Shakib Al Hasan accused in murder case amid Bangladesh unrest

Cricket star among 147 charged in connection with a protest-related killing, despite being abroad during the unrest

• Eastern Eye
• 23 August, 2024

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By: Eastern Eye

STAR Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been named as one of the accused in connection with an alleged murder during the recent protests and violence in Bangladesh that resulted in hundreds of deaths.

The 37-year-old former Bangladesh captain, who was also a lawmaker under Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, is among 147 individuals against whom charges have been filed for a murder that occurred during the early August protests, according to ESPNcricinfo.

The protests led to significant political upheaval, forcing prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has since taken over as chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government.

The murder case, filed by Rafiqul Islam at Dhaka’s Adabor police station, lists Shakib, along with Sheikh Hasina and several former ministers and lawmakers from the Awami League, among the accused.

Islam’s son, Rubel, was killed on August 7 during the protests, which plunged the country into political turmoil. Although Shakib is listed as either the 27th or 28th accused in the first information report (FIR), he was not in Bangladesh during the protests on August 5 or at any time during the unrest.

Shakib was playing for the Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 Canada league in Brampton from July 26 to August 9, and prior to that, he was in the USA participating in Major League Cricket until mid-July.

According to the Daily Star, the case statement mentions that “the complainant alleged that some of the accused as per instruction directly or indirectly from some others opened fire while hundreds of students including Rubel were protesting at Ring Road in Adabor area on August 5”.

Rubel was wounded in the firing and died in a hospital after two days, the FIR said.

Following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, there have been significant changes at the Bangladesh Cricket Board too with former national captain Faruque Ahmed becoming the new president, following the resignation of incumbent Nazmul Hasan Papon on Wednesday (21). (PTI)