Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, has been listed as a suspect in a murder case filed on Tuesday in connection with the July 19 death of a grocery store owner in a police firing incident.
This is the first murder case against Hasina, who fled to neighboring India on August 5th.
Amir Hamza Shatil, a resident of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur neighborhood, filed the case with the Court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury.
Hasina, along with six others, is accused of murdering grocery shop owner Abu Sayeed, who was slain on July 19 by police in the Mohammadpur neighborhood.
The complainant indicated that the victim was not one of his close acquaintances and that he filed the complaint freely.
The case comes as students continue to protest in Dhaka, asking that the interim government return Hasina and prosecute her for the deaths of hundreds of people during recent student-led rallies.
Hasina fled to India after weeks of anti-government rallies that claimed at least 580 lives since July 16, with 326 killed between August 4 and 6.
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in Thursday to lead Bangladesh’s 17-member transitional administration.
According to the complaint, on July 19, police opened fire on students during a peaceful procession in Mohammadpur’s Basila district.
The complainant further stated that previous Prime Minister Hasina had regularly directed a violent crackdown on the quota reform movement.
Also Read: Bangladesh bans Jamaat-e-Islami party after deadly student protests
