Bangladesh has intensified security across Dhaka after a wave of arson and crude bomb attacks ahead of Monday’s tribunal verdict against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh imposed tight security throughout Dhaka and several other regions overnight as sporadic arson attacks and crude bomb blasts stirred tension ahead of Monday’s ruling by the special tribunal trying deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for alleged crimes against humanity.
Security forces from the military, paramilitary units and police were placed on high alert after word spread that the dissolved Awami League had called a two-day shutdown to coincide with the International Crimes Tribunal–Bangladesh (ICT-BD) verdict.
On Sunday night, unidentified groups torched the vehicle dumping section of a police station complex and set off two crude bombs outside the residence of an advisory council member serving interim government chief, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Explosions were also reported at multiple intersections across the capital.
As unrest grew, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police directed officers to fire on violent mobs if needed. Prosecutors at the tribunal have asked for the death sentence for the 78-year-old former leader.
“I stated over the wireless that anyone who sets a bus on fire or throws crude bombs with the intent to kill should be shot. This authority is clearly provided in our law,” DMP Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali said late Sunday.
Since November 10, Dhaka has been hit by a string of mostly early-morning covert attacks, including crude bomb blasts at the entrance of Grameen Bank’s Mirpur headquarters, an institution founded by Yunus.
Several branches of the bank were also targeted with petrol bombs and arson.
During the past week, unidentified attackers additionally burned several parked buses, killing a driver who was asleep inside one of the vehicles.
Hasina, who is currently in India, and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are being tried in absentia.
A third person, former police chief Abdullah Al Mamun, was present in court and turned “approver”, apparently in search of leniency.
“We have sought the highest possible sentence for Hasina. We also requested seizure of the convicts’ property for distribution among families of martyrs and injured victims of last year’s violent street protests,” ICT-BD prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim said on Sunday.
He added that, under the ICT-BD law, Hasina cannot appeal to the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division unless she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days of the judgment.
Officials confirmed that the verdict will air live on state-run BTV, with large screens to be placed at several points across Dhaka.
Only approved parts of the ruling will be broadcast, and the tribunal will also stream the proceedings on its official Facebook page.
In an audio message posted overnight on the Awami League’s Facebook page, Hasina rejected the accusations and asked party members not to panic, saying, “We have seen enough of these attacks and cases, this is just a matter of time.”
Interim home affairs adviser, retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, remarked that the verdict, “whatever it is, will be executed”.
Authorities have further tightened security nationwide to prevent any unrest.
Hasina and several Awami League leaders are facing charges that include murder, corruption and abuse of power. Monday’s verdict covers five counts of alleged crimes against humanity connected to last year’s July Uprising.
