Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for action against those involved in “killings and vandalism” in the country last month, her first comments since violent protests forced her to flee to India.
More than 300 people died in the demonstrations that began as student-led protests against quotas in government jobs spiralled into a larger movement seeking Hasina’s overthrow.
Hasina’s written statement, issued on X on Tuesday through her United States-based son, came hours after a court ordered a probe into her role in the death of a grocery shop owner during the protests.
Many people died “in the name of revolution” in July, Hasina, 76, said.
“I demand that those involved in these killings and vandalism be properly investigated and the culprits be identified and punished accordingly,” she said.
The deposed Bangladeshi leader also urged her supporters to appear in public in the capital Dhaka on Thursday to mark the anniversary of her father’s assassination.
“I appeal to you to observe the National Day of Mourning on August 15 with due respect and solemnity,” she said in the statement.
Thursday marks the anniversary of the 1975 assassination of her father, independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, during a military coup – a date her government had declared a national holiday.
Hasina asked supporters to “pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying” at her childhood home in Dhaka. The landmark was until recently a museum to her father, but it was torched and vandalised by a mob hours after her fall.
The caretaker administration now running Bangladesh said earlier on Tuesday it had cancelled observance of the politically-charged holiday.
The murder case against Hasina – the first following the protests – was accepted by Dhaka’s chief metropolitan magistrate’s court after a hearing and the police have been ordered to investigate.
Six others accused in the case include Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and senior police officials.
Prosecutors said grocer Abu Saeed was hit by a bullet while crossing the street on July 19 as police fired on protesters in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area.
The complainant blamed Hasina, who had called for strong action to quell the violence, for the shooting.
Lawyer Amir Hamza said he was not related to Saeed but approached the court because Saeed’s family could not afford to file the case.
“I am the first ordinary citizen who showed the courage to take this legal step against Sheikh Hasina for her crimes. I will see the case to an end,” Hamza told the Reuters news agency.
Other members of her government also face criminal action, with former Law Minister Anisul Huq and Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman arrested for allegedly “instigating” the murder of two people, police said on Tuesday.
Bangladeshi student leader Nahid Islam, now part of the interim government, said recently that Hasina must face trial for the killings during her term.
Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh when the caretaker government decides on holding elections, her son has said.
