Police have filed chargesheets against 116 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in two murder cases and one attempt to murder case connected to the 2024 July Uprising.
The investigating officers also recommended dropping 303 others from the cases due to lack of evidence of their involvement.
Forty-three people have been accused in the murder case of electrician Ilias Hossain, 49, in the murder case of Raihan Akon, and 24 in the attempt to murder case of autorickshaw driver Mehedi Hasan.
Hasina's name is on all three chargesheets. In addition, former bridges minister and Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal have also been accused in the cases.
Ilias Murder Case
Electrician Ilias Hossain was shot in Dhaka's Mohammadpur on Aug 4, 2024. He died on Aug 9 after undergoing treatment for five days.
Ilias' father, Faruk Khan, filed a case over the incident on Sept 28, 2024, naming 102 people, including Hasina, and 300 other unidentified people as accused.
After the investigation, Mohammadpur Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Akkel Ali submitted a chargesheet to the court on Sept 30, naming 43 people, including Hasina, as accused.
He recommended the acquittal of 66 other accused in the case.
The chargesheet names Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Quader, Asaduzzaman, former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, his brother Jubo League chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, and Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak.
Apart from this, Nanak's Personal Secretary Masudur Rahman Biplob, former MPs Sadek Khan, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil and AKM Sarwar Jahan Badsha are also named in the list of accused.
Other suspects include former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former Detective Branch (DB) chief Harun Or Rashid, former joint commissioner of police Biplob Kumar Sarker, Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan, Dhaka Metropolitan North Chhatra League President Riaz Mahmud Hridoy, former councillors Asif Ahmed and Tarequzzaman Rajib.
Among those recommended for exemption are Rafiqul Islam, Joynal Abedin, Faruk, Ratan, Avi Khan, Riaz Mir, his brother Khokon Mir and Roni Bepari.
SI Akkel Ali, the investigating officer of the case, said: “I have submitted the chargesheet. I cannot say anything more than that.”
The case is scheduled to be heard on Nov 16 in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque, said SI Mizanur Rahman of the prosecution division.
The case details state that on Aug 4, 2024, police, Awami League and its affiliate organisations opened fire during a protest in front of the Allah Karim Mosque in Mohammadpur. Ilias was shot. He was rescued and taken to the hospital. He later died on Aug 9.
Ilias’ brother Mohsin Khan alleged that his brother was injured in a beating by Chhatra League leaders and activists on Jun 24, 2024. About a week before this, Ilias had taken out a loan of Tk 220,000 to buy goods for the shop.
Mohsin alleged that members of the |Didar Bahini” took the money and threatened to kill him if he said anything to anyone about it.
“I am involved in BNP politics. That is why they beat my brother. They beat me too. After receiving treatment at Barisal Hospital for four days, he left for Dhaka on Jun 28,” said Mohsin.
According to Mohsin, Ilias had stopped talking to his brother as his pride was hurt because of the beating due to his involvement in politics.
Mohsin said that he last spoke to his brother on Aug 2. Ilias used to work with a man named Nayan in Dhaka. Nayan called Mohsin and told him that Ilias had been hit by a rubber bullet. Nayan had then asked Mohsin to take Ilias home.
“I called him, but he didn’t pick up the phone. Later he called me. I asked him to come home. He said that if he went home, the Chhatra League boys would beat him again. That is why he went to the protest. On Aug 4, he was shot again. First, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Then to the National Institute of Neuro Sciences & Hospital,” said Mohsin.
Though the family went to Dhaka on Aug 6, Mohsin says he could not speak to his brother again. Ilias died on Aug 9.
Demanding justice for his brother's murder, Mohsin said: "If those involved in the murder are excluded from the chargesheet, we will not accept it. Hasnat Abdullah, Haris and others took the Didar and the protesters from Barishal to Dhaka. If they are excluded from the chargesheet, we will not accept it. If those who killed my brother walk about freely, we will not accept it. We want justice for the guilty."
Ilias's brother-in-law Rafiqul Islam said, "We have filed a case seeking justice. We want justice."
Raihan Murder Case
On Aug 5, 2024, the final day of the July Uprising, Raihan Akon - a loader of the Banasree branch of the Sundarban Courier Service - was shot in the Badda Yulup area of the capital.
Later, when he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the doctor declared him dead around 4pm that day.
Raihan's father, Kamal Hossain, filed a case on Apr 28, 2025, accusing 236 people, including Hasina, over the incident.
After the investigation, Badda Police Station SI Sumon Mia submitted a chargesheet to the court on Sept 27, accusing 49 people, including Hasina. It was recommended that 236 people be discharged.
SI Sumon said, "I filed a chargesheet in the court last month against those against whom I received complaints."
Hasina, Quader, Asaduzzaman, Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, former Pirojpur-3 constituency MP Shamim Shahnewaz and former Dhaka Metropolitan North Chhatra League president Rabiul Islam alias Sohel are all accused in the case.
Among those recommended for exemption are Engineer Atiqur Rahman Khan, S Elahi Shimul, Mohammad Alamgir Hossain Dhali, Azam Khasru and Kamal Hossain.
SI Kamal Uddin of the prosecution division said that the hearing of the case is scheduled for Sunday in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam.
Meanwhile, Raihan's family is alleging that some people in the area “influenced” his father to file a case and later “traded” the case around.
Raihan's cousin Ariful Islam Kamrul said that his uncle Kamal earned his living by farming. After Raihan was shot, he called and asked for inquiries to be made. It was Kamrul who later took Raihan's body home.
Kamrul alleged that some people associated with a local political party had “misled” his uncle and brought him to Dhaka to file a case.
"My uncle is a simple man. He earns his living by farming. Those who misled him later engaged in litigation. He was told that if he filed a case, his son's name would be included in the gazette. He told me this again at a later time."
According to Kamrul, his uncle was not interested in filing a case because he believed that the police had shot Raihan. But many “innocent people” have been accused in the case, he said.
He said, "Uncle does not want to file a case. But the case is now in the hands of the state. He wants to save the helpless, innocent people. We are not that interested in a trial. However, no innocent person should be harassed."
The case details state that on Aug 5, 2024, at around 1:45pm, students and members of the public were attacked in the Yulup area of Badda's three-way intersection. Raihan was shot there.
Relatives and others rescued him and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead around 4pm.
Mehedi Hasan Attempt to Murder Case
Mehedi Hasan, an auto-rickshaw driver, came to Dhaka from Bhola in search of a job and was injured during the July Uprising. The police have named 24 people, including Hasina, in the chargesheet. In addition, a person named Almas has been recommended for discharge.
On Sept 20, Mohammadpur Police Station SI Selim Uddin submitted the chargesheet to the court.
He said, "I submitted the chargesheet to the court last month. I have submitted the chargesheet to the court based on the names of those named in the complaint by the plaintiff and those whose names came up during the investigation, based on the evidence found."
Hasina, Quader, Asaduzzaman Nanak, Sadek, Asif, Tarequzzaman and Hridoy have been named as suspects in this case.
SI Mizanur Rahman of the Prosecution Division said that the hearing of the case is scheduled for Sunday in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ashraful Haque of Dhaka.
The plaintiff in the case, Mehedi Hasan, said that he hails from Bhola. After coming to Dhaka in search of a job, he was injured when the July Uprising began.
“I have filed a case; I want justice. However, those who committed the crime should be punished. The innocent should not be harassed. I want the guilty to be tried. The trial should be speedy,” he said.
The case documents say that on Aug 4, 2024, around 4pm, shots were fired at protesters in front of Mayur Villa in Mohammadpur Thana. A bullet entered Mehedi's right arm from one side and exited on the other.
He was rescued by passersby and protesters and admitted to Sikder Medical College Hospital. Mehedi filed a case on Sept 8, 2024, over the incident.