Court orders trial of Hasina and 33 others over truck driver’s death

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A Dhaka court has ordered the trial of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others in a case over the killing of truck driver Md Hossain during the July Uprising in 2024.

Judge Rabiul Alam of the Fourth Special Judge’s Court passed the order on Monday after rejecting the defendants’ petitions seeking to be discharged from the case, bdnews24.com reported.

The court has scheduled November 25 for the recording of witness testimony, bench assistant Belal Hossain said.

According to the case records, Hossain was shot dead in Mohammadpur on July 19, 2024, during the uprising. Two other people, identified as Sajjad and Shahin, were also injured in the incident.

Hossain’s mother, Mosammat Rina Begum, filed the case on August 31, 2024, initially naming Hasina and 15 others as defendants over her son’s death.

Following an investigation, Mohammadpur Police Sub-Inspector Md Akramuzzaman submitted a charge sheet to the court on November 23 last year, naming 34 people, including Hasina.

Twenty defendants, including Hasina, remain absconding. The court issued arrest warrants against them on January 26.

Other defendants include Awami League General Secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud, former minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Bangladesh Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and its general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan. Asif Ahmed, Tarequzzaman Rajib, Sheikh Bazlur Rahman and Nur Mohammad Sentu are also among those named.

Former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and former MP Sadek Khan are among the four defendants currently in jail in connection with the case. Another 10 defendants are out on bail.