Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina sued in 2013 'mass murder' case

Dhaka, Aug 18 (PTI) An application was filed with a court in Bangladesh on Sunday to register a case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others, accusing them of carrying out a mass murder by indiscriminately firing on a rally organised in 2013 by Hefazat-e-Islam here.

Babul Sardar Chakhari, chairman of the Bangladesh People's Party (BPP), applied to the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zaki-Al-Farabi, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The application accused them of the "mass murder" during the rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on May 5, 2013.

The court recorded the plaintiff's statement and said it would pass an order on the issue later.

With this, 76-year-old Hasina, who resigned from the premiership and fled to India on August 5 following a mass uprising, now faces 11 cases, including eight for murder, one for abduction, and two for committing crimes against humanity and genocide, in Bangladesh.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday started an investigation against the former premier and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place from July 15 to August 5 during students' mass movement against her government.

An interim government was formed after the fall of the Hasina-led regime, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed as its Chief Adviser.