Hasina and 33 others indicted

A special court yesterday framed charges against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others in a case linked to the killing of a truck driver during July uprising.

Judge Md Rabiul Alam of the Special Judge’s Court-4 in Dhaka passed the order, said court bench assistant Belal Hossain.

Eleven accused, including former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former Dhaka-13 Awami League lawmaker Sadek Khan, pleaded not guilty after the judge read out the charges to them, he said.

The court also fixed November 25 for recording statements of prosecution witnesses, Belal added.

During yesterday’s hearing, nine accused, including Palak and Sadek, currently in jail, were produced before the court. Two other accused were present in the courtroom.

Arrest warrants were issued against 23 other accused who are now absconding, including Hasina and former AL ministers Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Mohammed Hasan Mahmud and Jahangir Kabir Nanak. 

The case documents said truck driver Mohammad Hossain, 25, was killed in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area during protests on July 19, 2024.

His mother Rina Begum filed a murder case with the court on August 27, accusing Hasina and 15 others.

On August 31, the officer-in-charge of Mohammad Police Station registered the case as a First Information Report as per court’s direction.

On November 23 last year, police filed a charge sheet in the case, accusing Hasina and 33 others.

According to court records and police, 920 cases, including 560 linked to killings, have been filed with different police stations in Dhaka till July this year. 

Police submitted charge sheets in 37 of the cases so far.