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[🇧🇩] The fate of big guns/beneficiaries of Awami League after the student revolution

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G Bangladesh Defense Forum

Three more ICT cases filed against Hasina
Cases filed on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide; total ICT cases against former PM now 7

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Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. File photo

Three more complaints were filed with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal today against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on charge of committing crimes against humanity and genocide in between July 15 to August 5.

Two lawyers filed three separate complaints, on behalf of the fathers of three students who were killed during the student-led protests which later turned into a mass uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.

"We have registered the complaints and thus the investigation of all these cases have started," Ataur Rahman, deputy director (admin) of the probe agency, told The Daily Star today.

With the three, at least seven complaints have been filed with the investigation agency against the former prime minister, her party and others.

Of the seven cases, six are in connection with the killings during the recent protests while another complaint was linked to the crimes committed centring the Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013.

Supreme Court lawyer Hujjatul Islam Khan filed a complaint on behalf of Zakir Hossain, father of Foisal Ahmed Shanta, who was killed on July 16 at Muradpur area under Chattogram's Panchlaish Police Station, "following the directive and involvement" of the accused.

Apart from Sheikh Hasina, 76 others including Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, several other ministers, leaders of AL, and its front organisations, mainly from Chattogram, were made named accused.

Besides, 1,000 to 1,200 unnamed leaders and activists of AL and front organisations were made accused.

Another Supreme Cour lawyer Asaduzzaman filed a complaint on behalf of Abdul Matin, father of Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin, an HSC examinee from Iswardi Ideal College of capital's Mirpur area.

According to the complaint, Shahriar was shot by police in Mirpur on July 18 and died two days later.

Apart from Sheikh Hasina, 49 others including top of leaders of parties under the AL-led alliance, former ministers, police members and leaders and activists of AL and its front organisations were made named accused.

Besides, AL, its front bodies were made accused as organisations and 500 unnamed leaders and activists of AL and front organisations were made accused.

The same lawyer filed another complaint on behalf of MA Razzaque, father of Asif Iqbal, a small trader from Sreepur Upazila of Magura.

According to the complaint, Asif was "shot dead by police" in the capital's Mirpur-10 intersection on July 19.

Apart from Sheikh Hasina, 71 others including top of leaders of parties under AL led alliance, former ministers, police members and leaders and activists of AL and its front organisations were made named accused.

Besides, 500 unnamed leaders and activists of AL and front organisations and police members were made accused.​
 

সেনাবাহিনীর সদস্যদের সঙ্গে শিক্ষার্থীও উপস্থিত ছিলেন।
জাহাঙ্গীর কবির নানকের মোহাম্মদপুরের বাসায় তল্লাশি

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বুধবার সন্ধ্যা ৭টার দিকে জাহাঙ্গীর কবির নানকের বাসায় তল্লাশি করে সেনাবাহিনী | ছবি: শাহীন মোল্লা/স্টার

আওয়ামী লীগের সভাপতিমণ্ডলীর সদস্য এবং সাবেক বস্ত্র ও পাটমন্ত্রী জাহাঙ্গীর কবির নানকের বাসায় তল্লাশি করেছে সেনাবাহিনী।

বুধবার সন্ধ্যায় ৭টার দিকে মোহাম্মদপুর এলাকার শ্যামলী রিং রোড সংলগ্ন টিক্কা পাড়ার হাজী চিনু মিয়া লেনের আটতলা ভবনের দোতলা ও তিনতলায় অভিযান শুরু হয়।

প্রত্যক্ষদর্শীরা জানিয়েছেন, সেনাবাহিনীর সদস্যদের সঙ্গে শিক্ষার্থীও উপস্থিত ছিলেন। তবে এক ঘণ্টা সেনা সদস্যরা ঘটনাস্থল ত্যাগ করেন।

সেখানে উপস্থিত কয়েকজন শিক্ষার্থী জানান, অ্যাপার্টমেন্টটি তালাবদ্ধ বা সিল করার জন্য তারা পুলিশকে ফোন করেছেন কিন্তু পুলিশ রিসিভ করেনি। উৎসুক জনতা ভিড় করায় নিরাপত্তার স্বার্থে তারা ঘটনাস্থল ত্যাগ করেননি।

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ছবি: শাহীন মোল্লা/স্টার

এ ব্যাপারে মন্তব্য জানতে দ্য ডেইলি স্টারের এই প্রতিবেদক রাত ১০টা থেকে পরবর্তী দেড় ঘণ্টায় মোহাম্মদপুর থানার ভারপ্রাপ্ত কর্মকর্তা ও পরিদর্শকের (তদন্ত) নম্বরে অন্তত ২০ বার ফোন করেন। তবে তারা কেউ রিসিভ করেননি।

পরবর্তীতে রাত পৌনে ১২টার দিকে সেনাবাহিনীর সদস্যরা আবারও ঘটনাস্থলে আসেন।

শিক্ষার্থীরা উপস্থিত গণমাধ্যমকর্মীদের জানান, সন্ধ্যার পর পর তল্লাশি শুরু হয়। আজ সকালে ও দুপুরে কয়েকটি গাড়িতে বস্তা থেকে শুরু করে অনেক কিছু নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়। আমরা সন্দেহ করি কিছু থাকতে পারে। সে জন্য সেনাবাহিনীর সহযোগিতায় আমরা তল্লাশি শুরু করি।

তারা বলেন, তল্লাশি করে আগ্নেয়াস্ত্র বা টাকা-পয়সা পাওয়া যায়নি। ছিল কি না আমরা নিশ্চিত না। যেহেতু সকালে ও দুপুরে গাড়ি ভরে বস্তা নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়েছে। আমরা অনেক বাড়ির দলিল পেয়েছি, যেগুলো অন্যের নামে। চাকরির ক্ষেত্রে তিনি এবং আওয়ামী লীগের লোকজন যে সুপারিশ করতেন, সেই প্রমাণ আমরা তার বাড়ি থেকে পেয়েছি। তার স্বাক্ষরের ভিত্তিতে অনেক চাকরি পরীক্ষার্থীর রেজাল্ট বৃদ্ধি করা হয়েছে, সেই প্রমাণ আমরা পেয়েছি। আওয়ামী লীগের নেতাকর্মীদের টাকা-পয়সা কোথায় থেকে আসতো, কোথায় যেত এবং কার কাছে কত টাকা যেত সেই লিস্ট ভেতরে পাওয়া গেছে।

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ছবি: সংগৃহীত

বাসার ভেতরে টিসিবির (ট্রেডিং করপোরেশন অব বাংলাদেশ) অনেক মালামাল পাওয়া গেছে, যেমন—চাল, ডাল, তেল। দুস্থদের ভেতরে যে কম্বল বিতরণ করা হয়, অনেক সংখ্যক সেই কম্বল পাওয়া গেছে। ত্রাণ সামগ্রী হিসেবে দেওয়া হয় যে বিস্কিট সেগুলোও অনেক পরিমাণে পাওয়া গেছে, যেগুলোর মেয়াদোত্তীর্ণ হয়ে গেছে। ব্র্যান্ডের ঘড়ির খালি বক্স পাওয়া গেছে। দুএকটি ঘড়ি আমরা যেগুলো দেখেছি, প্রতিটিতে নৌকা প্রতীক ও আওয়ামী লীগের পতাকা এবং ভেতরে জয় বাংলা লেখা ছিল। অর্ডার দিয়ে বানিয়ে আনা হয়েছিল। প্রতিটি ঘড়ি মেয়েদের। প্রতিটি কাগজ আমরা গুরুত্ব দিয়ে দেখেছি, লকারে কিছু পাওয়া যায়নি। মাদ্রাসাশিক্ষার্থীদের কিছু ছবি পাওয়া গেছে বাসার ভেতরে, বলেন তারা।

ভবনের নিরাপত্তাকর্মী আনোয়ার হোসেন জানান, ধানমন্ডির একটি বাসায় থাকতেন নানক। মাঝে মাঝে মোহাম্মদপুরের এই অ্যাপার্টমেন্টে আসতেন। তবে গত ৫ আগস্টের পরে আর আসেননি।

তিনি আরও জনান, গত নির্বাচনের সময় ওই ফ্ল্যাটটি মোহাম্মদপুর আওয়ামী লীগের নির্বাচনী ক্যাম্প অফিস হিসেবে ব্যবহৃত হয়েছে।

ঘটনাস্থল পরিদর্শন করে দেখা যায়, অ্যাপার্টমেন্টের মেঝেতে কাগজপত্র ছড়িয়ে-ছিটিয়ে রয়েছে।​
 

Dozen more cases filed against ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina, aides
Staff Correspondent 21 August, 2024, 20:50

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Sheikh Hasina | Collected photo

Over a dozen more cases, including three on charge of genocide, were filed on Wednesday against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her aides, taking the number of cases filed against her to 44 since the fall of her government in a student-led uprising on August 5.

Hasina, also the Awami League’s president, was accused in 34 cases of murder, 7 cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, one case of shooting at students and mobs, one case of abduction, and one case of attacking the motorcade of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

In one of three complaints filed with the International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday, Hasina was accused along with 76 others, including AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, and education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, of committing genocide and crimes against humanity at Panchlaish crossing at Chattogram Metropolitan Police area during a Student Movement Against Discrimination protest on July 16.

Other accused included former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, seven police officials of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, Chhatra League’s central president Saddam Hossain, general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, and local leaders of the Awami League and its associate bodies in Chattogram.

Supreme Court lawyer Hujjatul Islam Khan, on behalf of Zakir Hossain, the father of Faisal Ahmed Shanta, who was killed on July 16 in the Muradpur area under Chattogram’s Panchlaish police station, filed the case.

Another Supreme Court lawyer, Asaduzzaman, on behalf of Abdul Matin, father of college student Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin filed the second complaint against Hasina and his aides for genocide and crimes against humanity in the capital’s Mirpur area.

The complaint states that police in Mirpur shot Shahriar on July 18 and he died two days later.

Apart from Sheikh Hasina, 49 others, including the top leaders of parties under the AL-led alliance, former ministers, police members, leaders, and activists of AL and its front organisations, were named as accused.

Besides, AL, and its front bodies were accused as organisations, and 500 unnamed leaders and activists of AL and its front organisations were accused.

Lawyer Asaduzzaman filed another ICT complaint on behalf of MA Razzaque, father of Asif Iqbal, a small trader from Sripur upazila in Magura.

According to the complaint, Asif was ‘shot dead by police’ at the capital’s Mirpur-10 crossing on July 19.

Apart from Sheikh Hasina, 71 others, including the top leaders of parties under the AL-led alliance, former ministers, police members, leaders, and activists of AL and its front organisations, were named as accused.

Besides, 500 unnamed leaders and activists of AL and front organisations and police members were accused.

Apart from this, 10 murder cases were filed with the police stations in New Market, Mirpur, Rampura, Badda, Sutrapur, Tejgaon in the capital, Gazipur, Rupganj, and Fatullah, while a case was filed in Sylhet for shooting at agitating students.

The New Market case was filed against Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and five others by Samsi Ara Zaman Koli, the mother of photographer Tahir Zaman Priyo, who was killed in the Central Road area of the capital on July 19 during student protests.

The Mirpur police recorded a murder case against Hasina, former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque, and her aides on the charge of the killing of private company employee Firoj Talukder on July 19.

Metropolitan magistrate Md Mehedi Hasan asked the Mirpur police station’s officer-in-charge to record the case after hearing a complaint filed by Firoj’s wife, Reshma Sultana.

Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun were also accused in the case.

The Rampura murder case was filed against Hasina and her 27 aides, including Quader and Asaduzzaman, for the killing of a freelance casting coordinator, Md Rasel Mia, during the protests on July 19.

Metropolitan magistrate Shanto Islam Mallik asked the Rampura police to record the case after hearing a complaint in court.

Hasina and 48 others were accused of the killing of college student Md Touhidul Haque in Tejgaon.

They were made the accused in a complaint filed by Touhid’s brother Torikul Islam with the court of Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Nurul Huda Chowdhury, which asked the officer-in-charge of Tejgaon police station to record it as a First Information Report.

The other prominent accused in the case are AL leaders Quader, Asaduzzaman, Anisul Huq, Salman F Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Mohammad A Arafat, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod president Hasanul Haq Inu, and historian Muntassir Mamun.

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangastha reported that a murder case was filed against 34 people, including Hasina, Asaduzzaman, Habibur Rahman, Harun Or Rashid, Biplob Kumar, Sayeed Khokon, and Solaiman Selim, over the killing of electrician Elem Al Faydi in the capital’s Lakshmibazar area during the student movement.

Jagannath University student Samsul Arefin filed the complaint with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Torikul Islam, which asked the Sutrapur police station to record a case.

In Badda, two murder cases were filed against Hasina and 189 others over the killing of Sumon Sikder and Abdul Jabbar on July 19.

Sumon’s mother Masuma filed one case against Hasina and 178 others, including Asaduzzaman Khan and Salman F Rahman, Bashundhara Group managing director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, and managing director and editor-in-chief of Ekattor TV Mozammel Babu, while Jabbar’s mother Nazma Begum filed the other murder case against Hasina and eight others.

In Narayanganj, two murder cases were filed against Hasina and others over the killing of a 17-year-old student and a bus driver in Rupganj and Fatullah.

Hasina and 104 others were accused in the case filed with the Rupganj police station over the killing of Roman Rina.

Roman, a 10th-grade student at Naba Kisholoy High School, was shot in the Chonpara area of Rupganj on the evening of August 5.

Another case was filed with the Fatullah police station against Hasina and 79 others by the mother of Abul Hossain, who was killed during the movement.

In Gazipur, a murder case was filed on Tuesday night with the Basan police station against 139 people, including Hasina, over the death of Noor Alam, 22, during the protest on July 20, New Age correspondent reported.

In Sylhet, Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, AL leader Quader, and 84 others were accused of attacking and shooting at students and a mob on August 4, reported New Age staff correspondent.

Besides the accused, 600 other unidentified people were also accused.​
 

Government to repeal red passports of Hasina, former ministers and MPs
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Aug 21, 2024 23:35
Updated :
Aug 22, 2024 05:37

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The government is going to repeal all diplomatic (red) passports issued in the name of all former ministers and lawmakers, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Since there is no active parliament and no current ministers or MPs, their passports are going to be cancelled, said Ali Reza Siddiqui, Additional Secretary (Security and Immigration Division) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Wednesday night.

The Passport Department has been instructed to proceed, and a notification will be issued soon, he said.

Following the formation of a new government, ministers and MPs are issued red passports. Advisors to the Prime Minister, secretaries, and officials of secretary rank also receive these passports.

Additionally, officials of constitutional institutions, Bangladeshi missions abroad, and vice chancellors of public universities also receive red passports.

Ali Reza Siddiqui could not specify the current number of red passports in existence.

Earlier on August 5, the Sheikh Hasina government fell due to an uprising led by students and the public.

A day later, on August 6, the President dissolved the parliament, paving the way for an interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus to be formed on August 8.​
 

Five more murder cases filed against Hasina

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File photo of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina

Five more murder cases were filed today against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, several of her cabinet members and top police officials.

Of them, three were filed in Dhaka. Two cases were filed in Narsingdi and Bogura.

The former PM now faces at least 49 cases, including 40 for murders, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, one for abduction and one for an attack on a BNP procession.

In Dhaka, Hasina and 46 others were sued for the killing of a street hawker Shahabul Islam Shaon during protests in Ashulia on August 4.

Advocate Hannan Bhuiyan filed the case with the court of Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Arifa Chowdhury Himel.

The magistrate recorded the statement and asked the officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station to register it as a first information report (FIR).

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former AL lawmakers Md Saiful Islam and Talukdar Mohammad Towhid Jung Murad and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were among the accused.

Zakiullah Bahar, 56, a resident of Uttara Paschim area, filed another case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mainul Islam against Hasina and 32 over the death of 12-grader Abdullah Bin Jahid at the Airport area on August 5.

The magistrate recorded statements of the complainant and asked the OC of Airport Police Station to register it as the FIR.

Rabiul Khan Hillol, a resident of Mohammadpur, filed a case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury against Hasina and 67 others over the killing of Shahriar Hossain Rokon, 23, in the city's Mohammadpur on July 19.

The magistrate also asked the OC of Mohammadpur Police Station to register it as the FIR.

In Narsingdi, a murder case was filed against Hasina and 81 others over the killing of a businessman Azizul Islam during the anti-discrimination student movement on July 19.

Azizul's father Almach Mia lodged the complaint with the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court which directed the OC of Narsingdi Police Station to register it as an FIR.

Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former IGP Mamun were, among others accused in the case.

In Bogura, Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy daughter Saima Wazed Putul and 76 others were sued in a case filed over the abduction and killing of a union level BNP leader Shah Alam Sujan in the district's Shibganj upazila in 2018.

Advocate Abdul Wahab, also the general secretary of upazila unit BNP, field the case with a Bogura court which directed OC of Shibganj Police Station to register it as an FIR.​
 

Revocation of red passports: A new reality for Hasina in India

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After the interim government revoked all diplomatic passports yesterday, questions have now arisen as to how long Sheikh Hasina can stay in India and whether she faces a possible extradition.

Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, fled to India after being forced to resign in the face of a student-led mass uprising on August 5.

According to the Indian visa policy, Bangladeshi citizens holding diplomatic or official passports are eligible for visa-free entry and a stay of up to 45 days.

As of yesterday, Hasina has already spent 18 days in India.

She does not hold any passport other than the diplomatic passport issued in her name, according to government sources.

The cancellation of her diplomatic passport and its associated visa privileges may put her at risk of extradition.

The extradition of Hasina, who is facing 51 cases, including 42 for murder, falls within the legal framework of the extradition treaty signed between Bangladesh and India.

TREATY AND POLITICAL REALITY

According to the treaty signed in 2013 and amended in 2016, "extradition may be refused if the offence for which it is requested is an offence of a political character."

It also says that certain offences -- like murder -- "shall not be regarded as offences of a political character" for the purposes of the treaty.

However, one of the grounds for refusal of extradition is if the charges being pressed have not been "made in good faith, in the interest of justice".

A former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, choosing anonymity, told this newspaper that regardless of the law, the decision on whether or not Hasina will be extradited will ultimately be a "political call".

"The question to be answered is how strong are economic linkages between India and Bangladesh are, which will ensure that Hasina does not hang like an albatross by the neck of bilateral ties for the bigger interests of both countries," the career diplomat said.

Professor Sreeradha Dutta, a professor of international affairs at the OP Jindal Global University in India who has a long track record of research on Bangladeshi democracy, said that extradition will neither be an easy nor a quick process.

"Bangladesh can request extradition, but I believe it will become a long-drawn judicial process. Even if Bangladesh revokes her passport, that might have no implication for India. India will question the decision and its legitimacy," said Professor Dutta.

"Since a government politically opposed to Sheikh Hasina is the one prosecuting her, it might be perceived that she is fleeing political persecution and a threat to life. We have a history of looking after our friends," she added.

Another Indian diplomat who had worked in Dhaka in the 1990s said the dilemma for India is that while it needs to maintain ties with whoever holds the reins of power in Bangladesh, at the same time it should not be seen as abandoning a long-standing friend like Hasina.

There are enough linkages between the economies of Bangladesh and India to guard against any tectonic shift in the relations between the two countries, he added.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid, in an interview with Reuters on August 16, said if the country's home and law ministries decide, "we have to ask for her ... return to Bangladesh".

Responding to a question about the status of Hasina's stay in India, India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told a media briefing on August 16 that her entry into India was granted on short notice.

"Extradition and other such issues are consular matters that are discussed regularly at the consular level. I will update you on any new developments regarding this matter," he said.

INDIA'S HISTORY OF GRANTING ASYLUM

Sheikh Hasina had previously sought and obtained political asylum from India in 1975 after the assassination of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15. Hasina and Rehana escaped the bloodshed as they were in then-West Germany.

Before being granted political asylum, they had taken refuge in the home of Bangladesh's ambassador to West Germany. Hasina returned to Dhaka on May 17, 1981, from India.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol.

But India has given shelter to many Pakistani refugees since 1947, while a huge number of refugees from Tibet came to India when Dalai Lama and his followers were being persecuted by Chinese authorities in 1959.

Many Bangladeshi refugees settled in Kolkata during the Liberation War in 1971, while many Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka settled in Tamil Nadu in 1980.

In 2022, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar fled to India, and India has been providing shelter to many, although without any strategy for refugees.

According to BBC Bangla reports, in 1975, Krishak Sramik Janata League President Abdul Kader Siddique took political shelter in India, while in 1959 the Indian government provided asylum to Dalai Lama and his followers.

Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai, former president of Afghanistan, had to resign in 1992 and sought asylum in India, which was promptly granted.

In 2013, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed was granted political refuge in the Indian High Commission in Male, while the former king of Nepal, Maharaja Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, along with his family members, took refuge status in India in 1950.

HASINA'S EXIT NOT ONE-OFF

Before thousands of people stormed her official residence, Hasina was flown to Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad by a military aircraft on August 5.

At the time, she was no longer the prime minister of Bangladesh, as per the statements of Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman, who announced to the nation that Hasina had resigned prior to her departure.

After landing at Hindon airbase, Hasina was transported to a safe house of paramilitary provided by the Indian government in Noida, Uttarakhand province, at an unspecified date, according to sources.

The nature of Hasina's departure was not unique; other heads of state have recently set similar precedents in neighbouring countries.

The events that transpired in Bangladesh on August 5 bore striking similarities to those that occurred in Sri Lanka in July 2022 when former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa were ousted following a mass movement.

After his fall, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife, and two bodyguards fled to the Maldives by a military jet, and then he reportedly flew to Singapore.

The former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and exiled to Dubai for 15 years, dodging an eight-year prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power.

He returned to Bangkok for the first time in 15 years in August 2023 and was taken into custody and sentenced by the Supreme Court to eight years in prison. His eight-year sentence was later commuted to a year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn in September last year. Thaksin Shinawatra received a royal pardon last week after his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, was elected as Thailand's prime minister.​
 

Bank accounts of Mustafa Kamal, Tipu Munshi frozen
Staff Correspondent 23 August, 2024, 00:39

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AHM Mustafa Kamal and Tipu Munshi.

Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit on Thursday froze bank accounts of former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and former commerce minister Tipu Munshi and their family members.

The BFIU sent the instruction to all banks and financial institutions, asking them to freeze transactions for accounts held in the names of Mustafa Kamal, his wife Kashmiri Kamal, his daughters Kashfi Kamal and Nafisa Kamal.

Besides, accounts of Tipu Munshi, his wife Irena Malabika Munshi, and their daughters Tania Anyanya Munshi and Trisha Munshi also were frozen.

The order was issued under the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2019.

The BFIU also instructed banks and financial institutions to send their account-related documents, such as account opening forms, KYC, and transaction details, within three working days of the notice.

The series of account-freezing of the ministers of the former Awami League government came after the fall of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister.

Awami League president Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 amid a mass uprising spearheaded by students.​
 

Rashed Khan Menon arrested from Gulshan
Staff CorrespondentDhaka
Published: 22 Aug 2024, 19: 35

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Rashed Khan MenonFile photo

The police have arrested Rashed Khan Menon, the president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, from the capital’s Gulshan area.

Mostafa Alamgir, a leader of his party, confirmed it, saying that Menon was detained from his residence around 5:15pm on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said in a text message in the evening that Menon had been arrested from the Gulshan area. It, however, did not reveal the details.

According to sources, the Workers Party leader has been arrested under a case filed over the recent clashes between the protesters and the law enforcement agencies.

The Workers Party is a key member of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance that ruled the country for around 16 years. He served as minister for civil aviation and social welfare ministries for separate terms.​
 

Justice Shamsuddin Manik held in Sylhet border area

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Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik. Photo: Screengrab

The Boarder Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel last night detained AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, a retired judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, while fleeing the country.

"BGB detained Former judge Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik at the border while he was trying to flee to India," BGB's Public Relations Officer Shariful Islam told The Daily Star around midnight.

He, however, could not say any further details instantly.

Justice Manik has been co-accused in several cases filed against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet members and top Awami League leaders recently.

Justice Manik has been at the centre of controversy several times over the years for his judgements and activities during his tenure as judge and after retiring.

Manik was appointed as an additional HC judge on July 3, 2001 for two years. BNP, which came to state powers in 2001, did not confirm his appointment.

On March 2, 2009, Manik was reinstated as a judge in the court following an HC verdict after the AL government came to power.

He was appointed as a permanent HC judge on 25 March 2009.

On June 5, 2012, then-ruling AL lawmakers said in the parliament that Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik had violated the constitution by making "derogatory remarks" about the then-Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Md Abdul Hamid.

Earlier in the same day, during the hearing of a rule, Justice Manik observed that the Speaker (Hamid) had committed an offence tantamount to sedition by commenting in the House on an HC order. He also said the Speaker was completely ignorant of the apex court and the constitution.

Senior AL lawmaker Tofail Ahmed told parliament, "I was surprised to see how Justice Manik spoke against the Speaker and accused him of sedition. We have no words to censure him."

The same judge, Tofail added, had once punished a traffic police officer for failing to salute him on the road. "I think he is a sadist who gets pleasure by hurting people."

Tofail also accused Manik of forcefully sitting in business class seats on Biman flight though he bought economy class tickets through the misuse of his position.

On March 31, 2013, he was promoted to the Appellate Division. Manik retired on October 1, 2015. He was removed from the bench on orders from the then chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha. Manik had allegedly secretly recorded a conversation between him and Sinha, and published the conversation in The Daily Janakantha.​
 

10 more cases filed against Hasina, aides
Staff Correspondent 23 August, 2024, 17:51

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Sheikh Hasina. | File photo

At least ten more murder cases were filed against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her aides between Thursday night and Friday evening, taking the number of cases filed against her to 56 after the fall of her government on August 5 amid a mass uprising led by students.

Apart of Hasina and other high profile leaders of the Awami League, the much talked about businessman during its regime S Alam Group chairman Mohammad Saiful Alam, along with his two sons Ahsanul Alam and Ashraful Alam, were accused in a case in connection with the murder of garment worker Md Rubel in the capital.

Former Awami League lawmaker for Dhaka-10 constituency actor Ferdous Ahmed along with former Awami League lawmaker for Magura-1 constituency cricketer Shakib Al Hasan were also accused in the case filed with the Adabor police on Thursday night.

An Adabor police official told New Age on Friday morning that the case was filed against 156 individuals, including ousted prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, and former road transport and bridges minister and party general secretary Obaidul Quader, at about 10:30pm on Thursday.

Besides, 500 unidentified people were also accused in the case.

According to the case statement, Rubel, a garments factory worker, joined the protest in the city’s Ring Road area on August 5, the day Hasina resigned and fled to India amid the mass uprising.

Rubel was shot and rushed to a hospital where he died while undergoing treatment on August 7.

Seven murder cases were filed on Thursday night and three until Friday evening.

Hasina is accused in 46 murder cases, seven cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, one case of shooting at students and mobs, one case of abduction, and one case of attacking the motorcade of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Of the ten murder cases, one has been filed against 125 people, including Sheikh Hasina, in the early hours of Friday with the Gachha police in Gazipur over killing of hawker Arif Bepari, 28, on July 20 during the student movement in Kalemeshar area under the police station.

The prominent accused in this case include Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque, and former state minister for youth and sports Zahid Ahsan Rasel.

Around 350 unidentified Awami League leaders have also been accused in the case, New Age correspondent in Gazipur confirmed, quoting Gachha police officer-in-charge Ziaul Islam.

Another case was filed against Hasina and 126 others on Friday in the killing of Dhaka Commerce College student Abdul Ahad Shaikat.

Victim’s father Nazrul Islam filed the case with the Savar model police, United News of Bangladesh reported.

The others in the case include former road transport and bridge minister Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad A Arafat, and former disaster management and relief state minister Enamur Rahman.

According to the case details, these individuals, along with others, ordered Awami League and associate bodies Bangladesh Chhatra League and Juba league members to carry out the attack.

Shaikat participated in a protest on August 5 when he was brutally beaten and shot on Mukti Road in Savar. He was declared dead upon arrival in hospital.

In Narayanganj on Friday, Billal Hossein filed a case with the Siddhirganj police against 300 people, including Hasina and Obaidul Quader, over the death of housewife Sumaiya Akhter on July 20.

According to the case statement, Sumaiya was shot in the head while she went out in the balcony to see a helicopter on July 20.

Zakiullah Bahar filed a case with the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court against Hasina and 32 over the death of 12-grader Abdullah Bin Jahid in the Airport area on August 5.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mainul Islam directed the Airport police to register the complaint as a First Information Report, said Airport police officer-in-charge Ershad Ahmed.

‘We will record the case today,’ Ershad told New Age on Friday.

Rabiul Khan Hillol, a resident of Mohammadpur, filed a case with the court of Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury against Hasina and 67 others over the killing of Shahriar Hossain Rokon, 23, in the city’s Mohammadpur on July 19.

The magistrate also asked the Mohammadpur police to register it as a First Information Report.

Mohammadpur police inspector (investigation) Md Tofazzal Hossain on Friday said that they were yet to receive the court copy for recording the case.

In Bogura, a case was filed against Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, and 76 others over the abduction and killing of union level Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Shah Alam Sujan in the district’s Shibganj upazila in 2018.

Advocate Abdul Wahab, also general secretary of upazila unit Bangladesh Nationalist Party, filed the case with a Bogura court which directed the Shibganj police to register it as a First Information Report, Bogura district superintendent of police Zakir Hasan confirmed.

In Narayanganj, Abu Hanif filed a case with the Sonargaan police against Hasina and 155 others on Thursday over the killing of his cousin Shafiq Mia on August 4.

In the same district on Thursday, another case was filed with the Araihazar police against 131, including Hasina, Obaidul Quader and former lawmaker for Narayanganj-4 constituency Shamim Osman, over the death of Duptara union Bangladesh Nationalist Party vice president Md Babul Mia.

The party’s Duptara union general secretary Nurul Amin filed the case, said Araihazar police officer-in-charge Mohammad Ahsan Ullah.

According to the case statement, Babul Mia was killed by unidentified individuals in the Tatipara area while returning home from a protest programme on August 4.

Another 150 unidentified people were also accused in the case.

In Fatullah of the district, a case was filed on Thursday with the Fatullah police against 179 people, including Hasina and Quader, over the killing of 23-year-old Parvez on July 19.

Sohrab Mia, father of victim Parvez, filed the case, said its officer-in-charge Nur-e-Azam.​
 

Another murder case filed against Hasina
Seven journalists also accused in the Jatrabari student killing case

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Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. File photo

A murder case was filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 192 others, including seven journalists, over the death of a student in the capital's Jatrabari area on July 19.

Nayeem Howlader, 17, an HSC student at Shanarpar Rowshan Ara Degree College, was shot dead in Jatrabari during the protests centring on the quota reform system.

On Thursday, Nayeem's father Kamrul Islam filed the murder case with Jatrabari Police Station naming 193 individuals.

Besides, 80-90 police officers and members assigned to the Wari Zone on the day of the incident, as well as 250-300 unidentified individuals, were accused in the case.

The accused include Hasina, multiple ministers and MPs, mayors, police officers, journalists, Awami League leaders, Jubo League and Chhatra League members, as well as officials from the police and Rapid Action Battalion.

The journalists named in the case are: Mozammel Haque Babu, managing director and editor-in-chief of Ekattor TV; Syed Ishtiaque Reza, former chief news editor (CNE) of Ekattor TV; Ahmed Jobaer, a director of Somoy TV; Munni Saha, former CNE of ATN News; Farzana Rupa, former principal correspondent of Ekattor TV; Shakil Ahmed, former head of news at Ekattor TV; and Nayeemul Islam Khan, Hasina's press secretary.

Among them, Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa are on remand for four days in a murder case of a garment worker filed with Uttara East Police Station. They were arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday.

Multiple cases have so far been filed against Hasina, her party members and law enforcement officers over the deaths caused by police gunfire.

In some cases, journalists have also been named, a feature of the previous Awami League government.

Asked why such cases are still occurring, Asif Nazrul, the law affairs adviser to the interim government, said: "We cannot prevent a guardian of a deceased student from filing a case based on their judgment."

The previous government had institutionalised the practice of filing such broad cases, he said.

"Perhaps we are witnessing the aftermath now. However, we will ensure that no one is harassed without a proper investigation," Nazrul added.

In the case filed with Jatrabari Police Station, the plaintiff Kamrul Islam said some "reckless, corrupt, self-serving and overly enthusiastic officers" of the police, Rab and BGB indiscriminately opened fire on the protesting students and civilians on the orders -- both direct and indirect -- of former PM Hasina and 14-party alliance leaders.

Following Hasina's orders, the accused, armed and intending to launch an armed assault on the peaceful protesters, recklessly fired on the innocent students, it said.

This resulted in the deaths of over a thousand people including his son Nayeem, with countless others injured, according to the first information report.

Besides Hasina, the other accused include her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, currently serving as the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organisation.

Hasina's cousin Sheikh Helal Uddin, also a former MP, and his son Sheikh Sarhan Naser Tonmoy, also a former MP, were accused in the case.

Obaidul Quader, secretary general of Awami League; Anwar Hossain Manju; Hasanul Haq Inu; Rashed Khan Menon; Amir Hossain Amu; Tajul Islam; Anisul Haque; Dipu Moni; Mohammad A Arafat; SM Rezaul Karim; Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir; Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal; AFM Bahauddin Nasim; Hasan Mahmud; Shajahan Khan; Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury; and Zunaid Ahmed Palak were made accused too.

The list of accused also includes Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, former mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation; Atiqul Islam, former mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation; and former MP Haji Mohammad Selim.

Others named as accused include former BCL president Badiuzzaman Sohag, former general secretaries Zakir Hossain and Siddique Nazmul Alam, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, former MP and actor Ferdous Ahmed, and Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee president Shahriar Kabir.

The police officials accused in the case are DMP's Wari Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Iqbal Hossain, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former Special Branch Chief Monirul Islam, former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former DB Chief Harun Or Rashid, Joint Police Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar, Joint Commissioner SM Mehedi Hasan, Lalbagh Police Station Inspector (Operations) Atiqul Haque, Assistant Police Commissioner of Lalbagh Zone Nazrul Islam, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Ashraful Sikder, and several DB officers.​
 

Murder cases: Salman, Anisul, Dipu Moni placed on fresh remand

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Photo: Salman F Rahman, Anisul Huq and Dipu Moni

A Dhaka court today placed Salman F Rahman, private industry affairs adviser to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former law minister Anisul Huq, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, former chief whip ASM Feroz and former army officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan on different terms of remand for interrogation in four murder cases.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jashim passed the orders in the cases, a sub-inspector working in the court told The Daily Star.

Salman, Anisul and Ziaul were placed on a fresh 10-day remand in two murder cases filed with New Market and Lalbagh police stations.

Dipu Moni was placed on a four-day remand in a case filed with Badda Police Station and Feroz was placed on a seven-day remand in a case filed Bhatara Police Station.​
 

Justice Manik hospitalised with critical injuries

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Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik

Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, who was attacked and beaten by unruly people while being produced before a Sylhet court, has been admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital with critical injuries.

Manik, a retired judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, was sent to the hospital by the authorities of Sylhet Central Jail this evening, said Md Sagir Mia, deputy inspector general (DIG) prisons of Sylhet.

Earlier, agitated locals threw eggs and shoes at 75-year-old Manik and also beat him while he was brought to Sylhet court around 4:00pm yesterday (Saturday).

"He was bleeding internally from the beating. One of his testicles was raptured. As his condition was very critical, we rushed him to the hospital after he was handed over to the prison authority after being produced before the court," he said.

DIG Prisons said, "Police usually arrange treatment for critically injured detainees first and then hand over them to the jail authority. But in this case, they did not."

Justice Manik was detained by the BGB from the Dona area in Sylhet's Kanaighat Upazila on Friday night while he was trying to flee to India.

That night, he alleged that he was beaten by a group of people at the border after taking every possession he had. However, his treatment was not arranged.

On Saturday morning, he was handed over to Kanaighat Police Station and the police produced him before Sylhet Judicial Magistrate Court in the afternoon under section 54 of CrPC.

The court sent him to jail and instructed the jail authority to arrange for his treatment as per the jail code.​
 

Former BCL secretary Panna dies while 'attempting to flee to India'
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Aug 25, 2024 00:08
Updated :
Aug 25, 2024 00:10

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Former General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League and member of the Pirojpur District Awami League, Ishaq Ali Khan Panna, has reportedly died after falling while climbing a mountain in Shillong, Meghalaya, during an attempt to flee to India.

The incident occurred on Friday (August 23) at midnight.

After the fall of the Awami League government, Panna had planned to go into hiding and attempt to flee to India under the changed circumstances.

After crossing the border, he climbed a mountain in Shillong, Meghalaya, around midnight on Friday.

During his attempt to cross the mountain to the other side, he fell and suffered a heart attack. He died there, his family said.

His body has been kept in a police station on the Indian side of the Tamabil border in Sylhet, they added.

Some reports, however, claim that Panna was shot by the BSF while trying to cross the border. There were signs of gunshots and blood on his body.​
 

Hasina made accused in 12 more cases
10 filed over killings during protests, 1 over ex-BDR official’s death

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File photo

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was accused in 12 more cases filed in Dhaka and elsewhere yesterday.

Ten of these cases were filed over killings that took place during the recent student protest.

Besides, a case was filed over the death of a former official of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in 2010 while the father of a victim of enforced disappearance filed an abduction case.

Hasina is now facing 61 cases, including 51 for murder, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, and two for abduction.

Former Awami League ministers Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Anisul Huq, and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun are among the accused in the cases.

Hasina, former army chief Aziz Ahmed, and 11 others were sued yesterday over the death of Abdur Rahim, the former deputy director of BDR in 2010.

Rahim, an accused in the BDR carnage case, died in jail on July 29 of that year.

Advocate Abdul Aziz, son of deceased Abdur Rahim, filed the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Akhtaruzzaman.

Mosharraf Hossain Kajol, the then public prosecutor of the BDR mutiny case, and former lawmakers Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Sheikh Helal, and Mirza Azam are among the accused in the case.

Hasina and 48 others were sued in a case filed over the death of university student Sheikh Ashabul Yamin at the Savar Bazar bus stand during the quota reform movement on July 18.

The victim's uncle, Abdullah Al Kabir, filed the case with a Dhaka court. In a viral video, Yamin, a student of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), was seen being dropped on the road by the law enforcers from their armoured van. He was still alive at the time.

One Masud Rana filed a case with another Dhaka court against Hasina and 24 others over the death of his brother-in-law, Babu Mollah, in the Hatirjheel area on July 19.

Hasina and 21 others were sued over the death of Golam Nafiz, 17, at the Farmgate area of Tejgaon on August 1. Rafiqul Islam filed a case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Nurul Huda Chowdhury.

Nasir Uddin filed a case with a Dhaka court against Hasina and 18 others over the death of shop employee Jasim Uddin, 35, in the Uttara Paschim area on July 18.

Upon separate hearings, the four magistrates recorded the statements of the complainants and asked the officer-in-charges (OC) of the police stations concerned to register the complaints as the First Information Report (FIR).

Yesterday, Rizia Begum, 36, filed a case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saddam Hossain against Hasina and 33 others over the death of his nephew journalist Mehedi Hasan near the Kazla Toll Plaza over Hanif Flyover in Jatrabari during quota protests on July 18.

Babul Mia, 42, also filed a case with the court of the same magistrate over the death of one Jisan against Hasina and 26 in Matuail on July 20, while Mamunur Rashid, 34, filed a case against Hasina and 27 others over the death of his brother-in-law Yusuf Mia Sanoar in Shani Akhra area on July 20.

Another case was filed against Hasina and 13 others over the death of Mahamudur Rahman Soikot, 19, in Mohammadpur on July 19.

Besides, 30-40 unnamed police officers and members were also accused.

In Narsingdi, Angur Mia, the brother-in-law of the slain Jaman Mia, filed a murder case against Hasina and two others with a local court.

The court directed the Madhabdi Police Station officer-in-charge to record it as an FIR.

Local Awami League leaders and activists, at the behest of the named accused, opened fire on a peaceful student protest on July 21. Jaman was shot while overseeing the protest and later succumbed to his injuries on July 25 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

In Rangpur, a murder case has been filed against 150 individuals, including Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, with a local court over a clash between student protesters and law enforcement agencies during a student movement in Rangpur on July 19.

A shop worker, Momdel Hossain, who was forced to amputate his left leg from the knee, filed the case. The court asked Kotwali Police Station to record it as an FIR.

In Pirojpur court, Hasina and 13 others, including five Rab members, were sued in an abduction case filed by Babul Hawlader, father of Sunny Hawlader, who was a victim of enforced disappearance in 2013.

The then Rab director general Mokhlesur Rahman was among the accused.​
 

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