Page 42 - Bangladesh

B'desh floods: 59 Killed, thousands rendered homeless in 11 districts

Floodwaters have receded in most areas of the 11 affected districts, but the struggles of those impacted continue, as the disaster has left many homeless, The Daily Star reported.At least 59 people died, and over 53 lakh people in 11 districts were affected by the flood.Many people have been left without homes, and low-income families, especially farmers, have lost not only their houses but also their livelihoods due to the destruction of crops and ponds, as per The Daily Star."Floodwaters swept away my mud house. It's all I had in this world. Now, I have no place to live," said a devastated Nurun Begum, 65, of Mierpara village in Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila."I've had to taken shelter on the front porch of one of my neighbour's house," she explained in a helpless voice."My house quickly went underwater after the embankment along the Manu river got breached on August 22. Even though the floodwater has receded, I cannot return home as my house has been damaged," Sujan Mia, an ...

Raymond receiving large number of biz inquiries after B'desh crisis: CMD

Leading textiles and apparel company Raymond has received a "huge number of inquiries" from global firms after the crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh and is ready to grab this opportunity, its Chairman & Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania said. Raymond, which has invested in its garmenting facility to become the third largest suit maker in the world, is ready to "take advantage" from the current situation, Singhania told PTI. Asked if he expects shifting of some garmenting business to India from Bangladesh, he said, "We are hoping so. We are seeing the inquiries. It obviously needs a little bit of time, but we are certainly seeing positive signs on that." India is better-placed with its end-to-end supply capabilities linking all stages as companies as Raymond are present in both fabric and garmenting business, which, in turn, will save time for international brands also on final delivery, he said. "Bangladesh does not have a fabric supply. India has got a great opportunity to .

Bangladesh police orders return of looted arms, ammunition by Sep 3: Report

Bangladesh police on Sunday ordered citizens to return by September 3 all arms and ammunition looted from police stations during the recent violence which led to prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster, according to media reports. The violence that hit the country during the massive quota reform protests saw widespread attacks and looting of police stations across the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported. In a directive, the Police Headquarters said looted arms and ammunition of police must be returned by Tuesday. By Saturday, law enforcement authorities had recovered a total of 3,872 weapons of various types, looted from police stations and offices during the recent unrest, the report said. In addition, as many as 286,216 rounds of bullets, 22,201 teargas shells, and 2,139 stun grenades were also recovered, it said. The directive follows the interim government's earlier decision to suspend the firearms licences issued to all civilians during the more than 15 years of the ...

49 minority teachers in Bangladesh forced to resign since Aug 5: Report

At least 49 teachers belonging to minority communities were forced to resign in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to a minority organisation in the violence-hit nation. The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, said this at a press conference on Saturday, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The organisation's coordinator, Sajib Sarkar, said in the students' violence that ensued for days following the ouster and fleeing of 76-year-old prime minister Hasina, minority teachers across the country faced physical assault, and at least 49 of them were forced to resign. However, 19 of them were reinstated later, the report quoted him as saying. Sarkar added that religious and ethnic minorities have also faced attacks, looting, assault on women, vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and killings during this period. Bangladesh saw several incidents of

Families in Bangladesh fight for justice against forced disappearances

In a dimly lit room in Dhaka, Baby Akhtar clutches a faded photograph of her husband, Tarikul Islam Tara, who vanished twelve years ago after allegedly being taken by Bangladesh's security agencies, a personal tragedy reflecting the broader nightmare of enforced disappearances that has haunted Bangladesh for over the last 15 years. I have been waiting for my husband for the last 12 years. My life and family have been ruined for no fault of mine. We want justice. We hope that the interim government will give us justice. I want my husband back, she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. The fate of hundreds like Tara remains shrouded in uncertainty following the recent ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose administration was accused of presiding over systematic enforced disappearances. With Hasina's departure, the interim government has taken a significant step by forming a commission to investigate these cases. However, for the families still waiting, the commission's

Flood death toll reaches 59 in Bangladesh, affecting over 5.4 mn people

At least 59 people, including six women and 12 children, have died in the devastating floods which affected more than five million people in 11 districts of Bangladesh, officials announced on Saturday. The Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, while giving out updates on the flood situation, said the highest deaths were reported from Cumilla and Feni districts, both adjoining the border with Tripura in India on the northeast side, with 14 and 23 deaths respectively. Monsoon rainfall-triggered floods in deltaic Bangladesh and upstream Indian regions have wreaked havoc in the country for about two weeks resulting in deaths and displacement of humans and cattle, and loss of property posing a huge administrative challenge to the newly installed interim government amid a political transition. Bangladesh is crisscrossed by more than 200 rivers, 54 of them being trans-boundary rivers with upper riparian India, in four major basins. A depression (a system that brings in copious rainfall)

Could seek Sheikh Hasina's extradition: Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser

Sheikh Hasina had arrived in India on August 5, following an uprising led by students against her that turned violent

Two new murder cases filed against ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Two new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet ministers for the killing of three people, including two BNP activists, during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports. The cases, filed in Dhaka courts on Friday, were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs. With this, the tally of cases filed against Hasina has risen to 84, including 70 on murder charges, eight on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide, three for alleged abduction, and three on other charges, The Daily Star newspaper reported. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist Matiur Rahman filed the case in Kishoreganj over the killings of fellow party workers Zulkar Hossain, 38, and Anjana, 28, on August 4. According to the case statement, a ...

Who speaks for Bangladesh Hindus? This necessitates raising questions

Do we remember when an Indian PM last called his American counterpart for help in protecting Hindus in our neighbourhood? Does India want to be the OIC equivalent for Hindu interests?

India's 'uninterrupted dialogue' with Pakistan is over, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S says India will not overlook terrorism to improve relations with Pakistan

Floods in Bangladesh impacting cotton import, shipments may divert to India

Some cotton shipments could get diverted to India, Pakistan and Vietnam, commodity analysts said

Bangladesh yearns for new political force post 'Monsoon Revolution'

After Bangladesh's recent political upheaval following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the deeply polarised country is yearning for a new political force to emerge beyond the traditional Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party binary that aims to create a discrimination-free and more inclusive society. We have seen the BNP, Awami League, and Jatiya Party come to power and fail us for decades. It is time for someone new to lead our country, says 60-year-old Ahmed, a rickshaw-puller in Dhaka, echoing a sentiment shared by many in present-day Bangladesh. After unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina, 76, resigned as prime minister and fled to India. The interim government led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus aims to reform Bangladesh's fractured institutions and restore public trust by ensuring a free and fair election, which, if successful, would mark a significant achievement in a nation with a history of electoral malpractice. Yet, people ar

Here's why Bangladesh's new govt can't afford to let chaos, extremism reign

Any expression of concern about Bangladesh's path causes some, particularly in the country's active and vocal diaspora, to fume

Over 1,000 killed during anti-govt protests in B'desh: Interim govt adviser

Over 1,000 people have been killed during the protests against the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh while more than 400 were blinded by police fire, with some of them losing sight in one or both eyes, a top adviser of the interim government said on Thursday. Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum disclosed this during a visit to the Central Police Hospital in the capital's Rajarbagh where she interacted with the police personnel injured in clashes and spoke to those at the surgical department to ask about their condition. "So far 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 students and members of the general public have lost their sight. Many have been blind in one eye, while others are blind in both," Nurjahan was quoted as saying by the bdnews24.com news portal. An anti-discrimination student movement against the government started in mid-July over a controversial quota system in jobs. The protests turned violent after crackdown by the forces. Several protesters were killed

Former Bangladesh speaker, commerce minister arrested in murder case

Former Bangladesh speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and ex-commerce minister Tipu Munshi have been arrested over the killing of a goldsmith during the recent quota reform protests that led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, media reports said on Thursday. Munshi, 74, was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Wednesday night in the murder case filed in Rangpur, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. The case was filed against 17 people, including Munshi and former speaker of Parliament Chaudhury, for the killing of Muslim Uddin Milon, a 38-year-old goldsmith. Besides, many unnamed people were accused in the case. Chaudhury, 46, served as the first female speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad from April 2013 until August 2024. Milon was shot dead on July 19 in Rangpur during the student-led movement against a controversial quota system in government jobs, which later turned into a mass uprising that ousted 76-year-old Hasina's Awami League ...

Operations in Bangladesh stabilised, people rejoining factory: Emami CFO

Homegrown FMCG major Emami has said its operations in Bangladesh have stabilised as people have rejoined the factory and production has resumed. Replying to queries at the AGM, Emami CFO Naresh Bhansali said the business was impacted in Bangladesh due to political turmoil, and the company expects operations to normalise over a period of time. "Last month was very turbulent. But it (operation) has stabilised now. People have joined back work, factory has resumed operations. The market has also opened," Bhansali said while replying to a query from the shareholder. The company does not see a big impact on its overall business from the Bangladesh operations. "Bangladesh will also come back on the same growth trajectory path over a period of time. The new Government, which we expect to get established in some time, will hopefully give political stability and we expect the business to resume soon. We do not expect any market share or any loss there," the CFO said. Emami has one ...

B'desh wants cordial ties with India, but doesn't want interference: JeI

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supremo Shafiqur Rahman has said his party seeks harmonious and stable ties with India but asserted that New Delhi needs to reconsider its foreign policy in the neighbourhood, as bilateral relations do not entail interfering in each other's internal issues. Rahman, who is the Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, stated in an interview with PTI that his party supports close relations between India and Bangladesh but also believes that Bangladesh should maintain strong and balanced relations with countries like the US, China, and Pakistan, by leaving behind the baggage of the past. Rahman, 65, contended that New Delhi's perception of Jamaat-e-Islami as anti-India is mistaken, asserting that Jamaat-e-Islami is not against any country; it is a wrong perception. We are pro-Bangladesh and are solely interested in safeguarding the interests of Bangladesh, and emphasised that this perception needs to change. The Jamaat-e-Islami suggested that it would have been ..

Chief adviser Yunus can't delay B'desh election for too long, says BNP

The BNP wants to avoid a repeat of the past, where an army-controlled caretaker government in 2006 stayed beyond its mandated three months and delayed the voting by about two years

Bangladesh forms commission to identify victims of forced disappearance

Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday formed a commission to trace and identify victims of forced disappearance during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year regime, an official notification said. According to the notification, the five-member commission has been entrusted with the task of tracing and identifying the missing people and investigating the circumstances under which they were forcibly disappeared by various intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The commission comprised two retired High Court judges, two rights activists and a university teacher. The commission has been asked to investigate the cases of forced disappearance between January 1, 2010, and August 5, 2024, when Hasina's regime was ousted in a student-people mass upsurge. "In line with the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1965, the Commission will submit its report to the government in the next 45 working days, the Cabinet Division notification read. According to the notification, the polic

Factory ops resume in Bangladesh, Emami pins hope on political stability

Emami is targeting double-digit growth in its international business in FY25. In FY24, international business grew by 12 per cent in constant currency and 9 per cent in INR terms