Regarding the police death of a man amid civil unrest last month, a court in Bangladesh started a murder probe on Tuesday, targeting six senior officials in Sheikh Hasina’s government as well as the deposed premier.
A week ago, when demonstrators filled Dhaka’s streets, Hasina, 76, escaped by chopper to nearby India, bringing an abrupt end to her dictatorial rule.
Mamun Mia, an attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of a private individual, said, “A case has been filed against Sheikh Hasina and six more.”
The first stage in a criminal inquiry under Bangladeshi law, he said, is accepting “the murder case against the accused persons,” as directed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Court to the police.
Hasina’s former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and the general secretary of her Awami League party, Obaidul Quader, were also mentioned in Mia’s court petition.
The list also included the names of four senior police officials, including former police inspector general Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who were appointed by Hasina’s administration but have since left their positions.
Senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials Habibur Rahman and Biplob Kumar Sarker were also identified, along with Detective Branch Chief Harun-or-Rashid.
