A day after Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others were booked for the alleged killing of a grocery store owner in July, a second case was filed against the 76-year-old Awami League leader on Wednesday (August 14). This case pertains to enforced disappearance on the charge of kidnapping a lawyer in 2015.
Several others, including former ministers of Hasina’s cabinet, were also named in the new case. The victim of the forced disappearance, Supreme Court lawyer Sohel Rana filed the case application, The Daily Star newspaper reported. The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Farzana Shakila Sumu Chowdhury ordered the allegations to be accepted as a case.
Others accused in the case include senior cabinet ministers, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former law minister Anisul Haq, former IGP Shahidul Haque, former director-general of Rapid Action Battalion Benazir Ahmed, and 25 unidentified members of the force.
“On 10 February 2015, I was detained from Sector 5 in Uttara and forced into a vehicle. As soon as I was inside the car, I was nearly made unconscious by electric shocks to my ears and genitals,” the report quoted Rana as saying. “After enduring various forms of brutal torture over time, I was eventually released in August in Godagari, Rajshahi,” he said.
Here are the latest updates:
Hindu Family’s House Torched in Bangladesh: Report
In the latest incident of targeted attacks on religious minorities, a house belonging to a Hindu family with no political affiliation was torched in northwest Bangladesh on Wednesday (August 14). The incident in Farabari Mandirpara village in Akcha union under Thakurgaon Sadar upazila took place late on Tuesday (August 13), hours after new interim leader Muhammad Yunus assured the distressed minority community that his government will punish the perpetrators.
Unidentified persons set fire to Kaleshwar Barman’s house, Subrata Kumar Barman, chairman of Akcha Union Parishad (UP), told The Daily Star newspaper. Local residents quickly responded and managed to control the fire, and the house’s occupants were able to escape unharmed, he said.
He further said Kaleshwar Barman had no political affiliation. ABM Firoz Waheed, officer-in-charge of Thakurgaon police station, said: “Police visited the spot the same night, and an investigation is ongoing to identify the perpetrators.”
The newspaper report said a similar incident took place a few days earlier in Nimbari Kamarpara village when Ananta Barman’s house was burned down, leaving all valuables destroyed. Rabin Roy, a resident of Farabari, said people from the Hindu community are living in fear.
Thakurgaon district is the same place from where hundreds of Hindus had tried to unsuccessfully cross over to India – the India-Bangladesh border running along the northwestern edge – on August 6 and 7.
The arson incident also came on the same day when the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance claimed that the minority community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Hasina-led government on August 5 and termed it as an “assault on the Hindu religion”.
India keen to advance ties with new interim government, says envoy
India is interested in advancing its relationship with Bangladesh under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma has said.
He did not, however, comment on how long the ousted leader Sheikh Hasina will stay in India. His remarks came after a meeting with foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the ministry of foreign affairs, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
“We are interested in advancing our relationship with Bangladesh,” Verma told the media after his first meeting with Touhid Hossain after the formation of the interim government following the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League government.
‘That’s Laughable’: US Denies Involvement In Bangladesh Crisis
The US once again denied involvement in the political crisis in Bangladesh that led to the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina following which she left the country. After a statement from the White House on the same, this time it was the State Department that said any such implication was “laughable”.
“That’s laughable… Any implication that the United States was involved in Sheikh Hasina’s resignation is absolutely false. We have seen a lot of disinformation in recent weeks and we were made incredibly committed to strengthening information, and integrity across the regional ecosystem, especially our partners in South Asia,” ” said principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel of the US State Department.
On Monday (August 12), the White House strongly refuted allegations that the US interfered in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. “We have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumours that the United States government was involved in these events is simply false. That is not true,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.
Jean-Pierre was responding to media reports that quoted Hasina allegedly claiming that she could have stayed in power if she had surrendered the sovereignty of St Martin’s Island and allowed America to dominate the Bay of Bengal. Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed, however, has denied that his mother ever gave such a statement.
“The recent resignation statement attributed to my mother published in a newspaper is completely false and fabricated. I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statement either before or since leaving Dhaka,” Wazed said in a post on X
Quota system proved to be a disaster, says Vivek Ramaswamy
American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who had declared his candidacy for the Republican Party in the 2024 US presidential elections, condemned the alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh as “wrong, it’s concerning, and it’s a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems”. Calling it a “disaster”, he spoke about the government job quota system that triggered widespread protests by students and the youth leading to the fall of the government.
“The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it’s concerning, and it’s a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems. Here’s what happened: Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were raped and murdered. It was a tragedy, and it was rightly mourned. But in its aftermath, Bangladesh implemented a quota system for jobs in their civil service: 80% of the jobs were allocated to specific social groups (war veterans, rape victims, underrepresented residents, etc.), and only 20% were allocated based on merit,” Ramaswamy said in a post on X.
The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it's concerning, and it's a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems. Here's what happened: Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were…— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 14, 2024
“The quota system proved to be a disaster. In 2018, protests led Bangladesh to scrap most of the quotas, but the victim-patrons fought back… and the quota system was reinstated this year. That triggered more protests which toppled the government, and the prime minister fled. Once chaos begins, it can’t easily be reined in. Radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities. A quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024. Bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood. It’s hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we would do well to learn right here at home,” he added.
Pejawar seer calls for collective awareness amid rising violence against Hindus
Senior Swamiji of Udupi Pejavar Math Vishwaprasanna Teertha Swamiji has voiced concern over the escalating violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and urged greater awareness and spiritual intervention to address it. In a video message, he condemned the worsening conditions faced by Hindus, not only in Bangladesh but also within India. He stressed on the need for the community to confront these challenges and turn to prayer as a means of fostering global peace, which he suggested may be the only effective solution. The seer also highlighted a worrying trend of voices being silenced when they speak out against such atrocities. He called on society to remain vigilant and take a proactive stance in response to these injustices. Expressing scepticism about the efficacy of relying solely on government action, he urged people to focus on prayer, advocating for peace and the well-being of the world.
Students still managing roads despite traffic police joining their duties
Several Bangladeshi students, who were behind the ouster of Hasina, are still controlling traffic on the roads despite traffic police personnel rejoining their workplaces. After a wave of violence, including revenge killings and arson, persisted after the PM fled to India on August 5, almost all police officers went into hiding. They were afraid of reprisals for their role in the deaths of hundreds of young protesters.
In such a situation, the students came out on the streets and tried to regulate traffic. But, traffic police personnel rejoined their workplaces on August 12. Still, the students say they do not want to leave the traffic management to the designated units of the police, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Even on Wednesday (August 14), students were seen controlling traffic on the roads. There are also members of Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh Red Crescent, Scouts and Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC). A limited number of traffic police were also seen on the roads.
Students were managing traffic, checking licenses and reminding people to use helmets. The students said they want to stay on the streets until full order is restored. Traffic police personnel, meanwhile, said students have played a commendable role in controlling traffic during a critical period. But, now that they have rejoined work, the students are no longer needed.
Shelter given to some influential people of fallen government, says army chief
Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman has disclosed that they have given shelter to some influential people of the ousted Awami League government to prevent any attack or extrajudicial action against them. Speaking at Rajshahi Cantonment, where he met with officials of the army, police and administration, he said they gave shelter to those people irrespective of their party affiliation, opinion and religion, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
“If there is any allegation against them, any case is filed, they will be punished. But of course, we don’t want any attack or extrajudicial action (against them). We have given them shelter because of the threat to their lives,” he said in response to a query.
According to reports, several top leaders and lawmakers of the Awami League and cabinet ministers have left the country. Several other ministers left their official or private residences and are believed to have gone into hiding. Asked about any possibility of a counter-revolution, the army chief said he had no knowledge of it.
Asked about any pressure from foreign nations regarding the situation, he replied in the negative. “… this is a unique situation. Everyone understands it. There has been some discussion over the minority issue. A total of 30 minority-related attacks have taken place in 20 districts,” he said.
“We are looking into the incidents. We will bring the criminals to book,” the army chief said. “The situation has become normal. But the police are still in trauma. Once it’s over, the police will be able to perform their duties properly again,” he added.
National holiday on Aug 15 marking Bangabandhu’s assassination scrapped
Bangladesh’s interim government has cancelled a national holiday on August 15, marking the assassination of the country’s founder and Hasina’s father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. According to the press release issued by the chief adviser’s office, the cancellation of the August 15 holiday was approved in a meeting of the advisory council. This decision was announced on Tuesday (August 13) through an official notification.
Sources said the decision came a day after Yunus met with different political parties, excluding the Awami League. Some of them were in favour of keeping the day as a national holiday and some others opposed it.
Hasina demands ‘justice’, seeks probe into recent killings
Hasina has demanded “justice”, saying those involved in recent “terror acts”, killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and punished. In her first public statement since her ouster, the 76-year-old said several lives have been lost in violence in the name of agitation since July.
In a statement in Bengali posted by her US-based Wazed on his X, Hasina said since July, several lives of students, teachers, policemen, journalists, leaders and activists of her Awami League and ordinary people were lost in violence and anarchy. She mourned their deaths and sought eternal blessings for their souls and conveyed sympathy to the members of bereaved families.
“I sympathise with those like me who continue to live with the pain of losing near and dear ones. I demand a proper investigation to identify those involved in these killings and terror acts, and appropriate punishment for them,” Hasina said, recalling the brutal assassination of her family members on August 15, 1975.
In her statement, she also expressed grief over the burning down of the Bangabandhu Museum during the violence, saying the “memory and inspiration, which we had to live, was burnt into ashes”. “This was an extreme defamation of someone… under whose leadership we became an independent nation. I seek justice from the countrymen for this act,” she said.
(With agency inputs)
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