DHAKA: A Bangladesh commission investigating disappearances during the rule of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina said Monday at least 287 people were assumed to have been killed.&nbsp;The commission said some corpses were believed to have been dumped in rivers, including the Buriganga in the capital, Dhaka, or buried in mass graves.&nbsp;The government-appointed commission, formed after Hasina was toppled by a mass uprising in August 2024, said it had investigated 1,569 cases of abductions, with 287 of the victims presumed dead.&nbsp;&quot;We have identified a number of unmarked graves in several places where the bodies were presumably buried,&quot; Nur Khan Liton, a commission member, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;The commission has recommended that Bangladesh seek cooperation from forensic experts to identify the bodies and collect and preserve DNA samples from family members.&quot;&nbsp;In its final report, submitted to the government on Sunday, the commission said that security forces had acted under the command of Hasina and her top officials.&nbsp;The report said many of those abducted had belonged to the country&#39;s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), both in opposition to Hasina.&nbsp;In a separate investigation, police in December began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka.&nbsp;The grave included at least eight victims of the uprising against Hasina, bodies all found with bullet wounds, according to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Md Sibgat Ullah.&nbsp;The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina attempted to cling to power.&nbsp;She was sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity.&nbsp;&quot;We are grateful for finally being able to know where our brother is buried,&quot; said Mohamed Nabil, whose 28-year-old sibling Sohel Rana was identified as one of the dead in the grave in Dhaka.&nbsp;&quot;But we demand a swift trial for the police officials who shot at the people during the uprising.&quot;&nbsp;

Bangladesh

Bangladesh probe finds 287 people presumed killed during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, with bodies allegedly dumped in rivers or mass graves, as authorities seek forensic help and justice for victims.

Bangladesh says at least 287 killed during Hasina-era abductions

DHAKA:&nbsp;Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had fled to India, in comments likely to further strain relations with its neighbor. Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in last year&#39;s mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off violent protests with angry mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favor India, as well as a prominent cultural institution. With protests being held across the country almost daily, pressure has been growing on Bangladesh&#39;s interim government to arrest the killers of Hadi, who was set to contest the general elections in February next year. &lsquo;Killing was premeditated&rsquo;&quot;The killing was premeditated. Those behind it have been identified,&quot; SN Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, said at a news conference. Suspects Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India shortly after attacking Hadi on December 12, Islam said. They were received at the border by two Indian citizens, who escorted them into the northeastern state of Meghalaya before handing them over to two accomplices. Bangladeshi investigators were in contact with their Indian counterparts, who had arrested the two suspected accomplices, Islam said. &ldquo;We are communicating with Meghalaya police, who have confirmed the arrest of two Indian nationals,&rdquo; he added. Two senior Meghalaya police officers, however, did not comment when contacted by AFP. The Indian foreign ministry had earlier said it rejects &ldquo;false narratives&rdquo; about New Delhi&#39;s involvement in Hadi&rsquo;s killing. Hasina&rsquo;s extradition &nbsp;Ties between the neighbors have deteriorated since the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled the pro-democracy uprising and sought refuge in India. India says it is still considering Dhaka&#39;s requests to extradite Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia for orchestrating a deadly crackdown on the uprising.

Hadi, a vocal India critic who took part in last year's mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

Bangladesh police say student leader Osman Hadi’s killers fled to India

DHAKA:&nbsp;The heir to Bangladesh&#39;s longtime ruling family and a leader of its most powerful political party, Tarique Rahman, is set to return home after 17 years in exile and ahead of key elections. Rahman, 60, an aspiring prime minister who has lived in London since he fled Bangladesh in 2008 over what he called a politically motivated persecution, is due to arrive in Dhaka on Thursday. Acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), he is expected to take the reins from his ailing mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in the February 12, 2026, elections. But she was hospitalized soon after that pledge, and she has been in intensive care ever since. The elections will be the first since a mass uprising last year ended the 15-year hardline rule of&nbsp;Sheikh Hasina, who was at odds with the BNP. Since Hasina&#39;s fall from power, Rahman has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him: a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally.&nbsp; He had denied the charges. &lsquo;Fantastic day&rsquo;BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has promised Rahman will &ldquo;arrive among us on the soil of Dhaka&rdquo; on December 25, which he said will be a &ldquo;fantastic day.&rdquo; Rahman, often pictured beside his mother on BNP banners, has long been groomed for leadership. In June, he met in London with Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner leading the interim government until the February elections. Rahman, known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, carries a political name that has defined his life. His father, Ziaur Rahman, was an army commander. Ziaur Rahman gained influence months after a 1975 coup in which Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s father -- founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was murdered. &lsquo;Battle of the Begums&rsquo;That fuelled lifelong tensions between the Zia and Hasina families, dubbed the &ldquo;Battle of the Begums&rdquo;&mdash;&ldquo;begum&rdquo; meaning a powerful woman. Ziaur Rahman was assassinated when his son was 15. The younger Rahman grew up in his mother&rsquo;s political orbit, as Zia went on to become the country&rsquo;s first female prime minister, alternating her terms in power with Hasina. Rahman briefly studied international relations at Dhaka University before entering politics at 23, joining the BNP in its fight against military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad, according to his party. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Unnerves many&rsquo;&nbsp;</h2>Still, Rahman&rsquo;s career has been dogged by allegations of nepotism and mismanagement. A 2006 US embassy cable described him as the BNP&#39;s &ldquo;heir apparent&rdquo; who &ldquo;inspires few but unnerves many&rdquo;. Rahman was arrested on corruption charges in 2007 and claimed he was tortured in custody. Reports suggested his release was conditional on leaving politics.&nbsp; Freed later that year, he flew to London in 2008 for medical treatment and never returned. After Hasina swept to power in 2008, her government jailed tens of thousands of BNP members. In 2018, Rahman was again sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for allegedly orchestrating the 2004 attack on Hasina&rsquo;s rally -- a case the BNP called a bid to eliminate the Zia dynasty from politics. In Britain, he kept a low profile alongside his wife, a cardiologist, and their daughter. Since Hasina&rsquo;s ouster, Rahman emerged as an outspoken figure on social media and a rallying point for BNP supporters.

Since Hasina's fall from power, Rahman has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him: a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally. 

Bangladesh political heavyweight Tarique Rahman to end exile

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Bangladeshi activists and journalists have accused India of providing safe havens to terrorists involved in killings as Bangladesh once again erupts in protests after leader of 2024 student-led uprising Sharif Osman Bin Hadi succumbed to his injuries in Singapore. Hadi, who was expected to contest the February elections, was shot in the head on December 12 in Dhaka. He was evacuated to Singapore but could not survive. Pakistan TV talked to a number of journalists and civil society activists who agreed that anti-India sentiments had risen sharply in Bangladesh. Civil society activist and entrepreneur Fahim Mashroor told Pakistan TV that following Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s ouster and the installation of Dr Muhammad Yunus&rsquo;s interim administration, relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have deteriorated sharply. &ldquo;For the last 15 months, right after Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the new administration under Dr Yunus took over, diplomatic relations have been extremely thorny. The key issue has been Sheikh Hasina being sheltered in India,&rdquo; Fahim Mashroor said. <div class="fr-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sharif Osman bin Hadi was a very strong voice against Indian hegemony; the person who shot Hadi was a leader of the student union of Awami League and is now in India; anti-India sentiment is rising in Bangladesh. - Journalist from Dhaka Kamaruzzaman<a href="https://twitter.com/mkbablu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mkbablu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MoIB_Official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoIB_Official</a>&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/GjZu7lAIoK">pic.twitter.com/GjZu7lAIoK</a>&mdash; Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakTVGlobal/status/2001933630294364180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></blockquote></div> He said public anger escalated after the assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth and cultural activist, who was reportedly targeted for his vocal opposition to Indian influence and the Awami League. &ldquo;His cultural activism strongly opposed Indian cultural hegemony, leading many to believe he was targeted because of his views, and that Indian active support cannot be ruled out. This is why public sentiment has taken a strongly anti-Indian turn,&rdquo; he said. Fahim Mashroor further said the assassin&rsquo;s known links to Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s party and subsequent flight to India, confirmed through CCTV footage, have intensified anti-India sentiment. &ldquo;People in Bangladesh remain extremely angry and firmly believe there is support for such activities through the Awami League and its operatives. There is a widespread perception that not only was the planning done on Indian soil, but that India is also providing safe haven to terrorists after such heinous acts,&rdquo; the civil society activist said. He said this perception of the Bangladeshi society is drawn from India&rsquo;s history of patronage toward Sheikh Hasina during her 15-year rule, when New Delhi was seen as supporting her authoritarian governance for strategic gain. Talking to Pakistan TV, senior journalist from Dhaka MD Kamruzzaman said protests have intensified across Dhaka following the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, particularly among students and young activists. <div class="fr-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sheikh Hasina and her political associates, hiding in India, have threatened to kill people, especially youth, who are opposed to Awami League. - Civil society activist from Dhaka Fahim Mashroor<a href="https://twitter.com/fahimmashroor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fahimmashroor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MoIB_Official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoIB_Official</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MoIBBdoffical?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoIBBdoffical</a><a href="https://twitter.com/PakinBangladesh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PakinBangladesh</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bdhcpk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bdhcpk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bangladesh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bangladesh</a>&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/KW2ltsp65k">pic.twitter.com/KW2ltsp65k</a>&mdash; Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakTVGlobal/status/2001943390834077924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></blockquote></div> He said Hadi had been a prominent figure in the movement that challenged nearly 16 years of authoritarian rule of Sheikh Hasina, adding that protesters claim that Hadi had been receiving multiple death threats. &ldquo;His popularity was rising rapidly, and people from all walks of life viewed Hadi as an icon of protest. Unfortunately, he had earlier warned that he had received multiple threats from different unknown numbers,&rdquo; the senior journalist said. He said a key source of public anger stems from reports that the gunman had fled to India. <div class="fr-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The assassins were traced through CCTV footage; police say they fled to India which has made people extremely angry as they believe India is harbouring those responsible. - Civil society activist from Dhaka Fahim Mashroor<a href="https://twitter.com/fahimmashroor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fahimmashroor</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MoIB_Official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoIB_Official</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MoIBBdoffical?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoIBBdoffical</a>&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/0X0VYv2Yme">pic.twitter.com/0X0VYv2Yme</a>&mdash; Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakTVGlobal/status/2001944238800703585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2025</a></blockquote></div> Kamruzzaman said this has fuelled growing anti-India sentiment, with demonstrators accusing New Delhi of sheltering individuals responsible for political violence in Bangladesh. &ldquo;According to protesters, he [Hadi] was targeted primarily because of his stance against the ousted regime and neighbouring India,&rdquo; the Bangladeshi journalist said. He further added that the unrest highlights deepening frustration over external interference and the country&rsquo;s ongoing struggle for democratic sovereignty. Another journalist from Bangladesh Muktadir Rashid told Pakistan TV that the demonstrators accuse India of involvement in Hadi&rsquo;s assassination and harbouring suspects linked to unrest in Bangladesh. He said anti-India sentiment is not new, fuelled over the years by public anger toward Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s government, which was backed by New Delhi. &ldquo;Anti-Indian sentiment is not new in Bangladesh at all, especially due to Sheikh Hasina&#39;s misrule, which was backed by the Indian government starting from 2014,&rdquo; he said. He said Hadi, a former teacher known for his calls for justice and youth empowerment, enjoyed strong grassroots popularity and was preparing to contest the upcoming elections. Muktadir Rashid said Hadi was shot last Friday, and reports suggest the prime suspect fled across the border into India, an area long associated with organised crime. His death has further ignited resentment against perceived Indian interference in Bangladesh&rsquo;s domestic politics, he added.

SAT News Desk

Bangladeshi activists state that India is sheltering terrorists after protest leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi died from gunshot wounds, with the suspect fleeing to India.

Bangladeshi activists, journalists accuse India of providing safe havens to terrorists

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity linked to the July Mass Uprising. A three-judge bench led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder issued the ruling. The panel said the evidence supported every charge brought against the two former officials. Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was also convicted. He received a five-year sentence after giving extensive testimony as a state witness. The tribunal began announcing the verdict at 12:50 pm local time. Justice Mozumder said the ruling ran 453 pages and was divided into six sections. He told the courtroom that only a summarized version would be read aloud and that the final section would be delivered by him. He estimated the process would take roughly 40 minutes. Security was tightened around the courthouse, with personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh, the Rapid Action Battalion and the police stationed at all entry points. According to BSS, this is the first case before the tribunal involving the state&rsquo;s actions during the July Mass Uprising to reach a final judgment. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/4e8bb2bb-b041-4372-a5c9-ca70ac6cf87c-Bangladesh.jpg" alt="Bangladesh.jpg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">DHAKA: Border Guard Bangladesh personnel stand guard outside the High Court in Dhaka on November 12, 2025. -- Photo by AFP/File</figcaption></figure> Hasina, 78, defied court orders that she return from India to attend her trial about whether she ordered a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising that ousted her in August 2024, according to AFP. Up to 1,400 deaths &nbsp;The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power, deaths that were central to her trial.&quot;Justice will be served according to the law,&quot; chief prosecutor Tajul Islam, earlier told reporters when the verdict date was set last week. Charges against Hasina&nbsp;Prosecutors have filed five charges, including failure to prevent murder, amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.According to BSS, the five charges framed against the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, are as follows: 1. Inciting the crimes through provocative speech: Following Sheikh Hasina&#39;s speech at a press briefing on July 14, 2024, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and other senior officials of the then government abetted, assisted and were complicit in launching a severe and coordinated attack on unarmed student protesters. 2. Ordering the extermination of protesters using lethal weapons: Sheikh Hasina is accused of ordering the extermination of student demonstrators through the use of helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons. The then home minister and the then IGP facilitated and implemented this directive by issuing instructions to law enforcement personnel under their command. 3. Killing of BRUR student Abu Sayed: This charge concerns the July 16, 2024, killing of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed, who was shot multiple times at close range in the chest. 4. Chankharpul killings: The shooting and killing of six unarmed protesters in Dhaka&#39;s Chankharpul area on August 5, 2024, has been brought as a separate count of crimes against humanity. 5. Ashulia mass killing: The prosecution also cited the shooting of six student protesters in Ashulia on August 5, 2024 - five of whom were later burned after death, while the sixth was allegedly set on fire while still alive. &#39;Preordained&#39;&nbsp;The trial has heard months of testimony in absentia alleging she ordered mass killings. She has called the trial a &quot;jurisprudential joke&quot;, according to AFP. Her co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal -- also a fugitive -- and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty. Hasina was assigned a state-appointed lawyer for the trial, but she refused to recognize the court&#39;s authority and said she rejected all charges. Hasina said in a written interview with AFP in October that a guilty verdict was &quot;preordained&quot; and that she would &quot;not be surprised when it comes&quot;. High alert&nbsp;Security forces surrounded the court when the verdict date was set on Thursday, with armored vehicles manning checkpoints. Dhaka Municipal Police spokesman Talebur Rahman said the force would be on high alert for Monday&#39;s verdict, with checkpoints at key intersections across the capital. Almost half the city&#39;s 34,000 police would be on duty, he said. Interim interior ministry chief Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told reporters the government was prepared and there was no cause for concern. Crude bombs have been set off across Dhaka this month, mainly petrol bombs hurled at everything from buildings linked to interim leader Muhammad Yunus&#39;s government to buses and Christian sites. Bangladesh&#39;s foreign ministry summoned India&#39;s envoy to Dhaka this month, demanding that New Delhi block the &quot;notorious fugitive&quot; Hasina from talking to journalists and &quot;granting her a platform to spew hatred&quot;. Ruthless bid to maintain power&nbsp;She said in October she &quot;mourned all the lives lost during the terrible days&quot; when students were gunned down in the streets. Her comments enraged many who said she had made a ruthless bid to maintain power at all costs. Hasina also warned that the ban on her former ruling party, the Awami League, by the interim government was deepening the political crisis in the country of 170 million people before the elections.

In this handout photograph taken and released on July 25, 2024 by Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. -- Photo by AFP/File

Bangladesh’s tribunal sentenced the former PM and others to death for crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 July Mass Uprising and subsequent killings.

Articles tagged with "Sheikh Hasina"

Bangladesh says at least 287 killed during Hasina-era abductions

Bangladesh police say student leader Osman Hadi’s killers fled to India

Bangladesh political heavyweight Tarique Rahman to end exile

Bangladeshi activists, journalists accuse India of providing safe havens to terrorists

Bangladesh court sentences ex-PM Hasina to death for crimes against humanity