TDS Desk:

A total of 27 ministers including former law minister Anisul Huq, three advisers, five state ministers and three deputy ministers of the past Awami League governments have been arrested since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in the face of a student-people mass uprising on 5 August 2024.

Besides, former 43 lawmakers of the Sheikh Hasina government and 11 former bureaucrats are also behind bars. Twenty-eight 28 police officials including two former inspector general of police, a retired justice of Appellate Division and five journalists, as well as people from various professions were also arrested.

Following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, former law minister Anisul Huq and private investment and industry advisor to prime minister Salman F Rahman were first arrested on 13 August, which was followed by filing the first murder case against Sheikh Hasina with a Dhaka court on 15 August. Manhunts are underway to nab the influential individuals of the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina governments on charges of shooting people to death during the July-August student-people movement. Filing of lawsuits also continues against Sheikh Hasina, influential ministers, Awami League leaders and police officials on allegations of killing people by firing, murder attempts, kidnappings and enforced disappearances.

Regarding the case investigation, Dhaka metropolitan session judge court’s chief public prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi told Prothom Alo the cruellest massacre of world history took place in July-August. Members of Awami League and its affiliated bodies and law enforcement agencies killed students, people and children by firing indiscriminately. Investigations into cases filed against Sheikh Hasina over these killings are underway with utmost importance, and police will file probe reports to the courts soon.

According to government information, 844 people were martyred and 13,258 others injured in the July-August moment. At least 310 cases were filed against Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet members and lawmakers in Dhaka city and Dhaka districts. Actual number of cases registered outside Dhaka could not be learned.

35 FORMER MINISTERS, STATE MINISTERS, DEPUTY MINISTERS, ADVISORS ARRESTED

According to law enforcement agencies’ officials, manhunts to arrest leaders and activists of Sheikh Hasina’s government and party was underway since her ouster. Lastly, former social welfare minister Nuruzzaman was arrested on January 30. Before that, 27 former ministers were arrested; there are former law minister Anisul Huq, shipping minister Shajahan Khan, industries minister Amir Hossain Amu, social welfare minister Dipu Moni, civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammad Faruk Khan, liberation war affairs minister AB Tajul Islam, public works minister engineer Mosharraf Hossain, planning minister MA Mannan, Bangladesh Workers’ Party president and former social welfare minister Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president and former information minister Hasanul Haque Inu, former cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor, food minister Qamrul Islam, commerce minister Tipu Munshi, food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan, public administration minister Farhad Hossain, expatriates’ welfare minister Imran Ahmed, agriculture minister Abdur Razzak, public works minister Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, industries minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, agriculture minister Abdus Shahid, water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, jute and textiles minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, environment, forest and climate change minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury and fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas. Former ministers Saber Hossain Chowdhury and MA Mannan were released on bail while the remaining ones are behind bars.

Sources said Anisul Huq was placed on remand for 52 days. Apart from this, the three former advisors arrested are private investment and industry advisor Salman F Rahman, power, energy and mineral resources advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, and education and culture advisor Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury. Salman F Rahman, however, got 60 days in remand.

Besides, five state ministers were also arrested. They are; former state minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for civil aviation and tourism Mahbub Ali, state minister for primary and mass education Zakir Hossain, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku and state minister for industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder. Of them Zunaid Ahmed Palak was granted 58 days in remand.

While the three former deputy ministers arrested are deputy minister of environment and forests Abdullah Al Islam Jakob, former deputy minister of youth and sports Arif Khan Joy, and former minister of state for planning Shahiduzzaman Sarkar.

43 LAWMAKERS FACE TRIAL

At least 38 lawmakers are currently behind bars in various cases filed of killings and murder attempt charges. They includes former chief whip Patuakhali-2 lawmaker ASM Firoz, former lawmaker Haji Selim of Dhaka-7, Haji Selim’s son Solaiman Selim, Abdus Sobhan Golap of Madaripur-3, Syed Sayedul Haque of Habiganj-4, Ahmed Hossain of Netrokona-5, Abdur Rahman Bodi of Cox’s Bazar-4, MA Latif of Chittagong-11, Tanvir Imam of Sirajganj-4, Abdul Aziz of Sirajganj-3, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin of Dhaka-10, Shahe Alam Talukder of Barisal-2, Selim Altaf George of Kushtia-4, Sadeq Khan of Dhaka-13, Raghebul Ahsan of Bogra-6, Enamul Haque of Rajshahi-4, Rahenul Haque Raihan of Rajshahi-6, Sirajul Islam of from Narsingdi-3 constituency, Ali Azam Mukul from Bhola-2 constituency, Jannat Ara Henry from Sirajganj-2 constituency, Rashiduzzaman Morol from Khulna-6 constituency, Yahia Chowdhury from Sylhet-2 constituency, Mohibur Rahman Manik from Sunamganj-5 constituency, Abdus Salam Murshedi from Khulna-4 constituency, Dabirul Islam from Thakurgaon-2 constituency, Mazharul Islam from Thakurgaon-2 constituency, Abu Reza Muhammad Nadvi from Chittagong-15, Dhirendra Chandra Debnath Shambhu from Barguna-1, Tahzeeb Alam Siddique from Jhenaidah-2, MA Awal from Lakshimipur-1, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury from Chittagong-6, Nayeb Ali Joarder from Jhenaidah-1 constituency, Golam Kibria from Barisal-3 Tipu, Abul Kalam Azad of Jamalpur-5 constituency, Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin of Dhaka-7, Abul Kalam Azad of Rajshahi-4, Asaduzzaman Asad of Rajshahi-3, Shahjahan Omar of Jhalokati-1, Mahbub Ara Begum Gini of Gaibandha-2, Ekramul Karim Chowdhury of Noakhali-4, Nasimul Alam Chowdhury of Comilla-8 constituency, Rana Mohammad Sohel of Nilphamari-3 and Ahmed Nazmin Sultana and Mst Safia Khatun from reserved women’s seats.

11 EX-BUREAUCRATS ARRESTED

At least 11 former bureaucrats currently are behind bars following the ouster of the past government. They include former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s principal secretary Nojibur Rahman, former senior secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mohibul Haque, former secretary of the ministry of social welfare and food Md Ismail Hossain, former senior secretary of the Security Division of the ministry of home affairs Aminul Islam Khan, former additional secretary of the ministry of rural development and cooperatives Mohammad Amjad Hossain, former secretary of the ministry of home affairs Mustafa Kamal Uddin, former secretary of the Election Commission Helaluddin Ahmed, joint secretary of the parliament secretariat AKMG Kibria Majumder, former secretary of youth and sports Mezbah Uddin Ahmed, former senior secretary of the ministry of disaster management and relief Shah Kamal and former secretary of the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs Md Jahangir Alam.

28 POLICEMEN INCLUDING 2 IGPS ARRESTED

At least 28 policemen including two former inspectors general of police were arrested in various cases filed over killings by firing and murder attempts charges. They include former IGPs Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun and Shahidul Haque, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, former additional IG Mashiur Rahman, former additional superintendent of police Alep Uddin. Besides, former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan and former chairman of Chittagong Port Rear Admiral (retd) Mohammad Sohael are currently behind bars after being arrested in various murder cases.

OVER 300 CASES AGAINST HASINA

According to sources in the police and courts, from 5 August 2024 till 6 February 2025, 276 cases pertaining to murder, attempted murder, enforced disappearances and abduction have been filed by victims against Sheikh Hasina at various police stations and courts of Dhaka city. At least another 27 cases have been lodged against her in various police stations and courts of Dhaka district. In total. 303 cases have been filed against Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka city and Dhaka district. Of these, over 200 are murder cases. A full-fledged account of cases filed in various police stations and courts outside of Dhaka has not been available as yet. However, over the past six months at least 25 lawsuits have been filed against Sheikh Hasina outside of Dhaka.