Six more murder cases were filed yesterday against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, several of her cabinet members, ex-Awami League lawmakers, leaders and activists of the party, and police officials.
Three of them were lodged in Dhaka while one each was filed in Rangpur, Joypurhat, and Natore.
With this, Hasina, who resigned and fled the country amid an uprising on August 5, is now facing 15 cases, including 12 for murder, one for abduction, and two for committing crimes against humanity and genocide.
Last night, Kamrul Hasan, father of Khaled Saifullah, who was shot dead at Azimpur in the capital on July 18 during the quota reform protests, lodged a case with Lalbagh Police Station against 91 named people, including Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, AL General Secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, and 100-150 unnamed others.
Hasina and 12 others were also sued over the deaths of two students — Kobi Nazrul Government College student Iqram Hossain Kawser and Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College student Omar Faruque — at Sutrapur on July 19 during the violence centring the quota reform protests.
Kawser’s mother Nasrin Begum filed the case with a Dhaka court.
Former DB chief Harunor Rashid, former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheik Fazle Noor Taposh, and former DMP joint commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar are among the named accused.
The court directed the officer-in-charge of Sutrapur Police Station to register the complaint as first information report (FIR).
Besides, a “mass killing” case was filed against Hasina and 33 others over the firing on a rally of Hefajat-e Islam at Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013.
Mohammad Babul Sardar Chakhari, chairman of Bangladesh People’s Party, lodged the case with another Dhaka court that ordered inspector (investigation) of Motijheel Police Station to submit a report before it after a probe.
In another development, Hasina, Quader, Asaduzzaman, former law minister Anisul Huq, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, and former textiles and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak were sued over the killing of Abdullah Al Tahir, a student at Bangladesh Institute of Glass and Ceramics in Rangpur.
Victim’s father Abdur Rahman lodged the case with Rangpur Kotwali Cognisance Court making AL President Hasina the prime accused.
Forty people, including former ministers and members of the units of Rangpur district and city AL, Swechchhasebak League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League were made accused, along with 300 unidentified ones.
In Joypurhat, Hasina and Quader were accused in a case filed over the murder of Najibul Sarker Bishal, a student of class-XII of Panchbibi Business Management Institute, on August 4.
Apart from the two accused, 126 other leaders of AL, Jubo League, and Chhatra League were accused in the case filed by Najibul’s father Muzidul Sarker with the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Joypurhat that ordered the OC of Sadar Police Station to record the complaint as a FIR.
Former Jatiya Sangsad whip and AL Organising Secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan and former AL lawmaker Shamsul Alam Dudu are among the named accused.
Meanwhile, a case was filed against ex-premier Hasina and former AL MP Shafiqul Islam Shimul over the murder of Natore school student Yasin Islam whose charred body was recovered from Shimul’s house on August 6.
Yasin’s father Fajer Ali also made Natore AL President Sirajul Islam, General Secretary Shariful Islam Romjan, Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Uma Chowdhury Joly and 111 unknown others accused in the case lodge with Natore Sadar Police Station.
