Page 4 - Sheikh Hasina

Students in B'desh forced out Hasina month ago. Where do things stand now?

A month ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people and pushed the country to the brink of chaos. What began as student protests over government jobs became a large-scale revolt against the country's longest-serving prime minister. Hasina, 76, fled to India on Aug. 5 as anger against her government swelled. But the ouster triggered more violence. Police went on strike and mobs rampaged across the country until a new interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in. Here is where things stand now, a month after the country was roiled by its worst bloodshed in decades: What is the interim government focused on? Since he was sworn in, Yunus declared that his key tasks would be to restore peace and law and order, fight corruption, and prepare for new elections. His Cabinet, which includes two student leaders who spearheaded the protests, has fixed its sig

With 2 more murder charges, Bangladesh's deposed PM Hasina faces 94 cases

Two more murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, taking the total number of cases to 94, a media report said on Wednesday. The 76-year-old Awami League leader, who resigned and fled to India last month, has had a slew of cases filed against her mostly for murders during the mass student protests against a controversial quota system in government jobs. Hasina is now facing at least 94 cases, mostly for murders during the mass student protests. On Wednesday, Hasina and 26 others were booked over the killing of a resident of Dhaka during the protests on July 19, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The victim's wife filed the case in the Court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Afnan Sumi, who asked the Police Bureau of Investigation to submit a report after an investigation. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and several leaders and activists of Awami League and its front organisations are

Bangladeshi students in India look homewards with concern

Sept 5 marks a month since Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh

Bangladesh interim govt warns of legal action for creating instability

Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday warned that it would take legal action against anyone found creating instability in the country that is going through turmoil. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the warning in a circular and expressed concern over instability being created by forced resignations, vandalism, arson, illegal searches, looting and extortion by over-enthusiastic and vested quarters, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The circular said that to create instability, some quarters are putting pressure on the police to file cases and also attacking the accused in court. The government assured that a case filed does not mean random arrests will be made. "All these cases will be properly investigated and appropriate action will be taken," according to the circular. The government said it would identify all the miscreants and take legal action against them irrespective of party affiliation. Bangladesh witnessed massive student protests in mid-July over the controvers

With 5 new charges, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina faces 89 murder cases

Five new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet minister for the killing of five people during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports. The cases, filed with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday, were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs. With this, the tally of cases filed against Hasina has risen to 89, the Dhaka Tribune reported. The five more murder cases have been filed against Hasina, party general secretary Obaidul Quader, and 339 others, in connection with the deaths of five people during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the Tribune reported. Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government

Bangladesh police orders return of looted arms, ammunition by Sep 3: Report

Bangladesh police on Sunday ordered citizens to return by September 3 all arms and ammunition looted from police stations during the recent violence which led to prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster, according to media reports. The violence that hit the country during the massive quota reform protests saw widespread attacks and looting of police stations across the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported. In a directive, the Police Headquarters said looted arms and ammunition of police must be returned by Tuesday. By Saturday, law enforcement authorities had recovered a total of 3,872 weapons of various types, looted from police stations and offices during the recent unrest, the report said. In addition, as many as 286,216 rounds of bullets, 22,201 teargas shells, and 2,139 stun grenades were also recovered, it said. The directive follows the interim government's earlier decision to suspend the firearms licences issued to all civilians during the more than 15 years of the ...

B'desh interim leader to present outline on reforms soon, says his aide

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus will soon come up with a comprehensive framework on reforms, including on the transition of power, after consulting all political parties, his special assistant has said. Nobel laureate Yunus, who was appointed Bangladesh's Chief Adviser after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, on Saturday held a series of meetings with 35 political parties, including Jatiya Party, Gono Forum, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital. "The Chief Adviser exchanged views with political parties and talked about reforms (to be brought by the interim government) and their outline," Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency quoted his special assistant Mahfuj Alam as saying. On the outcomes of the meetings, Mahfuj Alam said the political leaders who joined meetings presented many reform proposals and "the chief adviser will present an outline on the reforms soon". He will mai

49 minority teachers in Bangladesh forced to resign since Aug 5: Report

At least 49 teachers belonging to minority communities were forced to resign in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, according to a minority organisation in the violence-hit nation. The Bangladesh Chhatra Oikya Parishad, the student wing of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, said this at a press conference on Saturday, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The organisation's coordinator, Sajib Sarkar, said in the students' violence that ensued for days following the ouster and fleeing of 76-year-old prime minister Hasina, minority teachers across the country faced physical assault, and at least 49 of them were forced to resign. However, 19 of them were reinstated later, the report quoted him as saying. Sarkar added that religious and ethnic minorities have also faced attacks, looting, assault on women, vandalism of temples, arson attacks on homes and businesses, and killings during this period. Bangladesh saw several incidents of

Families in Bangladesh fight for justice against forced disappearances

In a dimly lit room in Dhaka, Baby Akhtar clutches a faded photograph of her husband, Tarikul Islam Tara, who vanished twelve years ago after allegedly being taken by Bangladesh's security agencies, a personal tragedy reflecting the broader nightmare of enforced disappearances that has haunted Bangladesh for over the last 15 years. I have been waiting for my husband for the last 12 years. My life and family have been ruined for no fault of mine. We want justice. We hope that the interim government will give us justice. I want my husband back, she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. The fate of hundreds like Tara remains shrouded in uncertainty following the recent ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose administration was accused of presiding over systematic enforced disappearances. With Hasina's departure, the interim government has taken a significant step by forming a commission to investigate these cases. However, for the families still waiting, the commission's

Could seek Sheikh Hasina's extradition: Bangladesh foreign affairs adviser

Sheikh Hasina had arrived in India on August 5, following an uprising led by students against her that turned violent

Two new murder cases filed against ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Two new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her former cabinet ministers for the killing of three people, including two BNP activists, during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports. The cases, filed in Dhaka courts on Friday, were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs. With this, the tally of cases filed against Hasina has risen to 84, including 70 on murder charges, eight on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide, three for alleged abduction, and three on other charges, The Daily Star newspaper reported. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist Matiur Rahman filed the case in Kishoreganj over the killings of fellow party workers Zulkar Hossain, 38, and Anjana, 28, on August 4. According to the case statement, a ...

Bangladesh yearns for new political force post 'Monsoon Revolution'

After Bangladesh's recent political upheaval following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the deeply polarised country is yearning for a new political force to emerge beyond the traditional Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party binary that aims to create a discrimination-free and more inclusive society. We have seen the BNP, Awami League, and Jatiya Party come to power and fail us for decades. It is time for someone new to lead our country, says 60-year-old Ahmed, a rickshaw-puller in Dhaka, echoing a sentiment shared by many in present-day Bangladesh. After unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina, 76, resigned as prime minister and fled to India. The interim government led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus aims to reform Bangladesh's fractured institutions and restore public trust by ensuring a free and fair election, which, if successful, would mark a significant achievement in a nation with a history of electoral malpractice. Yet, people ar

Here's why Bangladesh's new govt can't afford to let chaos, extremism reign

Any expression of concern about Bangladesh's path causes some, particularly in the country's active and vocal diaspora, to fume

Over 1,000 killed during anti-govt protests in B'desh: Interim govt adviser

Over 1,000 people have been killed during the protests against the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh while more than 400 were blinded by police fire, with some of them losing sight in one or both eyes, a top adviser of the interim government said on Thursday. Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum disclosed this during a visit to the Central Police Hospital in the capital's Rajarbagh where she interacted with the police personnel injured in clashes and spoke to those at the surgical department to ask about their condition. "So far 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 students and members of the general public have lost their sight. Many have been blind in one eye, while others are blind in both," Nurjahan was quoted as saying by the bdnews24.com news portal. An anti-discrimination student movement against the government started in mid-July over a controversial quota system in jobs. The protests turned violent after crackdown by the forces. Several protesters were killed

Operations in Bangladesh stabilised, people rejoining factory: Emami CFO

Homegrown FMCG major Emami has said its operations in Bangladesh have stabilised as people have rejoined the factory and production has resumed. Replying to queries at the AGM, Emami CFO Naresh Bhansali said the business was impacted in Bangladesh due to political turmoil, and the company expects operations to normalise over a period of time. "Last month was very turbulent. But it (operation) has stabilised now. People have joined back work, factory has resumed operations. The market has also opened," Bhansali said while replying to a query from the shareholder. The company does not see a big impact on its overall business from the Bangladesh operations. "Bangladesh will also come back on the same growth trajectory path over a period of time. The new Government, which we expect to get established in some time, will hopefully give political stability and we expect the business to resume soon. We do not expect any market share or any loss there," the CFO said. Emami has one ...

B'desh wants cordial ties with India, but doesn't want interference: JeI

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supremo Shafiqur Rahman has said his party seeks harmonious and stable ties with India but asserted that New Delhi needs to reconsider its foreign policy in the neighbourhood, as bilateral relations do not entail interfering in each other's internal issues. Rahman, who is the Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, stated in an interview with PTI that his party supports close relations between India and Bangladesh but also believes that Bangladesh should maintain strong and balanced relations with countries like the US, China, and Pakistan, by leaving behind the baggage of the past. Rahman, 65, contended that New Delhi's perception of Jamaat-e-Islami as anti-India is mistaken, asserting that Jamaat-e-Islami is not against any country; it is a wrong perception. We are pro-Bangladesh and are solely interested in safeguarding the interests of Bangladesh, and emphasised that this perception needs to change. The Jamaat-e-Islami suggested that it would have been ..

Bangladesh forms commission to identify victims of forced disappearance

Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday formed a commission to trace and identify victims of forced disappearance during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year regime, an official notification said. According to the notification, the five-member commission has been entrusted with the task of tracing and identifying the missing people and investigating the circumstances under which they were forcibly disappeared by various intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The commission comprised two retired High Court judges, two rights activists and a university teacher. The commission has been asked to investigate the cases of forced disappearance between January 1, 2010, and August 5, 2024, when Hasina's regime was ousted in a student-people mass upsurge. "In line with the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1965, the Commission will submit its report to the government in the next 45 working days, the Cabinet Division notification read. According to the notification, the polic

Five more murder cases filed against ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Five more murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina taking the total number of cases filed against the Awami League leader to 71, a media report said on Tuesday. Four of the new cases were filed in Dhaka and one in Rajshahi against the 76-year-old deposed former prime minister, several former ministers and police officials, The Daily Star newspaper reported. In the first case, Hasina and 48 others were booked for the death of one Dulal alias Selim in the city's Jatrabari area on August 3 during mass protests. The victim's brother Mostafa Kamal filed the case against the Awami League president and others with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saddam Hossain. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, former Awami League lawmakers Shamim Osman and Ramesh Chandra are among the accused, The Daily Star said. In the second case, Hasina along with 21 others was booked on the charge of killi

UN human rights watch tells Bangladesh interim govt to investigate abuses

This domestic mechanism should operate with UN support and oversight to ensure its independence and adherence to international human rights standards, the letter added

'We are equal citizens': Muhammad Yunus assures Bangladesh's Hindus

Addressing Bangladesh's Hindu leaders on the occasion of Janmashtami, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said that it was his interim government's responsibility to safeguard the rights of all citizens