
Top Bangladeshi Economist Abul Barkat Arrested In Corruption Case
The arrest followed late-night searches at his residence and has raised alarm among rights activists and opposition voices ahead of national elections.
Barkat's daughter revealed the circumstances of his arrest, stating that more than 20 policemen showed up at his doorstep and arrested him.
Barkat, a respected academic who taught at Dhaka University for 40 years, has long been a prominent voice speaking out on the rights and vulnerabilities of minorities in Bangladesh, particularly the Hindu community.
He has also been an unflinching critic of radical Islam and the Jamaat-e-Islami, a group that has often faced accusations of violence and discrimination against religious minorities. Barkat has previously warned that there will be no Hindus left in Bangladesh in 30 years.
His arrest has sparked accusations that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is moving to silence dissenting voices and suppress critics ahead of the polls. Barkat is believed to have been targeted for his outspoken criticism of the regime, especially for calling out its failure to curb extremist elements and protect vulnerable communities.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Opposition parties in Lok Sabha question the government on accountability for the Pahalgam terror attack, ‘ineffective' foreign policy
Opposition leaders, speaking in the Lok Sabha on the second day of the debate on Operation Sindoor on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), targeted the Narendra Modi government over 'intelligence failure' and the 'lack of security' that resulted in the Pahalgam terror attack and sought to fix responsibility. Parliament Monsoon Session: Follow LIVE updates on July 29, 2025 They questioned the 'abrupt ceasefire announcement' on social media by U.S. President Donald Trump and attacked India's foreign policy for being unable to isolate Pakistan. Lok Sabha member from Wayanad and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asserted that leadership was not just about taking credit but also about owning responsibility. Ms. Vadra said that Mr. Trump announcing the ceasefire reflected the Prime Minister's 'irresponsibility'. Taking on Home Minister Amit Shah, who, quoting former Union Minister Salman Khurshid, had said that 'Sonia Gandhi cried for Batla House terrorists', Ms. Vadra replied, 'I would like to answer to that point, my mother cried when her husband was martyred by terrorists.' Also Read | In Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi questions political will behind Operation Sindoor No self-praise by the government about Operation Sindoor can take away their culpability that tourists were left without any security, she said. 'I want to ask whose responsibility is the safety of the country's citizens? Is it not the responsibility of this country's Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence Minister?,' Ms. Vadra asked. She read out the names of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. When BJP members shouted that they were all Hindus, she replied, 'They were all Bharatiyas'. In a sharp attack, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi alleged that the government had failed the people of India and it was forced to send Opposition leaders on multi-party delegations for global outreach post Operation Sindoor. Also Read | Amit Shah must take responsibility for 'security lapse' at Pahalgam: Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha 'We had to go because you have failed the people of India. The vishwaguru has failed us... Today it has become a blame game. Even today, the Home Minister, in his speech, only concentrated on blaming the Opposition,' she said. Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Modi government had claimed that after the dilution of Article 370, there would be no more terror attacks but it was forced to launch Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam attack. 'The launch of Operation Sindoor post the Pahalgam attack is itself a symbol of the government's failure,' Mr. Yadav said, adding, 'During Operation Sindoor, no country stood by us. This is a dark phase for India's foreign diplomacy'. The SP chief also questioned the timing of Operation Mahadev, to eliminate the terrorists involved in the April 22 terror attack, on the day Parliament started the debate.


Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
NYC Midtown Manhattan Shooting: Didarul Islam's growing family left devastated as NYPD cop was expecting a third child
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam Killed, Was Expecting Third Child How Shooter Shane Tamura Went on Killing Spree Live Events Shooter Shane Tamura Suicide Note Community Mourns NYPD Officer Didarul Islam Another Victim Identified as Blackstone Executive What NFL Said Timeline of Tamura's Movements July 26: Tamura drove through Colorado. July 27: He passed through Nebraska and Iowa and missed his shift at a Las Vegas casino. July 28, 6:28 pm: He parked near 345 Park Avenue and began the attack. 7:52 pm: NYPD declared the shooter had been neutralized. FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A New York City police officer, Didarul Islam, was among the four people killed in a shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Islam, 36, was working a second job as a security guard when the gunman opened fire. His family was preparing to welcome their third Islam was working at a Midtown office building when Shane Tamura entered with a rifle and opened fire. Islam was shot dead in the building's lobby. He had served with the NYPD for three and a half years. He lived in the Bronx with his wife and two children, with a third child on the York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Islam was working during off hours to earn extra income for his growing family. Mayor Eric Adams said Islam died while trying to protect others. He described Islam as someone who represented the city's Tamura, 27, drove from Las Vegas to New York City. He arrived at 345 Park Avenue around 6:28 pm on July 28. He entered the lobby carrying an M4 rifle and shot Islam. He then continued to shoot others as he made his way to the 33rd floor. His intended target was the NFL offices.A suicide note found on Tamura indicated he blamed the NFL for hiding information about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He believed the disease had affected him. Tamura asked for his body to be checked after death. He ultimately shot himself in the was a well-known member of the Bronx's Muslim community. Friends and community leaders gathered at his home after news of his death. They brought food and offered comfort to his pregnant Karim, a family friend, said Islam had started as a school security guard before joining the NYPD. Karim recalled how Islam wanted to build a better future for his family. He also mentored young Bangladeshi men in the confirmed that Wesley LePatner, one of its senior executives, was also killed in the shooting. She was believed to have been shot while trying to take cover in the was the global head of core+ real estate and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. She was a Yale graduate, served on multiple charity boards, and had two from the office showed employees barricading themselves inside using furniture during the Commissioner Roger Goodell said an employee had been injured but was stable. Staff were advised to stay home. Goodell said the league would increase security and support those Adams said the shooter appeared to blame the NFL in the note. Tamura mentioned former NFL player Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE Islam was an NYPD officer and father of two. He was killed while working a second job as a security guard in a Midtown office left a suicide note blaming the NFL for hiding the effects of CTE. He intended to target the league but entered the wrong office floor.


The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Slain Pahalgam tourists were ‘Bharatiya' or ‘Hindus'? Priyanka vs BJP, a tense exchange in Parliament
'In this House, nearly everyone has security forces protecting them wherever they go. That day, in Pahalgam, 26 families were devastated. There were 26 sons, husbands and fathers who were killed. Out of them, 25 were Indians,' said Priyanka. The sharp exchange between the treasury and Opposition benches capped Priyanka's speech, in which she called the Pahalgam killings a 'major failure of Indian agencies', and said no number of military operations could help the government 'hide behind the truth' that it failed to protect Indian lives. New Delhi: In a charged moment in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Operation Sindoor, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Tuesday read out the names of the 25 Indians killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, framing their identity as ' Bharatiya ', as members of the ruling BJP interjected with shouts of 'Hindus'. Immediately, a few members from the treasury benches interjected, with shouts of 'Hindus'. Priyanka paused, looked up, and responded, 'Bharatiya the (they were Indians).' The remark drew loud desk-thumping from the Opposition benches. 'Those who were in the Baisaran Valley, and the 25 Indians who were killed, there was no security for them. No matter how many operations you carry out, you cannot hide behind this truth. You could not keep them safe,' she said, going on to name all the 25 slain Indian tourists. 'I want to read out the names of those 25 Indians so that every member sitting here realises that they were also humans like us, not pawns in a larger political game. They are also martyrs of this country. Their family members deserve to know the truth,' said the Congress general secretary. Speaking before Priyanka, Home Minister Amit Shah claimed in his speech that Sonia Gandhi had broken down after the Batla House encounter. 'She should have cried for Shaheed Mohan Sharma instead of the terrorists of the Batla House,' he'd said earlier in the day. In her speech, Priyanka responded to Shah. 'He spoke about my mother's tears. My mother cried when her husband was martyred by terrorists. When she was all of 44. I talk about the pain of the families because I can actually feel their pain and anguish,' she said. Priyanka also sought to counter Shah, who listed the terror attacks that happened during the rule of Congress-led UPA I and UPA II, pointing out that following the Mumbai attacks in 2008, the then home minister Shivraj Patil and Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh resigned. 'Under the home minister. Manipur is burning, there were riots in Delhi, attack in Pahalgam. He is still occupying the chair. Why? Why was there no security at Baisaran Valley? There was no security, no first aid. You left them at the mercy of God. Are the prime minister, home minister, defence minister, NSA not responsible?' she said. On Shah blaming Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi for certain foreign policy and military moves which, he said, were detrimental to India's interests, Priyanka said, 'You dwell on history, I want to talk of the present. You just need an excuse to blame my family. You have been in power for the past 11 years. Take your own responsibility.' Priyanka also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he wants to walk away with the credit of Operation Sindoor, just like 'claiming credit for Indian athletes winning medals at the Olympics'. But leadership is also about owning up responsibility, she said, terming US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan 10 May as the biggest symbol of Modi being an 'irresponsible' PM. She also referred to Shah's statement that Pakistan approached India, urging to stop the military action. 'The home minister claimed that Pakistan sought India's sharan as it was left with no option. But why did you give sharan? Why did this ceasefire happen? Why did the war end?' she said, echoing remarks made by Congress's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Monday. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: 'Pakistan firm sought Pahalgam satellite images, how did you miss that?' Kanimozhi rips into Modi govt