Four more murder cases filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates – Firstpost

At least four more murder charges have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet ministers and staff, according to media reports on Sunday.

Bangladesh's former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi was arrested here this morning as police took tough action against officials and ministers of the Awami League government of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, media reported on Sunday.

On Sunday, 76-year-old Hasina, former director general of Bangladesh's Border Guard, General Aziz Ahmed, and 11 others were charged with murder in connection with the death of Abdur Rahim, an official of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), in 2010, state news agency BSS reported.

Rahim, then deputy director of the former BDR, was an accused in the case related to the massacre that took place in Pilkhana in 2010. He died in custody on July 29 of the same year.

On Sunday, another murder case was filed against Hasina and 48 others for killing a student at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) on July 18 during the anti-discrimination movement for students, the agency said.

The uncle of the victim Shaikh Ashabul Yeamin, Abdullah-Al Kabir, filed a petition before the court of Dhaka Chief Justice Md Saiful Islam on Sunday, asking that murder charges be brought against the 49 accused, it said.

The court allowed the application and directed the police to record the plaintiff's statement and register the complaint as a First Information Report (FIR).

Among those accused in the case were Awami League general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

A separate case has been filed against Hasina and 27 others for the killing of a seller of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) products in the capital during the recent protests.

Mamunur Rashid, brother-in-law of the victim Md Eusuf Sanowar, filed the complaint before Dhaka City Magistrate Saddam Hossain. The court asked the officer in charge of Jatrabari police station to register the case as a First Information Report (FIR).

The other prominent accused in the case are Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former ministers Anisul Huq and Tajul Islam.

Twenty-five people, including Hasina, have also been charged with killing an auto-rickshaw driver in the capital during recent protests.

Hasina, the Awami League leader, is currently facing at least 57 cases, including 48 for murder, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, one for kidnapping and one for an attack on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) procession.

A Bangladeshi court on Saturday remanded Salman F. Rahman, adviser on private sector affairs to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former law minister Anisul Huq, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni and two others in different conditions for questioning in four murder cases. Many members of the Awami League party led by Hasina have been in jail since the new interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took power on August 8 after the previous government was overthrown.

Five more murder charges were filed on Thursday against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her former cabinet ministers and senior police officials, bringing the total number of charges against them to 49.

Hasina, the 76-year-old Awami League leader, resigned on August 5 and fled to India following unprecedented anti-government student protests against her government over a controversial job quota system.

Hasina and 46 others were charged with killing a street vendor during protests in Ashulia, Dhaka, on August 4.

The accused included Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former AL MPs Md Saiful Islam and Talukdar Mohammad Towhid Jung Murad and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

With inputs from agencies.