Murder case filed against Sheikh Hasina 10 months after Jubo Dal leader's death

A murder case has been filed in Shahjahanpur, Bogura, ten months after the death of Forkan Ali, a Jubo Dal leader. In the case filed in the court, the plaintiff alleged that the then ruling party leaders and activists shot and killed Forkan when he went to the protest march of BNP.

The case names former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the president of the Awami League, as the main accused. Along with her, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Awami League General Secretary and former Minister Obaidul Quader, and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are also mentioned as instigators of the murder. The case includes the names of 160 local leaders and activists from the party, with an additional 200-300 unidentified individuals listed as accused.

On December 3, 2023, Forkan Ali (42), a resident of Ghasira Sufipara village and the convener of the Jubo Dal in Khottapara Union, suddenly collapsed and died during a BNP protest march. People said he had a heart attack while trying to escape from the police.

The case was filed on October 30 by Yunus Ali, the joint convener of the Jubo Dal in Khottapara Union. It says that the leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations started their protest march against the government around 7:15 am on December 3. They were getting ready to go to the Upazila Parishad from the Sajapur Fokti Bridge area on the Dhaka-Bogura highway. At that time, Awami League leaders and activists of its affiliated organizations attacked the protest march. They fired shots and threw cocktails. During this attack, Forkan fell to the ground next to Yunus Ali after being shot by Nuruzzaman, the General Secretary of the Awami Swechasebak League. He was taken to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

However, on November 3, Yunus Ali said, "Forkan was not shot on the day of the incident. It seems that the case does not say that Forkan died from gunshot wounds."

Several eyewitnesses shared what happened during the BNP protest march. They said that when the BNP supporters started marching, the police chased them. In the confusion, Forkan became ill while trying to escape, and he later died. They also mentioned that there were no Awami League leaders or activists there, and no attacks took place that day.

Officer-in-Charge of Shahjahanpur Police Station Abdul Wadud said, "We are investigating the murder case of Jubo Dal leader Forkan Ali. There was no autopsy done after his death. If the court asks for it, we will dig up the body for an autopsy report." Forkan's brother, Omar Faruk, and other family members said that Forkan did not go to the BNP rally.

Forkan worked at a private company and left home for work that morning. Later, his family learned he had died from a heart attack. However, eyewitnesses confirmed that Forkan was part of the BNP protest. His family kept his participation a secret because they were afraid of police trouble. As a result, his body was buried without an autopsy.

During the burial, Helaluzzaman Talukdar Lalu, former Member of Parliament from Bogura-7 and advisor to the BNP chairperson, spoke to reporters at Forkan's home. He said that Forkan got sick because of the police chase, which led to his death. People who were with Forkan at the rally also shared the same information.