Page 46 - Bangladesh

Bangladesh's interim govt: Portfolios out, Yunus to oversee 27 ministries

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus on Friday announced the portfolios of the newly-appointed council of advisors and took charge of 27 ministries, including defence, and named career diplomat Mohammad Touhid Hossain to head the foreign ministry. Nobel laureate Yunus, 84, on Thursday took oath as the head of an interim government, replacing Sheikh Hasina who abruptly resigned and fled to India leaving the country in turmoil following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. He was sworn in as the chief advisor - a position equivalent to prime minister. Other advisors were selected in consultation with student leaders, the military, and civil society representatives. According to an official announcement, Yunus will oversee a broad array of ministries keeping to himself 27 portfolios including the defence, public administration, education, energy, food, water resources and information ministries. Former foreign secretary Hossain has b

Refuge to Hasina may evoke adverse reactions against India: BNP leaders

Indo-Bangla bilateral ties are not dependent on the Awami League and it is "natural to evoke adverse reactions" in Bangladesh over India giving refuge to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Senior leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said on Friday. Asserting that India was "very important" to Bangladesh, Senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told PTI over the phone from Dhaka that "it is high time to start a new chapter in bilateral relations. Hossain also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory message to the interim government in Bangladesh and hoped that the Indian government would no longer continue to support the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee the country following a mass uprising. Echoing similar sentiments, BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo said it would have been better had Hasina not fled to India. "It would have been better had she not fled to India, as we are yearning to have good relations with India. Banglades

BSF foils Bangladeshi infiltration attempt at Bengal's Cooch Behar border

Tension prevailed at the Sitalkuchi fenced land border area of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal on Friday morning after panicked Bangladeshi nationals, numbering over a hundred, assembled on the other side of the fence in their bid to cross over to India. The attempt was, however, foiled by the BSF which maintained a strict vigil at the border. The Bangladeshis were later taken away from the spot by the Border Guards Bangladesh personnel, the Border Security Force confirmed. The crowd, allegedly comprising mostly Bangladeshi Hindus, assembled some 400 metres away from the fence alongside a water body at the Genduguri and Doikhawa villages in the Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh. Heavy deployment of the 157 Battalion of the BSF at the Pathantuli village, maintaining vigil on automobiles and on foot, made the infiltration bid of the foreigners impossible. The disappointed Bangladeshis were heard raising slogans in support of their demand for entry into Indian soil. When inquired

Stop attacks against Hindus, other minorities or I’ll resign: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh’s newly sworn-in Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has called for an end to all forms of violence following a massive uprising after former PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country.

Centre forms panel to oversee safety of Indians, minorities in Bangladesh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the committee will be led by the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) for the Eastern Command

Bangladesh crisis: 1,200 escaped prisoners may cross into India, says BSF

In response to the increased security threats, the Border Security Force (BSF) has started frequent communication with their counterparts across the border

Improving law & order is top priority: Bangladesh interior ministry adviser

About 300 people were killed and thousands injured since the protests and clashes escalated in July and security forces sought to curb them

Indian firms resuming operations in Bangladesh after protest disruptions

Here are some details of what Indian companies have said about their activities in Bangladesh, where many products made by India-based firms are household names

Bangladesh protests echo past student uprisings that sparked radical change

In Bangladesh, weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned into a broad uprising that forced the prime minister to flee the country and resign. The demonstrations began peacefully last month and were primarily led by students frustrated with the system that they said favoured those with connections to the ruling party. But it turned violent on July 15 as student protesters clashed with security officials and pro-government activists. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled this week after the unrest during which nearly 300 people died, including both students and police officers. Students or other young people have frequently played pivotal roles in popular uprisings that have brought down governments or forced them to change policies. Here are some other major cases: Gota Go Gama protests in Sri Lanka Like in Bangladesh, widespread protests in Sri Lanka in 2022 were able to bring down a government, and youth played a key role. Scattered demonstrations tu

Stop attacks against minorities or I'll resign: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus

The newly sworn-in chief adviser Muhammad Yunus cautioned the student leaders flanking him and the nation that if the violence against minorities doesn't stop, he will resign

Bangladeshis welcome new interim govt, hope for restoration of peace

People in Bangladesh have welcomed the new interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, hoping it would restore order, end repression and hold a fair election to facilitate a democratic transition of power. Yunus, 84, on Thursday took oath as the head of an interim government, replacing Sheikh Hasina who abruptly resigned and fled to India leaving the country in turmoil following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. He was sworn in as the chief advisor - a position equivalent to prime minister. Women's rights activist Farida Akhtar, right-wing party Hefazat-e-Islam's deputy chief AFM Khalid Hossain, Grameen Telecom trustee Nurjahan Begum, freedom fighter Sharmeen Murshid, chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board Supradip Chakma, Prof Bidhan Ranjan Roy and former foreign secretary Touhid Hossain are among the advisory council members. Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said that one of the

Muhammad Yunus takes charge of interim govt in Bangladesh, to seek peace

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of office as head of Bangladesh's interim government Thursday after protests forced out former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this week. The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India after weeks of student protests over job quotas grew into an uprising against her increasingly autocratic 15-year rule. The figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief adviser, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in the presence of diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka. No representatives of Hasina's party were present. The 16 other members of the interim Cabinet were drawn mainly from civil society and include two of the student protest leaders. The Cabinet members were chosen in discussions this week among student .

We stand against racially based attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh: UN

Amid violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he stands against any racially based attacks or incitement to violence. What we've made clear is we want to make sure that the violence that has been occurring in Bangladesh in recent weeks is tamped down. Certainly, we stand against any racially based attacks or racially based incitement to violence, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said here on Thursday. He was responding to a question on the Secretary-General's reaction to attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. Several Hindu temples, households and businesses have been vandalised, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party have been killed in the violence since Monday, when Hasina resigned and fled to India. Since Hasina fled the country, media reports from Bangladesh have flagged more and mo

Why the collapse of a friendly govt in Bangladesh is bad news for India

Chaos at India's eastern doorstep is also a warning to the bigger economy: youth want employment

Jharkhand HC warns state govt about illegal immigration from Bangladesh

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday directed the state government to take immediate action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants entering the state through the Santhal Parganas. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai gave the direction while hearing a PIL filed by one Daniel Danish. The court observed that illegal immigration will be on the rise in view of the present unstable situation in Bangladesh. The bench ordered the director of the intelligence bureau, director general of the BSF, chief election commissioner of India, and director general of the Unique Identification Authority of India to be made parties in the case. The court while issuing notices to them ordered them to file a response in the matter. The court also suggested that the government should conduct a sudden inspection of Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards. These drives will not only help in identifying the illegal settlers but will also deter others from

Swift restoration of peace, normalcy need of hour: Cong congratulates Yunus

The Congress on Thursday congratulated Professor Muhammad Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, with Rahul Gandhi saying that a swift restoration of peace and normalcy in that country is the need of the hour. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of an interim government, replacing Sheikh Hasina who abruptly resigned and fled to India leaving the country in turmoil following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on X, "On behalf of the Indian National Congress, I extend our good wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government." "We sincerely hope that normalcy and peace returns in Bangladesh, our neighbour, with whom we Indians share a historic relationship. We pray for the safety of all the Bangladeshi people, including all the minorities," Kharge said. In a post on X, Gandhi also congratulated Yu

B'desh unrest: Over 7,200 Indian students have returned, says govt

More than 7,200 Indian students have returned to India in the past couple of weeks ending August 1 in view of the situation in Bangladesh, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response, also said that as per available records, there are about 19,000 Indian citizens, including over 9,000 students, living in Bangladesh. He was asked the total number of Indians living in Bangladesh for the purpose of education or business, the number of people of Gujarat living in Bangladesh, and whether any special campaign has been started to evacuate Indian citizens from the violence-hit neighbouring country. The minister was also asked about the number of citizens brought back to India so far. Indian students in Bangladesh are from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam, among others. State-wise list is not maintained b

Monthly export of readymade clothes may rise by $250 mn amid B'desh crisis

India can be a beneficiary in the international readymade garment markets as Bangladesh, the world's second-largest exporter in the sector, grapples with economic challenges, amid ongoing political unrest there, according to a report released on Thursday. India could gain monthly export orders worth USD 200-250 million in the short term, a CareEdge study said. While Bangladesh has historically captured a significant portion of China's declining share in global readymade garment (RMG) exports, India has been unable to fully capitalise on the opportunity, it said. However, the current situation in Bangladesh presents a golden chance for the Indian RMG sector to expand its footprint both in short and medium terms, the report said. "If the unrest in Bangladesh persists for an extended period, it could result in a significant shift in export orders towards India. Industry estimates suggest India could gain monthly export orders worth USD 200-250 million in the short term and around USD

All quiet on eastern front: B'desh unrest grinds Petrapole biz to a halt

The total trade at the Petrapole border was Rs 30,420.92 crore in FY24

Bangladesh crisis likely to be a speed bump for Indian 2W companies

Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, TVS collectively hold over 50% of market share in strife-torn country