Bangladesh court orders probe into former PM Hasina's role in grocer's death

DHAKA: A Bangladesh court ordered an investigation on Tuesday into former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's role in the death of a grocery shop owner in the capital Dhaka during last month's deadly student-led protests, the complainant's lawyer said.

The case filed by Amir Hamza against Hasina and six others was accepted by Dhaka's chief metropolitan magistrate's court after a hearing, Hamza's lawyer Anwarul Islam said. Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury ordered police to investigate the case, Islam added.

It was the first case filed against Hasina following a violent uprising that killed about 300 people, many of them college and university students. She fled to India on Aug 5 and has been sheltering in New Delhi.

The other accused in the case included Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of Hasina's Awami League party, former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and other senior police officials.

Hamza alleged grocer Abu Saeed was killed on July 19 around 4 pm. (1000 GMT) when he was hit by a bullet while crossing the street as police fired on protesting students and other people demonstrating against quotas in government jobs in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka.

The complainant blamed Hasina, who had called for strong action to quell the violence, for the police firing.

Hamza said he was not related to Saeed but voluntarily approached the court because Saeed's family did not have the finances to file the case.

"I am the first ordinary citizen who showed the courage to take this legal step against Sheikh Hasina for her crimes. I will see the case to an end," Hamza told Reuters.

Hasina, who was prime minister for the last 15 years, could not be immediately reached for comment. Quader's phone was switched off while Kamal did not answer his phone when Reuters tried to reach him.

Nahid Islam, a Bangladeshi student leader who was instrumental in overthrowing Hasina and is now part of the interim government, recently said that the former prime minister must face trial for the killings during her term, including during recent protests.

The students-led movement started with demonstrations against quotas in government jobs before spiralling into violent protests to oust Hasina. She plans to return home to Bangladesh when the caretaker government, headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, decides on holding elections, her son has said.