By Azad Majumder
Dhaka, Aug 24 (EFE).— Bangladesh has launched a sweeping crackdown following the ouster of long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina, arresting a host of high-profile figures, including politicians, former ministers, a retired judge, and journalists, in the past three weeks.
Among those targeted are key figures linked to Hasina’s Awami League party. A cricket superstar and a top businessman have been sued on murder charges as the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission intensifies its drive against suspected graft.
The arrests include at least three ministers from Hasina’s most recent cabinet: Law Minister Anisul Huq, Education Minister Dipu Moni, and Junior Minister of Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
A key adviser to Hasina, at least four ministers from her previous cabinets, a former deputy speaker of parliament, and two senior military officials have also been detained in recent days.
A journalist couple, recently dismissed from a pro-Awami League television channel, was also arrested at Dhaka airport while attempting to travel to France.
Abu Nawsher, a general recording officer of the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court, told EFE that the sacked TV journalists Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa were remanded in police custody for four days for interrogation in connection with a murder charge.
The latest high-profile arrest occurred on Friday evening when retired Supreme Court Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was detained by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as he attempted to flee to India.
“Former judge Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was detained by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) along the border while he was on his way to India,” BGB told reporters in a short message.
While no specific charges were mentioned by BGB, local newspaper Dhaka Tribune reported that Manik was sued for making derogatory remarks about Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder and former President Ziaur Rahman during a television talk show, where he allegedly called Rahman a «Razakar,» a term used for collaborators with the Pakistani Army during the 1971 War of Independence.
Deposed Prime Minister Hasina is facing over 50 charges, including murder, abduction, crimes against humanity, and attacks on her political rival, Khaleda Zia, at various times.
The cases have been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal, various courts, and police stations.
Ataur Rahman, the deputy investigation officer of the International Crimes Tribunal, told EFE on Saturday that they have received seven complaints against Hasina and others for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. Six of these are related to the recent student protests, while one concerns the killing of protesters from an Islamist group in 2013.
«The investigation started against the accused as soon as the complaints were recorded,» Ataur told EFE.
In another case filed at a different police station, Bangladesh’s cricket superstar Shakib Al Hasan, a former top-ranked all-rounder and a lawmaker from Hasina’s Awami League, was sued on a murder charge in Dhaka on Thursday night.
An inspector from Dhaka’s Adababar police station, who preferred to remain anonymous, told EFE that the father of a garment worker, killed on August 5, accused Hasina, Shakib, and 156 others of instigating the murder of his son during a police firing incident.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board official confirmed that Shakib was in Canada playing in a local cricket competition when the alleged incident occurred.
Public anger has flared against many of those arrested, with crowds slapping and throwing eggs at them as they were taken to court, prompting police to take extra security measures, including making the detainees wear bullet-proof jackets and helmets.
“We are trying to ensure their security, taking them to late hours to avoid crowds,” police commissioner Mainul Hasan of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told EFE.
According to an independent tally by EFE, more than 400 people have died during the violent crackdown on student protests in Bangladesh, which began as a peaceful demonstration against a public job quota system on July 1.
The protests turned violent two weeks later, leading to mass uprisings that eventually forced Hasina to resign on August 5 and flee to India.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated last week that there were credible signs of excessive and unnecessary use of force during the crackdown on anti-government protests in Bangladesh.
The UN reports put the death toll at over 600, with at least 250 of these deaths occurring between August 5 and 6, after Hasina had already left the country.
Hasina is reportedly still in New Delhi, with her future plans unknown. EFE am-ssk
