At least four more murder cases, including the ‘mass killing’ at the rally of Hefazaj-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar, were filed against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her top brass cohorts in connection in Sunday.
Besides, another case was filed over an attack on her arch rival former Prime Minster Khaleda Zia in different areas of the country on Sunday. In Dhaka, an application was filed for registering a case against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others, accusing them of carrying out a mass murder by indiscriminately firing on a rally organized by Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on May 5, 2013.
Babul Sardar Chakhari, chairman of the Bangladesh People’s Party (BPP), filed the application in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zaki-Al-Farabi on Sunday.
Another case was filed Sunday against Sheikh Hasina and 12 others over murder of two students in capital’s Sutrapur area during the recent anti-discrimination students’ movement. The 12 other accused are: former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Mohammad Hasan Mahmud, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former inspector general of police (IGP) Abdullah Al Mamun, Syed Nurul Islam, Harun Ur Rashid, Biplob Kumar and Habibur Rahman.
Another 200-250 unnamed people, including leaders and activists of Awami League and its front organisations, were made accused in the case.
One Nasrin Begum filed the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Torikul Islam over the killing of Kobi Nazrul Govt College student Ikram Hossain Kawser and Shaheed Suhrawardi College student Omar Faruk.
The two students were gunned down in separate incidents by police and Awami League goons as they were staging protests along with hundreds of others in front of Kobi Nazrul Govt College and Shaheed Suhrawardi College on July 19.
In Rangpur, another murder case was filed against 40 individuals, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, in connection with the death of Abdullah-Al Tahir, a student of the Bangladesh Institute of Glass and Ceramics, who was shot during an anti-discrimination student protest in Rangpur town.
Additionally, 300 unidentified individuals have been named as accused.
The case was filed on Sunday afternoon in court by the deceased Tahir’s father, Abdur Rahman.
The deceased Tahir was a resident of Rangpur city.
Case over attack on Khaleda’s convoy
On July 19, during the anti-discrimination student protest, there was a clash between students and the police along with Awami League activists in front of the City Market. During this time, Tahir was killed by gunfire.
Panel Lawyer of the case Tarekuzzaman said: “Tahir was shot upon orders from former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. That’s why we had requested the court for filing a case naming her and 39 other people, including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader.”
“The court has accepted our plea and asked the Kotwali police station to accept the First Information Report (FIR),” he said.
In Joypurhat, a murder case has been filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader, and 126 others over the killing of a student in Joypurhat during the student movement.
The student, Nazibul Sorkar, also known as Bishal, was a student at Panchbibi Business Management Institute. He was killed by gunfire during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Joypurhat.
Nazibul’s father, Majidul Sorkar, filed the case at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Joypurhat before Senior Judicial Magistrate Atikur Rahman. The court has directed the Officer-in-Charge of Joypurhat Sadar Police Station to register the case as an FIR, as confirmed by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Abdul Momin Fakir.
The list of accused includes Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader, along with the former whip, two Joypurhat members of the dissolved parliament, top leaders of the district Awami League, and other public representatives, the lawyer added.
On August 4, during the non-cooperation program of the movement, Nazibul was shot by law enforcement agencies, according to the case statement.
In the capital Dhaka, a complaint (first information report) has been filed with Tejgaon Police Station against 113 individuals, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, over an alleged attack on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s convoy in 2015.
The FIR was filed on Sunday by Belal Hossain, General Secretary of BNP’s Ward 26 in north Dhaka.
The incident in question occurred during the Dhaka City Corporation election campaign in 2015 when Khaleda Zia’s convoy was reportedly attacked in the Karwan Bazar area of the capital.
Inspector (Investigation) Sarwar Alam Khan of Tejgaon Police Station said that they will consult the matter with higher authorities.
The complaint will be officially recorded if permission is granted to proceed with it as a case, he said.
With this, Sheikh Hasina is now facing 11 cases, including eight for murder, one for abduction, and two for committing crimes against humanity and genocide.
Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in the face of a mass uprising on August 5.
