<p>Dhaka: Several crude bombs exploded in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Sunday, police said, heightening tensions ahead of a verdict on Monday in a case against ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over violence during street protests last year.</p><p>No casualties were reported, but the blasts further unsettled a city already on edge after days of political unrest.</p>.Bangladesh political crisis deepens ahead of tribunal verdict on Hasina.<p>Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests in mid-2024. She denies any wrongdoing and has remained in India since fleeing there after her ouster in August last year.</p><p>The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner has instructed officers to open fire on anyone involved in arson or attempts to cause death by hurling crude bombs, local media reported.</p><p>Security has been tightened across Dhaka, in Gopalganj — Hasina's ancestral home and a stronghold for her party — and in two neighbouring districts, with Border Guard Bangladesh personnel deployed to reinforce local authorities.</p><p>Police and Rapid Action Battalion teams have been positioned around key government buildings and major intersections, leaving parts of the capital unusually quiet.</p><p>“It’s very tense — hardly anyone is coming out,” said Ramjan Ali, an autorickshaw driver in Dhaka. “I’ve been on the road since morning, but I’ve barely earned anything today.”</p><p>In the days leading up to the verdict, authorities recorded more than 30 crude bomb explosions and reported dozens of buses torched in Dhaka and several other districts.</p><p>Dozens of Awami League activists have also been arrested in recent days over alleged involvement in explosions and acts of sabotage.</p>
<p>Dhaka: Several crude bombs exploded in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Sunday, police said, heightening tensions ahead of a verdict on Monday in a case against ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over violence during street protests last year.</p><p>No casualties were reported, but the blasts further unsettled a city already on edge after days of political unrest.</p>.Bangladesh political crisis deepens ahead of tribunal verdict on Hasina.<p>Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests in mid-2024. She denies any wrongdoing and has remained in India since fleeing there after her ouster in August last year.</p><p>The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner has instructed officers to open fire on anyone involved in arson or attempts to cause death by hurling crude bombs, local media reported.</p><p>Security has been tightened across Dhaka, in Gopalganj — Hasina's ancestral home and a stronghold for her party — and in two neighbouring districts, with Border Guard Bangladesh personnel deployed to reinforce local authorities.</p><p>Police and Rapid Action Battalion teams have been positioned around key government buildings and major intersections, leaving parts of the capital unusually quiet.</p><p>“It’s very tense — hardly anyone is coming out,” said Ramjan Ali, an autorickshaw driver in Dhaka. “I’ve been on the road since morning, but I’ve barely earned anything today.”</p><p>In the days leading up to the verdict, authorities recorded more than 30 crude bomb explosions and reported dozens of buses torched in Dhaka and several other districts.</p><p>Dozens of Awami League activists have also been arrested in recent days over alleged involvement in explosions and acts of sabotage.</p>