Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina faces another murder charge

A case was filed on Aug 23 against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 46 others over the killing of a hawker in the national capital during the recent mass protests, taking the number of cases against her after her ouster to 45.

The case was filed in Ashulia Police Station following a court order, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

Md Mojibul Hossain, a relative of the victim, Shaon, filed the complaint with the court of Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Rabeya Sultana. The court, after recording the statement of the complainant, asked the officer in charge of Ashulia Police Station to accept the matter as a first information report (FIR), the report said.

According to the case document, Shaon joined the anti-discrimination street protest on July 4 during which he got shot at and succumbed to his injuries the same day.

With this case, Hasina is now facing 45 cases against her, including 28 for murder, four for crimes against humanity and genocide, and one for abduction. Besides, she is also facing seven other cases filed against her with the International Crimes Tribunal.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 after resigning from her post amidst unprecedented anti-government student-led protests.

The Hasina-led government was replaced by an interim government, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named its Chief Adviser.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.

(PTI)