The year 2020 was the 49th year after the independence of Bangladesh. It is also the second year of the fourth term of the government of Sheikh Hasina. This year the entire country celebrated the 100th birthday of its Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The period between 17 March 2020 and 17 March 2021 was announced as the 'Mujib Borsho (মুজিববর্ষ)' or the year of Mujib. However, like rest of the world Bangladesh was also severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.
20 April – The country's first Blockchain Olympiad Bangladesh is organised.[8]
27 April – Over 500 garment factories in Dhaka and Chittagong re-opened, after being shut down for a month to stop the spread of coronavirus.[9]
May
5 May – Eleven people, including cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and writer Mushtaq Ahmed, were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion after posting criticisms of the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
20 May – Cyclone Amphan hits Bangladesh's coastal areas. The cyclone killed dozens and destroyed many homes.[11]
27 May – A fire at a hospital kills five patients being treated for COVID-19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. No cause for the fire has been determined. (Reuters)
10 August – The assassination of retired army officer Major (rtd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan by some disgraced members of the police force caused tensions between the Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh Police which was cooled off by assurance from the government that justice will prevail. OC Pradeep, Inspector Liakat, and SI Nanda Dulal the three policemen involved were all arrested by the elite RAB. The mastermind OC Pradeep had also been found linked to numerous corruption scandals and accumulation of illegal wealth through extortion.[13]
6 September – Twenty-four people died after a leak in a gas pipeline caused an explosion in a mosque in Narayanganj district. Several others were injured.[14]
20 October – The reactor of the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) was transferred to Bangladesh from Russia, initiating the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which is expected to be in operation by 2023.[15]
December
4 December – Despite international pressure to back down, Bangladesh begins transferring thousands of Rohingya refugees to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh says all the refugees being moved have given consent and that the relocation was voluntary.
8 December and 9 December – For two days traders clashed with the police when Dhaka South City Corporation began demolition of hundreds of unauthorized shops of a market in Gulistan's Fulbaria area. Traders demanded compensation. The eviction drive that begun on 8 December continued for a second consecutive day on 9 December with continued clashes.[16][17]
Awards and recognitions
Independence Day Award
Total 9 persons and 1 organisation were awarded.[18]
^"Bangladesh cartoonist, writer charged for anti-government posts". Al Jazeera English. 7 May 2020. A Bangladeshi cartoonist and a writer are among 11 people to be charged for posting content on social media critical of the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Two of the 11 - cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and writer Mushtaq Ahmed - were arrested on Wednesday by the Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary forces under the Digital Security Act (DSA), which critics say is a serious threat to freedom of expression in the nation of 168 million people.
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