Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) had formally indicted Sheikh Hasina after Bangladesh's former police chief pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity committed during a crackdown on protests last year.
Dhaka: At least four people were killed in Bangladesh on Wednesday after clashes broke out between police and supporters of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, authorities said. The clashes were triggered after members of Hasina's Awami League attempted to foil a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising last year.
Three people were killed after police got involved, and 17 others sustained various injuries, including bullet wounds, said Monoj Baral, a nurse at the Gopalganj District Hospital. "One of the deceased was identified as Ramjan Sikdar. Families took away two other bodies," Baral told AFP.
Gopalganj authorities imposed a curfew in the district following the violence. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus termed the attempt to foil the NCP rally "a shameful violation of their fundamental rights". "This heinous act... will not go unpunished," a statement from his office said.
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The NCP was scheduled to hold the rally as part of their countrywide "July March" programme to commemorate the uprising anniversary, local media reported. Gopalganj is a stronghold of the Awami League, as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman -- the founding president of Bangladesh -- hailed from this district, and Hasina also contested elections from this constituency.
Hasnat Abdullah, an NCP coordinator, said those rallying took refuge at a police station after being attacked. "We don't feel safe at all. They threatened to burn us alive," Hasnat told AFP. The NCP has called for a blockade in response to the violence.
Sheikh Hasina Indicted by Tribunal
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, had formally indicted Sheikh Hasina after Bangladesh's former police chief pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity committed during a crackdown on protests last year. BBC had verified an audio clip that was leaked in March, in which Sheikh Hasina could purportedly heard giving orders for the lethal crackdown. At least 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations, during the uprising.
Amir Hossain, the state-appointed counsel for Hasina and Kamal, however remained hopeful. "The trial is at an initial stage, and there are several other phases," he said. Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to India as the protests ended her 15-year rule. She has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka, where her trial in absentia opened on June 1.
Hasina faces at least five charges at the ICT, including "abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy and failure to prevent mass murder during the July uprising". Prosecutors say that Hasina held overall command responsibility for the violence. She was already convicted of contempt of court in a separate case on July 2, receiving a six-month sentence. Fugitive former minister Kamal is also believed to be in India.
(With agency inputs)
