Violence mounts in Bangladesh ahead of verdict in Hasina trial

Dhaka: Tension simmered across Bangladesh on Wednesday as crude bomb and arson attacks rocked Dhaka and other parts of the country ahead of a special tribunal's announcement of the verdict date against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Unidentified assailants set fire to a branch office of Muhammad Yunus-founded Grameen Bank in eastern Brahmanbaria early in the day. Later, an abandoned railway carriage was torched at Dhaka railway station amid a series of low-intensity blasts across the capital.

Though no casualties were reported, several buses were set ablaze while crude bombs exploded at Dhaka University and other parts of the city. The violence comes ahead of Thursday’s planned “Dhaka Lockdown” called by Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League, coinciding with the tribunal’s announcement.

Yunus, who is currently the Chief Adviser of the interim government, founded the Grameen Bank in 1983 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in poverty alleviation and the empowerment of poor women.

The home ministry said law enforcement agencies have been placed on high alert with orders to act with "zero-tolerance" against any attempt to create unrest. Police carried out security drills across the capital city and deployed personnel at key locations.

“There is no cause for concern or fear. Dhaka city dwellers will stand against the Awami League’s subversive activities,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali told reporters.

Hasina, currently in exile in India, is being tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal–Bangladesh (ICT-BD).

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for her alleged role in ordering the violent suppression of last year's student-led “July Uprising,” which eventually toppled her government on August 5, 2024.

Earlier this week, UK-based law firm Doughty Street Chambers submitted an “urgent appeal” to the United Nations, alleging that Hasina was being tried “in an environment charged with political vengeance” under an “unelected interim government with no democratic mandate.”

Over recent weeks, the Awami League has filed several complaints in international courts accusing the interim administration of political repression and human rights violations. Last month, the party lodged a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, accusing the Yunus-led government of crimes against humanity, including killings and arbitrary arrests.

Former foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, who also served as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the United Nations, last month wrote to the UN Human Rights Council alleging “political suppression, enforced disappearances, cases against military officers, impunity for criminals, and attacks on journalists”.

The predawn arson attack on Grameen Bank’s Chandura branch in eastern Brahmanbaria damaged documents and furniture, but spared the vault. It was the second such attack on the institution after crude bombs were hurled at its Dhaka head office on Monday.

That same day, an organic food outlet owned by interim cabinet member Farida Akhtar was targeted in a similar attack, while nearly a dozen mostly empty buses were torched, killing one driver.

Low-intensity bomb and arson attacks took place on Tuesday as well, prompting authorities to enforce a round-the-clock security vigil with orders for the arrest of any suspect on sight.

Police said they had arrested 552 Awami League activists in the past 10 days and another 44 on Wednesday alone for allegedly creating unrest. Officials estimate that over 3,000 members of the “banned” party have been detained since last month.

Last week, the Bangladesh Army withdrew half of its 60,000 personnel deployed on policing duties for “rest and training,” while additional Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) units were mobilised to maintain vigilance in and around the capital.