Shawdesh Desk:

A new complaint was filed with the International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday, accusing deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 15 of her associates of crimes against humanity in connection with the killings during protests against Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 visit to Bangladesh.

The complaint was lodged by Shafiqul Islam Mufti, the father of 17-year-old Asadullah Ratin, who was killed during a protest in Brahmanbaria.

The fifteen other individuals included former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and ex-lawmaker RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury.

The protests erupted over allegations of Indian aggression, and the then Awami League government reportedly responded with deadly force.

Since the fall of the Awami League government, at least 50 cases related to enforced disappearances, killings, genocide, and crimes against humanity have been filed with the ICT, with Sheikh Hasina named as the principal accused in most of them.

Akhtar Hossain, member secretary of the July-August mass uprising’s people-formed Jatiya Nagorik Committee, briefed journalists at the ICT compound, accusing the former Awami League government of ordering indiscriminate firing on unarmed protesters.

‘Many innocent civilians were killed and injured during the protests in Chattogram, Brahmanbaria, and Dhaka. The then government also took measures to deprive the injured victims of justice and proper medical care,’ Akhtar stated.

He added that 17 people were killed according to government statistics, though the actual number might be higher.

Akhtar further highlighted that following the protests, the Awami League government filed 54 criminal cases targeting over 7,000 individuals in Brahmanbaria alone.

‘We are here to seek justice for these crimes,’ he said.

The filing comes as part of a broader wave of complaints submitted to the ICT, aiming to hold those accused accountable for their alleged roles in crimes against humanity during the Awami League’s 15-year tenure.