Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been charged over the ‘mass killing’ incident that happened on May 5, 2013, in the Motijheel district near Dhaka. The incident happened during a rally organised by the Islamist advocacy group Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Square demanding the enactment of a blasphemy law. Over 27 people died in the police firing.
The case was filed in a Dhaka court by Babul Sardar Chakhari, chairman of the Bangladesh People’s Party (BPP), on Sunday. The court recorded the plaintiff’s statement and said he would pass an order on the issue later in the day. This brings the number of cases filed against Hasina to 11, including eight for murder, one for abduction, and two for committing crimes against humanity and genocide.
Another murder case was filed against Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday over the death of a college student during the quota reform protests in the country. The case was filed by Mohammad Parvez, the uncle of the deceased student Tanvir Siddiqui. He alleged that Tanvir, a student at Government Ashekane Awlia Degree College, participated in the shutdown programme of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and was attacked by unidentified men during the protest at Bahaddarhat kitchen market. The attackers hurled bricks and stones before firing at students on the orders and directions of Hasina and Nowfel.
As legal troubles mount for Hasina in Bangladesh, her alleged plans to seek asylum in the UK could get murkier with Bangladesh-origin British MP Rupa Huq stating it would be unwise for the UK to give refuge to Sheikh Hasina.
In an opinion column published by the Standard newspaper of the UK on Friday, the MP says she has been flooded with mails asking her to force the UK not to give Hasina asylum. “As a British Bangladeshi MP, my inbox is a lightning rod for Bangladeshi issues worldwide. At the moment, pleading mails ask me to ‘ban the butcher’ and similar requests as it is rumoured London is her next destination,” she wrote.
She added that she personally thought it would be unwise for the UK to give refuge to Hasina considering the “deep unpopularity of her bloodthirsty regime and political sensitivities around immigration”.
Huq added that there was a collective sense of relief among her Bangladeshi cousins as the atmosphere of fear surrounding any criticism of the government seemed to be easing. “However, risks remain,” she said, adding that the deposed camp argues they maintained stability, but as elections approach, it’s time for a change.
