Bangladesh former PM Sheikh Hasina booked for murder of Dhaka grocer

Just days after Bangladesh's interim government announced plans to repatriate former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, a murder case has been filed against her and six others. The case involves the killing of a grocery shop owner, identified as Abu Sayed, who was killed during police firing in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka on July 19, at the peak of the unrest that concluded withHasina's exit from Dhaka.

The incident occurred during a rallyin support ofthe anti-reservation movement in the Bosila area, Bangladesh's Daily Star publication has reported.

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Along with Hasina, the names ofAwami LeagueGeneral Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and three former top police officials have been mentioned as co-accused.

This marks the first legal case againstHasina since she resigned from office and fled to India on August 5. The complaint was lodged by Amir Hamza Shatil, a resident of Mohammadpur, who claims to be a well-wisher of the victim and a Bangladeshi citizen. Shatil stated that he took it upon himself to file the case as the victim's family lacked the means to pursue legal action.

The court hearing for the case is scheduled for Tuesday (August 14) afternoon.

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This development comes amid discussions within the Bangladesh interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus over Hasina's potential repatriation. The interim foreign ministry has suggested that it consider taking steps to bring her back if the law ministry requests it.

Interim government foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain said that any action by the foreign ministry would be contingent on such a request.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's interim government has asserted that the ousted PM'spresence in India will not impact the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Hossain said that mutual interests drive bilateral relations and are not influenced by the presence of any single individual in either country.

“Bilateral relations is an important issue…it's built on mutual interest,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)