Three more cases filed against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh's international crimes tribunal

Dhaka: At least three more cases were filed on Wednesday against Sheikh Hasina at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, accusing the deposed prime minister of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the recent anti-quota protests in the country.

Two lawyers filed three separate complaints on behalf of the fathers of three students who were killed during the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs, which later turned into a mass uprising that ousted the Hasina-led government on August 5, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

"We have registered the complaints, and thus the investigation of all these cases has started," Ataur Rahman, deputy director (admin) of the probe agency was quoted as saying in the report.

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

The complaint accused 76-year-old Hasina and 76 others, including Awami League leaders and ministers.

Another Supreme Court lawyer, Asaduzzaman, filed a complaint on behalf of the father of Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin, who was shot by police in Mirpur on July 18 and died two days later.

Apart from Hasina, 49 others, including top leaders of parties under the Awami League-led alliance, former ministers, police members and others were named as accused.

Besides them, around 500 unnamed leaders and activists of the Awami League and its front organisations were accused.

The same lawyer filed another complaint on behalf of the father of Asif Iqbal, a small trader from Sreepur Upazila of Magura, who was "shot dead by police" in the capital's Mirpur-10 intersection on July 19, according to the report.

The complaint accused Hasina and 71 others, and 500 unnamed leaders and activists of Awami League, its front organisations and police members were also accused.

With these three cases, the tally of cases filed with the International Crimes Tribunal against the 76-year-old former premier, who resigned and fled to India on August 5, rises to seven.

Of the seven cases, six are in connection with the killings during the recent protests, and one is about a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013, according to the report.

At least nine more complaints, including eight for murder, were filed against Hasina on Wednesday.

The murder cases were lodged for the deaths of people during the recent unrest in Dhaka's Rampura, Tejgaon, Mirpur and Badda areas, Narayanganj and Gazipur districts, the report said.

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

In Rampura, a murder case was filed against Hasina and 27 others for the death of Rassel Miah, a model coordinator of Indie-Reels Production, during the recent quota protests in Dhaka's Rampura on July 19, the report said.

In Tejgaon, 48 people, including Hasina, were sued for the death of Md Tahidul Islam, a student of Kobi Nazrul Government College, during the recent protests on August 4.

In Mirpur, Hasina, along with former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque and three others, were sued over the killing of Firoz Talukder, an office assistant of Rangpur Chemical Ltd who was shot from a helicopter during clashes centring the quota reform movement on July 19.

In Narayanganj, a murder case was filed against Hasina and 44 others over killing 17-year-old student Roman Mia in Narayanganj's Rupganj upazila on August 5.

In Gazipur, a murder case was filed last night with Basan Police Station against 139 people, including Hasina, over the death of one Noor Alam, 22, during the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement, the report said.

Another case was filed against Hasina and 86 others on charge of attacking a procession in Sylhet city, which left several people shot and injured during the recent mass protests on August 4.

Juber Ahmed, acting president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's Sylhet city unit, filed the case with the court of Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Suman Bhuiya.

Hasina's sister, Sheikh Rehana, is also an accused in the case.

According to the case statement, the accused attacked a peaceful rally brought out by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its associate organisations in Sylhet City's Bandarbazar area on August 4, in which several were shot and injured, the newspaper said in a separate report.

With this, the tally of cases against Hasina has risen to 44.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 after resigning from her post amidst unprecedented anti-government student-led protests.

The Hasina-led government was replaced by an interim government, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named its Chief Adviser.

Bangladesh's interim government has said it will try those involved in the killings during the recent mass movement of the students against the Hasina-led government in the International Crimes Tribunal.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.