Bangladesh on edge ahead of verdict in ousted PM Hasina’s trial
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Protesters demonstrating against former Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina's Awami League in Dhaka on Nov 13.
PHOTOS: EPA
Follow topic:
DHAKA - Two crude bombs exploded near Dhaka airport on the night of Nov 13, deepening tensions as Bangladesh awaits Nov 17’s verdict in a domestic war crimes case against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
No casualties were reported, but the blasts deepened anxiety in a capital already rattled by days of political violence.
Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for a violent crackdown on student protests in mid-2024. She remains in India where she fled following her ouster in August in 2024.
Dhaka has seen a sharp rise in attacks ahead of the verdict. On Nov 12 alone, the authorities recorded 32 crude bomb explosions, and dozens of buses were torched across the capital and other districts.
The police have detained dozens of activists from Hasina’s Awami League party in recent days over allegations of involvement in explosions and sabotage.
A branch of the Grameen Bank – founded by interim government leader Muhammad Yunus – was targeted, and a train carriage at Dhaka railway station was set on fire.
Security has been tightened across the city, the authorities said. Over 400 soldiers from the paramilitary Border Guards have been deployed in the city, checkpoints strengthened, and public gatherings heavily restricted. REUTERS
