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A Dhaka court has framed charges against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others in a case over the shooting death of truck driver Md Hossain in the capital’s Mohammadpur during the July uprising, formally launching the trial.
Judge Robiul Alam of the Dhaka Fourth Special Judge Court passed the order on Monday, rejecting the defendants’ discharge petitions. The court also set November 25 for the recording of witness testimony.
This is the first murder case against Hasina to go to trial in a Dhaka court since her ouster in 2024. Last year, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.
According to case documents, Hossain was shot dead in Mohammadpur on July 19, 2024, during the uprising. Two others, identified as Sajjad and Shahin, were also injured in the incident.
Following Hossain’s death, his mother, Mosammat Reena Begum, filed a case on August 31, 2024, naming Hasina and 15 others as accused.
After completing the investigation, Mohammadpur Police Station Sub-Inspector Md Akramuzzaman submitted a charge sheet against Hasina and 33 others on November 23 last year.
Twenty of the accused, including Hasina, remain absconding. Arrest warrants were issued against them on January 26. Four accused, including former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former lawmaker Sadek Khan, are in jail, while 10 others are out on bail.
Other accused include banned Awami League General Secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, former minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Bangladesh Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and its general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, along with Asif Ahmed, Tareq-uz-Zaman Rajib, Sheikh Bazlur Rahman and Nur Mohammad Sentu.
