Bangladesh Unrest: More Murder Cases Against Deposed PM Hasina, Top Cricketer Shakib Also Charged

The case against Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib involves the death of a garment worker, Mohammed Rubel, whose father, Rafiqul Islam, filed the complaint 

Outlook Web Desk
Updated on: 23 August 2024 

Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib Al Hasan Photo: X/@Sah75official


Shakib Al Hasan, a well-known cricketer and former member of Parliament of Bangladesh belonging to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League party, is among 147 people charged in connection with a murder during protests in the country in early August.

The charges were confirmed by an officer at Dhaka's Adabor police station where the case was filed, an espncricinfo.com report mentioned.

The case involves the death of a garment worker, Mohammed Rubel, whose father, Rafiqul Islam, filed the complaint on Thursday, August 22.

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Shakib, who was away from Bangladesh during the protests, is listed as the 27th or 28th accused in the First Information Report (FIR). At the time, he was in Canada participating in the Global T20 Canada league and had previously been in the United States for the Major League Cricket tournament.

The complaint alleges that some accused, following orders from others, opened fire on protesters, including Rubel, who later died in the hospital.

Bangladesh Unrest

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported over 400 deaths during the unrest, with some sources suggesting the number could be over 650.

Of the total deaths, over 230 people were killed in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government amid massive protests by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs that first started in mid-July.

Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 amid the protests. An interim government has since been established in Bangladesh, leading to changes at the Bangladesh Cricket Board, with former captain Faruque Ahmed becoming the new president.

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Shakib had become a member of parliament in January after winning the general elections from his hometown of Magura. He is currently playing in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, at least five more murder cases were filed on Thursday against Sheikh Hasina, her former cabinet members and top police officials, taking the number of cases against her to 49.

Of the five cases, three were filed in Dhaka while two cases were registered in Narsingdi and Bogura, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

Hasina, the 76-year-old Awami League chairperson, now faces at least 49 cases, including 40 for murders, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, one for abduction and one for an attack on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) procession.