Bangladesh's deposed PM Sheikh Hasina faces fresh charges for attempt to murder

NEW DELHI: A new case has been filed against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 58 others on grounds of attempting to murder a student during the clashes that led to her government’s collapse, according to local news outlet The Daily Star.

This case is the latest in a series against Sheikh Hasina, the 76-year-old former prime minister who resigned and fled to India on August 5 amid massive student protests against a contentious government job quota system.

The new case, filed on Friday, involves 22-year-old Fahim Faisal, who claims he was shot and injured during an anti-government demonstration in Dinajpur on August 4, just before the Hasina-led Awami League government fell, as reported by the local news media outlet.

With this case, the total number against Hasina has reached 155. The charges include 136 for murder, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, three for abduction, eight for attempted murder, and one for attacking a Bangladesh Nationalist Party procession.

The case alleges that protesters were assaulted with firearms and other weapons, resulting in Faisal’s injuries. He was treated at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and has partially recovered.

The case names 59 individuals, including Hasina, former Whip Iqbalur Rahim, and Dinajpur Sadar Upazila Chairman Imdad Sarkar.

The violence following the government’s collapse has resulted in over 230 deaths, bringing the total death toll to more than 600 since the student protests began in mid-July.