Bangladesh Ministry's Order Against Anti-Government Action Sparks Big Controversy

A fire raged through a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 76 people — at least two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.

- Associated Press

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi education ministry order demanding officers report institutions and pupils involved in anti-government "provocative activities" has been condemned by lawyers for challenging the spirit of last year's student-led revolution.

The mass uprising spearheaded by students toppled long-time autocrat Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus taking charge.

The order, signed by the ministry's director of its "monitoring and evaluation" for secondary education, Abed Nomani, was issued on January 2 but shot to attention after it circulated on social media and in newspapers.

It ordered officials to "remain vigilant and proactive in preventing students from engaging in provocative actions, driven by propaganda, misinformation, or disinformation against the government or the country".

It did not provide clarification on what those actions might include.