A court in Manikganj sentenced eight people to life imprisonment in the widely discussed Hiron murder case on Tuesday afternoon. Additional District and Sessions Judge Md Tasim Billah delivered the verdict. Each convicted person was also fined Tk20,000, with an additional six months in prison if the fine is not paid.

The convicted are Marzina, Falani, Mizan Khan, Rustam Khan, Sabuj Ahmed, Selim Mia, Anis and Rafiq. According to case records, Abdul Majid Hiron of Railya village in Saturia went missing after leaving home on the night of October 7, 2009. His body was recovered the following day from a mahogany grove on the western bank of the Dhaleshwari River.

The first information report alleged that Hiron was strangled to death. State lawyer and Additional Public Prosecutor Bulbul Ahmed Golap said the court issued the convictions after hearing testimony from 17 witnesses during a lengthy trial. Seven other accused were acquitted, while two accused died during the proceedings.

A special performance by child and adolescent artists, titled “Ami Hobo Sokal Belar Pakhi,” was held on Tuesday evening, August 25, at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka. Chief guest Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, described as an adviser to the prime minister and acting secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, called for encouraging children to practise the songs and poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Rizvi said greater engagement with Nazrul’s works could nurture children’s interest in arts and literature and help keep them away from drugs. He also said martyred president Ziaur Rahman had given Kazi Nazrul Islam state recognition as the national poet, and urged the academy to provide opportunities for children and adolescents at every event. Academy Director General and poet Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed said a non-communal Bangladesh should be built without discrimination among children.

The programme featured 50 young performers in opening songs, dance and recitation. Performances included artists with special needs, while an indigenous children’s group presented a collective dance under Fifa Chakma’s direction. The event concluded with a collective rendition of “Moner Rong Legeche.”

SA TV has announced plans to broadcast Bangla-dubbed versions of two internationally popular Islamic drama series, “Muhammad (PBUH): Flags of Justice Season 2” and “Yusuf-Zulekha.” Managing Director Salahuddin Ahmed formally announced the broadcasts at a recent press conference at the Grand Palace Hotel in Kakrail, Dhaka. Minister Myone Group presents “Flags of Justice Season 2,” a series based on the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Ahmed said a responsible media outlet should provide not only entertainment but also programmes enriched with knowledge, morality and human values. He described the two series as important additions to SA TV’s programming, saying they are intended to offer viewers an experience of history, spirituality and human education. The programmes were also described as suitable for viewers of all ages.

“Yusuf-Zulekha,” described as a popular emotional series based on an Iranian story, will begin airing on August 30. It will be shown on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 pm. “Muhammad (PBUH): Flags of Justice” will start on September 13 and air on the same three days at 8:30 pm.

National Citizen Party convenor and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam said the party will raise gas, electricity and energy shortages, higher fertilizer prices and public hardship in parliament and on the streets. He made the remarks to journalists on Tuesday night after a visit to the party’s temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka, by the Jamaat amir.

Nahid described the Jamaat amir’s visit as politically significant, while saying it was a courtesy meeting that conveyed a message of unity. He said the movement was not one of 11 parties, but a movement on behalf of the people and for building a new Bangladesh. He also called on political and social forces that could not join them in the election to unite in the public interest.

NCP leaders welcomed the Jamaat amir with flowers and presented a replica of the party’s water-lily-bud symbol, as well as fabric for panjabi and burqa garments. Jamaat central executive council member Zahidur Rahman and several other party leaders were present at the NCP office. Nahid said NCP’s voice would be heard for the public in the next parliamentary session and that the party would pursue a united movement outside parliament.

Students at Jahangirnagar University held a “March for Rohingya” on Tuesday, August 25, protesting genocide, persecution and oppression against Rohingya people and demanding their safe, dignified repatriation. The rally began at the university’s Odommo-24 monument and ended with a brief gathering on the road beside the Shaheed Minar. Participants called for an end to the Rohingya genocide, justice and freedom for Arakan.

Jahangirnagar University Chhatra Shakti president Zia Uddin Ayan said Myanmar’s junta forces carried out severe abuses against Rohingyas in Rakhine on August 25, 2017, forcing millions to seek refuge in Bangladesh. He said Bangladesh should pursue effective diplomacy with Myanmar and the international community, including raising the crisis prominently at the upcoming UN General Assembly.

JAKSU general secretary Mazharul Islam and archaeology professor Md Mizanur Rahman Jami criticized what they described as inadequate international action. They called for justice for those responsible, protection of Rohingyas’ citizenship, education and other fundamental rights, and their prompt return to their homeland under safe and dignified conditions.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced a plan to send workers from helpless families abroad without charge, including medical examinations, airfares and other expenses. Speaking as chief guest at a safe migration meeting organized by the Sunamganj district administration on Tuesday afternoon, he said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed the ministry to pursue the initiative. He said the Malaysian government had gifted 10,000 visas to the prime minister.

The minister said young people from the area have died while attempting to reach Europe through Libya and sea routes. He said families of those killed would also be able to send skilled workers abroad without cost. He urged prospective migrants to use legal routes rather than illegal channels and said a district training centre would open soon to develop young workers’ skills.

Chowdhury also said five language-learning centres would be opened in the district’s five electoral areas. While permanent infrastructure, tenders and funding may take time, he said training would begin in unused buildings, schools or madrasas through teacher appointments. He asked for data on broker networks within one week and said action would be taken even against brokers living abroad.

National University has postponed the 2025 first-year Honours examination scheduled for August 27 for course code 212109 under the new syllabus. The institution said the examination was deferred due to unavoidable reasons, according to a press release issued by its public relations department on Tuesday.

The university did not specify the nature of the unavoidable reasons behind the postponement. It said a revised schedule for the deferred examination would be announced later.

All other examinations will continue according to the previously announced schedule. The change applies only to the examination for course code 212109, while the schedules for other subjects remain unchanged.

At least 12 members of the district water transport workers’ union were injured in an alleged attack on protesting workers near the 1,320MW Payra Thermal Power Plant in Kalapara, Patuakhali. The incident occurred around 5pm Tuesday at Bottola Bazar, adjacent to the plant’s jetty. Five workers, including Rezaul Pyada, Hiron Pyada, Imam Pyada, Khokon and Hasan, were admitted to Kalapara উপজেলা Health Complex in serious condition.

The workers said they had held a protest and sit-in from 11am, demanding that members of the government-registered water transport workers’ union be included in ship cargo operations at the power plant. They said police mediated a temporary suspension of the programme around 3pm, while several workers remained in the Bottola Bazar area.

According to the injured workers, 7 to 8 people carrying sticks attacked them around 5pm under the leadership of Dhanikhali Union Jubo Dal president Md Kuddus Mridha Tapan. Tapan denied the allegation, saying he would be guilty if administration personnel present at the site said he was involved. Kalapara police chief Md Nazrul Islam said legal action would follow an investigation if a written complaint is filed.

Students protesting recruitment examinations and job-related demands clashed with police in Patna, Bihar, on Tuesday while marching from Gandhi Maidan toward the chief minister’s residence. Protesters, including Bihar Public Service Commission job aspirants, broke through police barricades at Dak Bungalow crossing, prompting police to use water cannons. Several people were detained, and pushing occurred between police and demonstrators.

Police said some students threw stones as tensions intensified, while many protesters carried national flags and continued chanting after being drenched by water cannons. Security was strengthened at key intersections in Patna, with additional forces, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force deployed at Dak Bungalow crossing.

The students seek a single-stage teacher recruitment examination, transparency in recruitment, BSSC examinations and equal opportunities for Hindi-medium candidates. They also demand cancellation of the 70th BPSC examination over alleged irregularities. Police official Kamakhya Narayan Singh said discussions were underway and some demands had been accepted, but marchers would not be allowed to proceed. The Bihar government also announced monthly student assistance camps, an online portal and a 1100 helpline for complaints.

The government has reshuffled four senior administrative positions, appointing a new managing director of Dhaka WASA, a secretary for the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, a chief engineer for the Local Government Engineering Department, and a director general for the National Institute of Local Government. The Ministry of Public Administration issued separate notifications on Tuesday night.

Local Government Division Additional Secretary Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman has been appointed Dhaka WASA managing director on deputation. Mohammad Aminul Islam, previously employed on contract as Dhaka WASA managing director, had the remaining period of that appointment cancelled and was named director general of the National Institute of Local Government on a one-year contract.

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Secretary Yasmin Parvin has been withdrawn and placed with the Ministry of Public Administration for subsequent posting. National Institute of Local Government Director General Dr Rowshan Ara Begum has been appointed ministry secretary. In a separate notification, Mohammad Belal Hossain was appointed Local Government Engineering Department chief engineer for one year on contract, subject to suspension of post-retirement leave and related benefits.

An eight-member robbery gang reportedly entered the home of Kuwait expatriate Miksan Sheikh in the Brahmankathi area of Pirojpur early Tuesday. The group allegedly cut through kitchen and building-side grills, tied up Sheikh’s younger brother Emran at gunpoint and looted gold ornaments, cash and other valuables.

Miksan Sheikh’s wife Selina Begum and Emran said the robbers entered Emran’s room carrying pistols and locally made weapons. They said the gang broke open a locker and took two gold chains, a ring, an Android mobile phone and other valuable items. The robbers also tried but failed to break the door of Selina Begum’s room.

Neighbour Rehana Begum was seriously injured after the robbers allegedly beat her when she approached the house after hearing cries from inside. Pirojpur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Md Shariful Islam said police visited the scene after receiving information and collected preliminary details. He said the process for necessary legal action was under way based on a written complaint.

Rangpur Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud has been transferred, and Special Branch DIG Mahbubur Rashid has been appointed as the new commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police. The transfer was ordered through a Ministry of Home Affairs notification issued on Tuesday.

Mabud assumed responsibility as Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner on 12 August. His transfer came only 13 days after taking up the post. The source does not state the reason for the ministry’s transfer order.

The change in the commissioner’s post followed the recovery of four bodies from the Daspara-Machhuapara area of Rangpur city on Saturday night. The victims were retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and three family members. Police later detained two suspects and said they had killed Chakraborty, his wife, daughter and son one by one.

Police arrested Vidisha Ershad, the second wife of late president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Tuesday, August 25. She was detained at about 8:30pm from Erabika Restaurant in Gulshan-2 after an arrest warrant had been issued against her, according to Gulshan police station Officer-in-Charge Md Daud Hossain.

Police said a financial fraud case was filed against Vidisha Ershad at Gulshan police station. A court sentenced her to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Tk10,000 in that case.

An arrest warrant was subsequently issued against her, police said. After the warrant was issued, she went into hiding before police later located and arrested her.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support an August 29 event at Madison Square Garden featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. Bhagwat is scheduled to address Indian-origin American citizens at the private gathering, which is expected to draw about 5,000 people. Mamdani said he was unsure whether the city administration has authority to cancel the event because it is privately organized.

Speaking at a Tuesday news conference, Mamdani described himself as New York City’s first Indian-American mayor and said members of his mother’s family still live in India. He said he grew up with an idea of India as a pluralistic society and secular republic, where equal rights and participation for all people were important. He called the rise of a movement based on an exclusionary outlook deeply troubling and said he strongly opposed that view.

Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and the Interfaith Center of New York are among groups opposing Bhagwat’s appearance and calling for cancellation. AHEAD Forum is organizing the event, titled “Universal Oneness Celebration,” saying its message is that the whole world is one family and urging unity beyond artificial divisions. Bhagwat arrived in the United States on Tuesday as part of a global campaign marking the RSS centenary and is also due to visit Canada and the United Kingdom.

International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam said every enforced disappearance case will be treated seriously and justice will be ensured without political consideration. He made the remarks at a Tuesday press briefing at his office after meeting relatives of disappearance victims led by Sanzida Islam Tuli, coordinator of the family platform Mayer Dak.

Tuli alleged that efforts by former chief prosecutor Tajul Islam to investigate and prosecute disappearances had been influenced by political considerations. Aminul said victims would not be viewed according to party affiliation, whether linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP or another group. He cited councillor Ekram, described as an Awami League member who was killed in what he said was a crossfire operation planned under the Awami League government, as an example of a case now being prosecuted.

Aminul said about 250 families of disappearance victims have been identified. Investigators have preliminarily verified the allegations and confirmed that the individuals were abducted by law-enforcement agencies, he said. Statements from every affected family are being recorded. Five designated officers with specialist disappearance-investigation experience have been assigned, and he requested reasonable additional time to conclude investigations and submit one or two reports for trial.