Bangladesh tense ahead of ousted PM Hasina's verdict
Hasina was overthrown by student protestors in 2024 who opposed the government job quota laws.
People wave flags during celebrations marking the one-year anniversary of student-led protests that led to the ousting of Bangladeshi then-Prime-Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Manik Mia Avenue, outside the parliament building, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug 5, 2025. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)
DHAKA: Several crude bombs exploded in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on Sunday (Nov 16), police said, heightening tensions ahead of a verdict on Monday in a case against ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over violence during street protests last year.
No casualties were reported, but the blasts further unsettled a city already on edge after days of political unrest.
Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests in mid-2024. She denies any wrongdoing and has remained in India since fleeing there after her ouster in August last year.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner has instructed officers to open fire on anyone involved in arson or attempts to cause death by hurling crude bombs, local media reported.
Security has been tightened across Dhaka, in Gopalganj — Hasina's ancestral home and a stronghold for her party — and in two neighbouring districts, with Border Guard Bangladesh personnel deployed to reinforce local authorities.
Police and Rapid Action Battalion teams have been positioned around key government buildings and major intersections, leaving parts of the capital unusually quiet.
“It’s very tense — hardly anyone is coming out,” said Ramjan Ali, an autorickshaw driver in Dhaka. “I’ve been on the road since morning, but I’ve barely earned anything today.”
In the days leading up to the verdict, authorities recorded more than 30 crude bomb explosions and reported dozens of buses torched in Dhaka and several other districts.
Dozens of Awami League activists have also been arrested in recent days over alleged involvement in explosions and acts of sabotage.
While Hasina and her supporters claim the court case is a scam, there is no reason to question the credibility of the process, said South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman.
"This is not a case of rushing to justice, so to speak. This has been something that's been in play for for many months," he told CNA's Asia First programme on Monday, ahead of the verdict.
Kugelman added there is a "very good chance" that the ruling will go against Hasina, with speculation abound that she will be sentenced to death.
This will not have much of a direct impact on her given that she is in exile, but it has become a "very important issue" for Bangladesh politics, he noted.
"There are a lot of political parties and factions that are jockeying for influence and power in advance of the elections," said Kugelman, referring to Bangladesh's parliamentary election scheduled for February next year.
"One thing that unites them, even though they're very divided on many other things, is their support for justice for the hundreds of people - 1,400 according to UN investigations - that were killed in the violent crackdown that was overseen by Hasina and her security forces."
