A Bangladesh court has launched a murder investigation against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and six other senior officials from her administration.
The investigation followed police killing of a man during the civil unrest in the country last month.
LEADERSHIP reports that the sacked 76-year-old former Prime Minister fled to neighbouring India by helicopter a week ago, where she currently remains.
Her departure came amid mass protests that engulfed Dhaka which abruptly ended her extended period of iron-fisted rule.
The civil unrest that led to Hasina’s removal resulted in the death of over 450 persons.
“A case has been filed against Sheikh Hasina and six others,” announced Mamun Mia, the lawyer representing a private citizen who brought the case forward.
Mia further stated that the Dhaka Metropolitan Court had directed the police to accept the murder case against the accused, marking the beginning of a criminal investigation under Bangladeshi law.
The case allegedly implicates key figures from Hasina’s government, including former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and the General Secretary of the Awami League, Obaidul Quader who is Hasina’s political party.
Additionally, four senior police officers appointed by Hasina’s administration, who have since left their positions, were also named in the case.
The charges stem from the death of a grocery store owner who was shot dead by police on July 19th during a violent crackdown on protests.
The case was reportedly brought on behalf of Amir Hamza Shatil, a resident of the area where the shooting occurred and a self-described “well-wisher” of the victim.
Hasina’s government has long been accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings of numerous political opponents. These allegations have cast a shadow over her tenure, which has now come to an end following her ouster.
In the wake of Hasina’s departure, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus returned from Europe to lead a temporary administration tasked with navigating Bangladesh through a critical period of democratic reform.
Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance, is widely credited with lifting millions of Bangladeshis out of poverty.
Now 84 years old, Yunus has assumed the role of “chief adviser” to a caretaker administration, which is primarily composed of civilians, with the exception of the Home Minister, Sakhawat Hossain, a retired brigadier general.
Yunus has pledged to hold elections “within a few months,” aiming to restore democratic governance in the country.
Despite the tumultuous transition, the new administration has indicated that it does not intend to ban Hasina’s Awami League, a party that played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s independence movement.
“The party has made many contributions to Bangladesh, we don’t deny this,” remarked Home Minister Sakhawat Hossain during a press briefing on Monday. “When the election comes, they should contest the elections.”
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