Hasina, 407 others sued over BNP man’s killing

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 407 others have been sued over the killing of BNP activist Mahfuz Alam Shraban in the capital's Mirpur during the mass uprising last year.

The accused individuals include 24 journalists, at least 36 former ministers and state ministers, more than 41 former lawmakers of the Awami League government, and six former advisers to Hasina, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

Businessmen of seven groups, five former election commissioners and former Election Commission secretary Muhammed Sadique, three former top officials of Bangladesh Bank, Supreme Court lawyers, doctors, and Awami League leaders are among the rest of the accused.

Former inspectors general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, AKM Shahidul Hoque, Benazir Ahmed, Mohammad Javed Patwary, Hassan Mahmood Khander and Nur Mohammad are among at least 77 police personnel included as accused.

The ministers and state ministers include Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan, Jahangir Kabir Nanok, Qamrul Islam, Anisul Huq, Muhammad Faruk Khan, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Shajahan Khan, Zahid Maleque, Hasan Mahmud, Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Abdur Rahman, Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Sadhan Chandra Majumder, AHM Mustafa Kamal, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Md Tazul Islam, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Nasrul Hamid, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and Kamal Ahmed Mojumder.

Four former mayors of Dhaka and Rajshahi city corporations, including Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, have also been named in the case.

Actor Iresh Zaker has also been named as accused number 157 in the case document.

The victim's brother, Mostafizur Rahman Bappy, filed the murder case with the court in March. Mirpur police registered the case as the First Information Report (FIR) on April 20 as per the court's direction.

In the case statement, the complainant said that Shraban, 21, a BNP activist and employee of Renata Limited, frequently participated in the protests after the anti-discrimination student movement had begun in July last year.

"On August 5, around 2:30pm, as a student-public procession was moving peacefully between Mirpur Shopping Complex and Mirpur Model Police Station, the accused, along with about 500 of their party activists, suddenly attacked with the intent to kill, following instructions from the leadership. They launched sound grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets, rifle and pistol fire, and detonated cocktails and hand bombs to spread terror."

He further mentioned, "During the indiscriminate firing by the accused, my brother was shot on the left side of his chest, with the bullet exiting through his right waist. Critically wounded, he collapsed in front of the main gate of Mirpur Model Police Station. Many others were also shot. Fellow protesters rushed my brother to a nearby hospital in Mirpur by rickshaw, where doctors declared him dead."