Murder case filed against Bangladesh's ousted PM Hasina
Dhaka (PTI): A murder case has been filed against Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and six others over the death of a grocery shop owner during last month's violent clashes that led to the fall of her government, media reports said on Tuesday.
The case was the first to be filed against Hasina, 76, after she resigned and fled to India last week following widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a controversial job quota system.
The case was filed by a well-wisher of the grocery store owner Abu Sayed, who was killed on July 19 in police firing during a procession in support of the quota reform movement in Mohammadpur, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
The other accused are Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, among others.
Besides, several unnamed high-ranking police officials and government officials were also accused in the case, according to the report.
Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, taking the death toll to 560 since the anti-quota protests first started in mid-July.
An interim government was formed after the fall of the Hasina-led government, and its Chief Adviser, 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, announced the portfolios of his 16-member council of advisors last week.
On Monday, seven political parties, including the Awami League's arch-rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), met Yunus separately and said the interim government could take the time necessary to create a conducive environment for holding free and fair elections, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
"We have given this interim government the time required to create a proper environment for holding an election," the report quoted BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as saying.
He said they did not discuss the election and that the BNP did not mention any specific time frame for holding the next election.
The BNP was extending its full support to all the activities of the interim government, he said.
Quoting sources, the report said that the party urged the Yunus to have all the cases against its leaders, including those against party chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman, withdrawn.
Former prime minister Zia, 79, was released from jail after Hasina's ouster. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison for graft in 2018.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Court denies anticipatory bail to BJP MLA in rowdy sheeter murder case
Bengaluru (PTI): The Special Court for People's Representatives on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, in connection with the murder of rowdy sheeter.
The case pertains to the murder of Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shivu, who was hacked to death in the city in July 15 this year.
With the dismissal of the bail application, Basavaraj, who is alleged to be currently untraceable can be arrested any time by the investigating agency.
On December 19, Karnataka High Court had also rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Basavaraj in connection with the murder case. During the course of the investigation, the police began probing the alleged role of Basavaraj in the crime, who has been named as the fifth accused in the FIR.
ALSO READ: Karnataka police constable arrested for forging passport verification records
Senior advocate Sandesh Chauta appeared on behalf of Basavaraj, while Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Ashok Naik represented the CID in the Special Court.
SPP Naik placed a copy of the charge sheet before the court and pointed out that crucial tower location details are recorded on page 298 of the document.
He informed the court that there is evidence of a telephone conversation between accused No.1 and No.5. Naik argued that further crucial links in the case would emerge only after Basavaraj's arrest and custodial interrogation, and hence opposed the grant of anticipatory bail.
Countering the prosecution's claims, senior advocate Chauta contended that the case against Basavaraj is based on assumptions of conspiracy and intent, with no concrete evidence to support it.
He submitted that even five months after the incident, the investigating agency had failed to gather material establishing his client's involvement in the murder.
Chauta further argued that accused No.1, Jaga, was attempting to artificially link Basavaraj to the case by citing social interactions such as attending a birthday party and a visit to the Kumbh Mela, none of which, he said, had any connection to the alleged murder plot.
He also claimed that despite Basavaraj expressing willingness to cooperate with the investigation, no summons had been issued to him. On these grounds, the defence sought anticipatory bail.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Santosh Gajanan Bhatt reserved the order earlier in the day and later pronounced the rejection of the bail plea.
