Muntakim urged citizens to vote 'Yes' to help build a new Bangladesh, encouraging supporters to motivate others to participate and bring them to polling centers. Leaders from various levels of the organization, including the city secretary, assistant secretary, youth division president, and publicity secretary, were present at the event.

According to the report, the 13th national parliamentary election and the referendum on implementing the July Charter are both scheduled for February 12.

Authorities are investigating how a loudspeaker announcement rapidly gathered 400–500 people before a deadly attack on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members in Sitakunda’s Jungle Salimpur area of Chattogram. The incident occurred after RAB-7 entered the area to apprehend a suspected militant. Within minutes of their arrival, a loudspeaker announcement urged residents to come out, leading to a coordinated assault that left one RAB member dead. Officials are probing whether the call came from a mosque’s sound system or another source, possibly linked to a nearby political event.

RAB officials stated that the attack appeared pre-planned rather than spontaneous. They refrained from firing inside the area, fearing civilian presence, and later recovered audio clips, mobile footage, and CCTV evidence for forensic analysis. Local mosque committee members denied involvement, claiming their microphones were not misused. Some residents reported hearing announcements resembling mobile speaker sounds rather than mosque systems, suggesting multiple simultaneous broadcasts.

Investigators are now verifying whether the loudspeaker call was an improvised reaction or part of a rehearsed plan. A digital forensic team is reviewing all available recordings to identify those responsible for the announcement and the organized attack.

Security forces have surrounded the Jungle Salimpur area of Sitakunda in Chattogram after a RAB-7 sub-inspector was killed during a weapons recovery operation on Monday evening. Following the attack, which also left three RAB members injured, joint forces including the army, police, and RAB have been placed on high alert, sealing all entry and exit points. Locals reported heavy deployment and restricted movement as authorities prepared for a large-scale operation.

According to RAB officials, a 16-member team entered the area to arrest a key suspect linked to multiple cases and an arms trafficking network. The team was suddenly attacked by 20–25 individuals, resulting in the death of Naib Subedar Abdul Motaleb. RAB stated that the assault was premeditated and that their members refrained from firing initially to avoid civilian casualties. Police confirmed that the area remains cordoned off and that identification of the attackers is ongoing.

Officials indicated that the upcoming operation aims not only to capture suspects but to dismantle the entire militant and criminal network active in Jungle Salimpur.

A Muslim woman was allegedly gang-raped at a Hindu household in Ramraban village of Dhamrai upazila, Dhaka, on Thursday night. According to the report, armed assailants tied her husband to a post and took turns assaulting her throughout the night. The attackers also reportedly took gold jewelry weighing about three and a half vori from the victim. The couple had been visiting the home of Shanti Rani Monidas, sister of Krishna Chandra Monidas, a security worker at ND Construction Firm, where the husband, Abdur Razzak, is a driver.

Following the incident, the victims sought justice from local union member Montu Chandra Monidas on Friday morning. However, they were allegedly beaten and expelled from the village by a group of youths led by Sajib Chandra Monidas. Police officials said they visited the site but could not locate the victims or identify the suspects. The incident has reportedly caused tension in the local Muslim community.

Authorities stated that further steps would be taken after consultation with senior officers as the investigation continues.

Police in Jaintapur, Sylhet, recovered 10 airguns from a motorcycle at a checkpoint on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway early Monday morning. The operation took place around 4:15 a.m. near Karichar Bridge in the 5 No. Fatehpur Union area. Two individuals on an unregistered motorcycle approached the checkpoint but fled on foot, leaving behind the motorcycle and a white plastic sack.

Upon inspection, officers found four new Indian-made camouflage-colored airguns and six new black-colored airguns inside the sack. The police also seized the suspects’ old Suzuki Gixxer motorcycle. The individuals managed to escape, and their identities remain unknown.

A case related to the incident is in the process of being filed at the Jaintapur Model Police Station, according to police sources.

A five-day Shaheed Osman Hadi Memorial Book Fair began at Dhaka University with large crowds from the first day. Visitors and students gathered at the TSC premises to browse books, purchase works by favorite authors, and learn about the life and ideals of Shaheed Osman Hadi. The fair features 22 publishing houses with stalls around the TSC’s Pigeon Square, where visitors were seen reading, bargaining, and taking photographs. Cultural performances including recitations, songs, and discussions are being held on a dedicated stage.

The event is jointly organized by the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and the Dhaka University Young Columnists’ Forum, with support from Aurora Specialized Hospital Limited. The fair was inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan. It remains open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and includes cultural programs and discussions commemorating Osman Hadi. DUCSU Vice President Sadiq Kayem and Writers’ Forum President Ashiq Khan said the fair aims to inspire the new generation through Hadi’s ideals and to promote books as tools of free thought and resistance.

Islami Chhatra Shibir has announced a four-day protest program in response to the suspension of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Central Students’ Union (ShakSU) election. The announcement was made Monday evening through the organization’s verified Facebook page. The program includes human chains and protest marches across campuses and metropolitan areas on Tuesday, district-level marches on Wednesday, upazila-level marches on January 22, and a final protest in Dhaka on January 23.

Earlier on Monday, the group held a protest march in the capital demanding that the ShakSU election be held on schedule and condemning what it described as a conspiracy to derail the process. The rally, organized by Dhaka Metropolitan Shibir, began at the Central Shaheed Minar and concluded with a gathering at Shahbagh. The march was led by central publicity secretary Azizur Rahman Azad and attended by several central leaders including international secretary Mu’tasim Billah Shahedi and publication secretary and Daksu VP Sadiq Kayem.

The series of demonstrations underscores the group’s opposition to the election postponement and its demand for timely implementation of the student council vote.

Religious Adviser Dr. A F M Khalid Hossain stated that the 'Yes' vote in the upcoming referendum has no connection with the inclusion or exclusion of 'Bismillah' in the constitution. He clarified that 'Bismillah' is written at the top of the constitution and will remain there, dismissing claims that a 'Yes' vote would remove Islam or Allah from the state. He made these remarks on Monday afternoon while addressing a public awareness meeting and imam conference on referendum activities at the Moulvibazar Shilpakala Auditorium, organized by the district administration.

Dr. Hossain said that misleading statements about whether 'Bismillah' or the state religion would remain are spreading confusion in society. He explained that the provisions in the July Charter would be added, while the rest of the constitution would remain intact. He emphasized that the 'Yes' vote aims to bring qualitative changes, including the formation of a caretaker government toward the end of the next government’s term, and ensuring a neutral Election Commission with input from opposition parties.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Touhiduzzaman Pavel and attended by local officials, imams, teachers, and journalists from Moulvibazar’s seven upazilas.

Members of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RACSU) held a protest march on Monday evening, January 19, 2026, in front of the university’s central mosque. The demonstration was organized in response to the postponement of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Central Students’ Union (SACSU) and hall elections. Protesters chanted slogans criticizing the decision and expressing solidarity with SUST students.

During the protest, RACSU Cultural Affairs Secretary Zaid Hasan Zoha alleged that a certain group influenced the High Court to delay the SACSU election, which was scheduled to be held that day. He claimed that conspiracies had been used to prevent fair student elections across universities. RACSU Vice President Mostakur Rahman Zahid also accused the same group of repeatedly interfering in student union elections, including those at Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, and Jagannath universities.

Zahid urged authorities to hold the postponed election promptly and warned that opposing students’ rights would provoke nationwide discontent. Around fifty RACSU and hall union leaders and activists joined the protest.

A Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officer was killed and three others critically injured during an operation in Jungle Salimpur, Sitakunda, Chattogram, on Monday, January 19, 2026. The attack occurred when a 16-member RAB-7 team attempted to arrest an armed suspect. Four members entered a suspected hideout and were suddenly surrounded by 20–25 assailants who beat them severely. Naib Subedar Abdul Motaleb, a Border Guard Bangladesh officer attached to RAB-7, died at the scene. The injured—Constable Arif, Nayek Imam, and a source—were taken to Chattogram Combined Military Hospital’s ICU.

RAB officials said the team refrained from firing to avoid harming civilians. The assault was described as sudden and planned. Additional RAB, police, and Border Guard forces have been deployed across the Salimpur–Link Road area to maintain order. Police confirmed heightened tension in the locality following the incident.

Jungle Salimpur has long been known for illegal land occupation, armed groups, and violent clashes. Authorities estimate the seized government land’s value at around Tk 30,000 crore. Security forces continue patrols as investigations to identify the attackers proceed.

The Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) has expelled Md. Junaid Hasan, joint general secretary of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) unit, for life. The decision, announced Monday night through a press release signed by JCD office secretary Jahangir Alam, cited specific allegations of violating organizational discipline. Hasan had participated in student movements supporting the Shahjalal University Central Students’ Union (ShakSU) election and was contesting as an independent candidate for general secretary.

According to the statement, the expulsion was approved by JCD president Rakibul Islam Rakib and general secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir. The organization instructed all members to sever any organizational ties with Hasan. While central JCD leaders in Dhaka had been protesting to cancel the ShakSU election, Hasan remained vocal on campus in favor of holding it.

On January 17, Hasan announced a 14-point manifesto, stating that the student council is an independent platform, not a political one, and pledged to continue his campaign independently despite party pressure.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and party-nominated MP candidate for Comilla-11 (Chauddagram), Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, issued a statement on Monday, January 19, condemning arson and vandalism at three Jamaat election offices and a madrasa bus in Chauddagram. The incidents occurred on the night of January 18 in different unions, where unidentified miscreants allegedly poured petrol and set fire to the offices and the bus.

In his statement, Dr. Taher described the attacks as acts of terrorism aimed at intimidating voters and obstructing a free and fair 13th national parliamentary election. He urged authorities to identify and arrest those responsible for the violence to ensure a peaceful electoral environment.

Dr. Taher reaffirmed Jamaat’s commitment to protecting citizens’ voting rights and maintaining stability. He called on the administration and the Election Commission to take effective measures to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent further attempts to disrupt the election process.

Bangladesh Chhatra Dal (JCD) has temporarily suspended its siege program at the Election Commission (EC) after receiving assurances that its demands would be addressed. The decision was announced on Monday following a meeting between JCD leaders, including President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin, and EC Additional Secretary K.M. Ali Newaz. The student organization had been staging the siege since Sunday to press for three major demands.

According to Rakibul Islam, the EC assured that the demand for changes in the domestic postal ballot process would be considered, and the controversial directive regarding the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) student union election had been suspended. The JCD’s three-point demand included revising the postal ballot decision to ensure electoral neutrality, maintaining EC professionalism free from political pressure, and withdrawing the disputed SUST election notification.

After receiving specific assurances from the EC, the JCD delegation ended its protest and left the commission area. The organization warned that it would respond if any group attempted to exert undue pressure on the EC in the future.

Faruki Azam, Advisor to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, has called on citizens to vote 'Yes' in the upcoming referendum to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh. He made the appeal during a meeting with top administrative officials in Joypurhat, held on Monday at the Deputy Commissioner's conference room, aimed at ensuring a peaceful, fair, and acceptable national election.

During the meeting, Azam emphasized the need for reforms to establish accountable governance, independent judiciary, and election systems. He urged the replacement of oppressive and discriminatory practices with an inclusive approach. Police Superintendent Mina Mahmuda stated that comprehensive preparations were underway to maintain law and order, including special monitoring of vulnerable areas. District Election Officer Mahmud Hasan reported that voter list updates, polling center preparations, and training of election officials were ongoing.

Senior government officials from various departments attended the meeting, discussing election-related challenges and coordination measures. They expressed optimism that the dialogue would strengthen administrative cooperation during the election period.