Bangladesh CID declares former PM Sheikh Hasina, 260 others as ‘fugitives’

The Criminal Investigation Department of the Bangladesh Police on Friday published a notice in two newspapers declaring former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 260 others as “fugitives” in a sedition case, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

According to the notice, published in The Daily Star and Amar Desh, the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court ordered its publication. It was published in English and Bengali, and signed by the Criminal Investigation Department’s Special Superintendent (Media), Jasim Uddin Khan.

The notice alleged that the department had uncovered evidence of conspiratorial activities conducted from home and abroad through an online platform called “Joy Bangla Brigade” with the intent to overthrow the legitimate government of the country, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The investigation into the matter was launched with the approval of the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs, it added.

The Criminal Investigation Department stated that it had submitted a chargesheet listing 286 persons, including Hasina, after completing an investigation involving forensic analysis of data collected from digital platforms, servers and social media, the newspaper reported.

The order by Judge Ariful Islam of the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court-17 to publish the notice came a day after Hasina told Reuters on Wednesday that she planned to stay in India, where she is in exile.

While the former prime minister expressed a desire to eventually return to Bangladesh, she said that...

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