Staff Reporter :
A lawsuit was filed on Tuesday against former ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 236 others in connection with the death of Abdul Hannan, a Sramik Dal activist, who was killed during the quota reform movement in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area on August 5.
The case was lodged in the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court by the victim’s brother-in-law, Dipukul Islam.
Magistrate Ali Haider presided over the hearing, during which the complainant’s statement was recorded.
The magistrate directed the officer-in-charge of Jatrabari Police Station to register the case as a first information report (FIR). This legal action is set to intensify scrutiny on the events surrounding the protest that ended in violence.
Among those implicated in the lawsuit, in addition to Sheikh Hasina, are several high-profile individuals, including former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former Detective Branch (DB) Chief Harun Or Rashid, and ex-lawmakers Moshiur Rahman and Shamim Osman. Their alleged involvement further highlights the gravity of the incident.
According to the complaint, Abdul Hannan was shot dead in front of Jatrabari Police Station during the height of the quota reform movement around 4:30 PM on August 5. Dipukul Islam claimed that the attack was deliberate and politically motivated, implicating key political and law enforcement figures.
Sheikh Hasina, now faces a staggering 227 legal cases. Of these, 195 are related to murder charges, while 16 involve accusations of crimes against humanity and genocide. She is also charged with three cases of abduction, 11 counts of attempted murder, and one case regarding an attack on a BNP procession. The mounting number of cases is an indicator of the deepening legal challenges she is confronting post-premiership.