Ex-Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina raises concern over killing of Awami League leaders, demands probe
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed grave concern over the deaths of several Awami League leaders and activists across the country, accusing the current Bangladesh National Party (BNP) government of carrying forward a cycle of violence that began under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
She stressed that the situation reflects a lack of commitment towards the rule of law amid the disturbing pattern of political violence.
The remarks came after 78-year-old Md Dabirul Islam, a veteran freedom fighter and former Awami League lawmaker, died at Square Hospital in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, just three months after being released on bail amid deteriorating health conditions.
Following the political transition after the July 2024 demonstration, he was taken into custody on October 3, 2024, reportedly in connection with an extortion case filed with Baliadangi Police Station. He was granted bail on February 19 this year due to his poor health conditions.
Expressing grief over Islam’s death, a former seven-time member of Parliament from the Thakurgaon-2 constituency, Hasina said that he also became a victim of the wrath of the former Yunus-led interim government.
“After suffering severe physical and mental torture that left him seriously ill, he was released on bail on February 19, effectively moving from a smaller prison to a larger one. However, his son, former MP Mazharul Islam Sujan, has still not been freed from the false charges. The court issuing two different rulings for two accused in the same case raises many questions,” read a statement issued by Hasina, which was posted on the Awami League’s social media platform X.
“This was not a natural death, but rather a planned killing. In this manner, the Nazi Yunus government has killed countless of our leaders and activists. It is noteworthy that the current government is continuing this same process, which does not reflect any commitment or responsibility toward the rule of law,” she added.
Hasina noted that the latest death follows the recent loss of another senior Awami League leader and former MP, Ramesh Chandra Sen, from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency. The former Bangladesh minister Sen died on February 7 after reportedly falling ill while in police custody at Dinajpur District Jail, local media reported, citing official sources.
“The deaths of two important and widely respected politicians from the same district raise questions as to whether this is merely coincidental or part of a planned series of killings, which deserves investigation,” Hasina stated.
