Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faces seventh murder charge

A Murder case was played on Saturday against the former prime minister from Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in connection with the death of a college student during protests against quota reform in the country. The case is the latest in a series of legal proceedings against her since her dismissal from office.
The case filed in Chandgaon also names former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel and 32 others, including several leaders of the Awami Leagueas accused and includes another 40 to 50 unidentified persons as suspects, according to the portal bdnews24.com.
This is the seventh case against 76-year-old Hasina after she resigned as prime minister and left the country on August 5 amid mass protests.
Hasina sought refuge in India on August 5 after she was forced to resign from her post following massive student protests against a quota system for government jobs.
Early Saturday morning, Mohammad Parvez, the uncle of the deceased student Tanvir Siddiqui, filed a complaint at the Chandgaon police station, police chief Jahedul Kabir said.
According to the case description, Tanvir, a student at Government Ashekane Awlia Degree College, participated in the anti-discrimination movement’s “shutdown” program for students on August 18.
During the protests at Bahaddarhat Kitchen Market, unidentified assailants, acting on “instructions and directions” from Hasina and Nowfel, pelted bricks and stones and opened indiscriminate fire on the students. Tanvir, who was shot in the incident, later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
A student of Chattogram University and another person lost their lives in the same incident and at the same location, the report said. “The same incident resulted in the death of two more persons, including a student of Chattogram University, at the same location, the report said.”
In the past four days, five more cases have been filed against her in Dhaka. Four of these cases are related to murder, while the third case involves allegations of abduction and torture.
On Friday, charges were filed against Hasina and 99 other local leaders and activists of her Awami League party at the Bogura Sadar police station in connection with the August 4 killing of Selim Hossain, a 35-year-old resident of Palikanda village in Shibganj upazila.
Hossain had participated in a student demonstration in Bogura's Satmatha area on August 4, a day before Hasina resigned and left the country. The chargesheet alleges that Awami League (AL) leaders and activists, acting on the orders of Hasina and Quader, attacked the protesters and killed Hossain with sharp weapons. Hossain's brother accused the AL men of murdering his brother.
The first complaint against Hasina was related to the murder of a grocer, Dhaka Tribune reported. Abu Sayed, a local grocer, was killed in a police firing in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area on July 19.
The outbreaks of violence that broke out everywhere Bangladesh After the collapse of the Hasina government, more than 230 people were killed, bringing the total death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests began in mid-July.
The International Criminal Court of Bangladesh launched an investigation into the former prime minister and nine other people on Wednesday, focusing on allegations of genocide and other crimes against humanity that occurred between July 15 and August 5, at a time of major student protests against her government.
A formal complaint has been filed with the Investigation Department of the Bangladesh International Criminal Court, naming Hasina, Awami League general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Quader, former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several other senior members of the party.
The United Nations has decided to send a team of experts to Bangladesh to investigate the deaths among protesters that occurred both before and after Hasina's resignation as prime minister, it announced on Thursday.
(With contributions from agencies)