Murder case filed against Sheikh Hasina, 6 others

A murder case has been filed against seven people including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two former ministers.

A businessman from the capital has filed this case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka on Tuesday (August 13).

Sources said the hearing of the case will be heard by the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury.

According to court sources, apart from the former PM, former Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Inspector General of Police Abdullah Al Mamun, Joint Commissioner Biplab Kumar Sarkar, former DB Chief Harun Or Rashid and DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman have been made accused in the case.

Apart from this, unidentified police officers or members of the police and senior officials of the then government have been named as defendants in the case.

This is the first time that a case has been filed against Sheikh Hasina since her resignation as Prime Minister on August 5.

SM Amir Hamza Shatil, a businessman from Adabar area in the capital, is the plaintiff in the case. He filed this case as a conscious citizen seeking justice for the killing an innocent citizen during the quota reform movement.

Amir Hamza said, “As a conscious citizen I filed this case. The hearing will be held shortly.”

According to the case statement, recently thousands of students and masses brought out processions during the quota reform movement. Police opened fire indiscriminately at those peaceful processions in different parts of the country. Many students were killed and hundreds of students were critically injured. On July 19, the students were bringing out a peaceful procession in the 40 feet area of Basila in Mohammadpur. Police fired indiscriminately there too. Abu Sayem, a local grocer, was shot in the head while crossing the road. He died on the spot.

The case statement also said that the deceased Sayem was buried at his ancestral home at Boda upazila in Panchagarh. His mother, wife, and son live there. Because of this, they are unable to come to Dhaka and file a case. As a result, Amir Hamza filed this case to establish the rule of law.

In the complaint of the case, the plaintiff also said that the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had repeatedly ordered police to suppress the quota reform movement with a strong hand. On the orders of Obaidul Quader and Asaduzzaman Kamal, the IGP and senior officers of the police, subordinate policemen opened fire on the procession. The accused committed the murder in mutual connivance. So, it needs to be judged.

Plaintiff's lawyer Md Mamun Mia said it has been requested to register the case with related police station.