DHAKA, Bangladesh — Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called Tuesday from her self-imposed exile in India for investigations into those responsible for the weeks-long killings of students and others. Violent protests in Bangladesh That led to his dismissal.
Hasina, who resigned and fled Bangladesh on August 5 after student activists led an uprising against her government, she herself is accused of responsibility for much of the deadly violence, along with senior officials in her administration.
In a statement posted on social media platform It was his first public statement since he left the country.
More than 300 people died in unrest that began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that later morphed into a movement against Hasina’s administration.
Earlier Tuesday, police launched a murder investigation in what was expected to be the first of several cases in which Hasina and other government officials were accused of responsibility for deaths during the unrest.
The case opened Tuesday involves the murder of a grocery store owner in July. SM Amir Hamza, described as a “sympathizer” of grocery store owner Abu Sayeed, filed the case in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury. Hamza said Sayeed was killed on July 19 amid clashes during the student-led uprising, and that he filed the case because Sayeed’s family did not have the capacity to seek justice.
Hasina was named as a suspect in the petition along with six others, including former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, general secretary of the then ruling Awami League party Obaidul Quader and senior police officials.
The Dhaka court asked Mohammadpur police station to register the case. The police will now investigate the case and submit a report to the court.
The uprising forced Hasina to leave office and flee to India, ending a 15-year rule that became increasingly autocratic, her critics say.
An interim government now runs the country. On Thursday, Muhammad YunusNobel Peace Prize winner, sworn in as interim leader. Sixteen people, including two student protest leaders and others drawn mainly from civil society, were included in his interim cabinet.
The new members of the Cabinet were chosen after conversations between student leaders, representatives of civil society and the military.
Hasina and many of her party’s top leaders have gone into hiding or been banned from leaving the country.
Peaceful student protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favored people with connections to Hasina’s party.
Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January, but the vote was boycotted by her main opponents and thousands of opposition activists were detained beforehand. The United States and the United Kingdom denounced that the result was not credible. Hasina’s critics say her administration was increasingly marked by human rights abuses and corruption.
Chaos on the streets of Bangladesh continued after his resignation. Dozens of police officers were killed, forcing police to stop working across the country. Police officers have gradually returned to work.
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