Hasina among 45 charged in Emdadul murder case

Police have submitted a charge sheet against 45 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a murder case filed over the killing of car driver Emdadul Haque during the July uprising.
Inspector Aminul Islam of the Anti-Terrorism Unit’s Operations Branch, also the investigation officer in the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court recently, according to a prosecution source.
Among the accused are former ministers Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Asaduzzaman Noor, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
A former prime minister’s adviser Salman F Rahman and former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam have also been named in the charge sheet, along with former members of parliament Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Mohammad Wakil Uddin and Hedayet Ullah Rony.
Meanwhile, the investigation report recommended dropping charges against 77 people who were named in the first information report (FIR).
According to the case documents, Emdad was shot dead in the capital’s Badda area on 20 July 2024, during the anti-discrimination student movement.
On 9 September that year, Saiful, identifying himself as Emdad’s cousin, filed the murder case, naming 121 people, including Sheikh Hasina, and accusing another 100 to 200 unidentified individuals.
According to the charge sheet, Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several others allegedly instructed the attack on protesters in Badda.
During the attack, a bullet struck Emdad in the forehead and exited through the back of his head, killing him, according to the investigation report.