Abhay Singh
On Wednesday, three additional cases were lodged against Sheikh Hasina at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal. These new accusations allege that the deposed prime minister played a role in committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the recent anti-quota demonstrations in the country.
The legal actions signify a growing concern regarding her involvement in the tumultuous events that unfolded, sparking further legal scrutiny and public attention.
Two lawyers filed three separate complaints
The Daily Star newspaper reported that two attorneys filed three separate complaints on behalf of the fathers of three students who were killed during the student-led protests against a contentious government job quota. These protests later escalated into a mass uprising that led to the August 5 overthrow of the Hasina-led government.
Ataur Rahman, deputy director of the probe agency said “We have registered the complaints, and thus the investigation of all these cases has started,”
Hujjatul Islam Khan, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed a suit on behalf of the father of Foisal Ahmed Shanta, who was killed on July 16 in the Muradpur area of Chattogram’s Panchlaish Police Station, “following the directive and involvement” of the accused.
The accusation named Hasina and 76 others, including Awami League leaders and ministers.
Supreme Court lawyer Asaduzzaman filed a complaint on behalf of the father of Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin, who was shot and died two days later. The complaint accuses 49 other leaders, former ministers, police members, and around 500 unnamed leaders and activists of the Awami League and its front organizations, including Hasina.
According to the article, the same lawyer filed another lawsuit on behalf of the father of Asif Iqbal, a small merchant from Sreepur Upazila in Magura who was “shot dead by police” on July 19 at the capital’s Mirpur-10 crossroads.
The complaint implicated Hasina and 71 others, as well as 500 unknown Awami League leaders and activists, front organisations, and police officers.
Total 7 Cases Filed In Internet Crime Tribunal
Three cases have been filed against Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5. Six of the seven cases relate to recent protest killings and one to a Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013. At least nine more complaints, including eight for murder, were filed against Hasina on Wednesday.
According to the article, murder cases have been filed in Dhaka’s Rampura, Tejgaon, Mirpur, and Badda regions, as well as Narayanganj and Gazipur districts, for deaths that occurred during the recent turmoil.
Dhaka police have filed multiple murder cases against Hasina and 189 others in various areas of the city. In Badda, two cases were filed for the killing of Sumon Sikder and Abdul Jabbar. In Rampura, a murder case was filed for the death of Rassel Miah, a model coordinator. In Tejgaon, 48 people, including Hasina, were sued for the death of Md Tahidul Islam during protests.
In Mirpur, Hasina, former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, and three others were sued for the death of Firoz Talukder, an office assistant at Rangpur Chemical Ltd who was shot from a helicopter amid clashes centered on the quota reform movement on July 19.
Many other cases like this are also filed against Hasina and her associates, the tally of cases against Hasina has risen to 44.
Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh during the violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, bringing the total death toll to more than 600 since the massive student protest against a controversial quota system in government jobs began in mid-July.
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