Bangladesh: New Murder Case Filed Against Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina, 62 Others Over Fish Trader's Death

A new murder case has been registered against Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 62 others, including members of her previous cabinet, in connection with the death of a fish trader amid the quota reform protests in the country, according to a media report on Monday.

The case was lodged late Sunday, marking the latest in a series of legal actions against the 76-year-old leader following her resignation and subsequent flight to India on August 5, after extensive student demonstrations against the government job quota system.

Shahnaz Begum, the widow of Md Milon who was fatally shot on July 21 while returning from a local fish market, filed the case, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

The list of accused includes Hasina, former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, ex-lawmaker Shamim Osman, and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, among others.

The report details that leaders and activists of the Awami League, led by Hasina, and its allied groups, armed with firearms and sticks, obstructed traffic on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to interfere with the student protests. The allegations state that Hasina, Quader, and Asaduzzaman orchestrated the shooting and assault on the demonstrators and the general public.

Milon, who was en route home from the fish market at the time, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and collapsed on the road. He was rushed to Pro-Active Medical College and Hospital nearby, where he was pronounced dead, the report added.

This incident increases the tally of cases against Hasina since her removal to over a dozen.

Following the overthrow of the government led by Hasina's Awami League, over 230 people have died in the ensuing violence across the nation, pushing the death toll beyond 600 since the onset of the substantial student protests in mid-July.

Subsequent to the collapse of Hasina's administration, an interim government was established, with 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus appointed as the Chief Adviser.