Violence mounts in Bangladesh ahead of verdict in Hasina trial

Tension gripped Bangladesh on Wednesday as a series of bomb and arson attacks rocked Dhaka and other districts, fuelling fears of renewed unrest ahead of a special tribunal’s verdict date in the trial of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Unidentified assailants launched coordinated attacks across the country, setting fire to buses, a railway carriage, and a branch of Grameen Bank — the microfinance institution founded by Nobel laureate and interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus.

Police said a predawn arson attack on the Chandura branch of Grameen Bank in eastern Brahmanbaria destroyed documents and office equipment but spared the vault. Later, an abandoned railway coach was torched at Dhaka Railway Station, followed by several low-intensity explosions in different parts of the capital, including Dhaka University.

Although no casualties were reported on Wednesday, at least a dozen vehicles were torched this week in similar attacks. Authorities fear the violence could intensify on Thursday, when Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League has called for a “Dhaka Lockdown” to coincide with the tribunal’s announcement.

Dhaka metropolitan police commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali said security forces were on “maximum alert”, vowing to act with “zero tolerance” against what he described as “subversive attempts” by Awami League loyalists. “There is no cause for panic — the people of Dhaka will not allow a return to chaos,” he said.

Hasina, who fled to India after her government was overthrown on 5 August 2024, is being tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal–Bangladesh (ICT-BD). Prosecutors have sought the death penalty, accusing her of ordering the violent suppression of last year’s student-led “July Uprising,” which precipitated her downfall.

International legal and human rights bodies have raised concerns over the fairness of the proceedings. Earlier this week, UK-based Doughty Street Chambers filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations, alleging Hasina is being tried “in an atmosphere of political retribution” under an “unelected interim government with no democratic mandate”.

The Awami League has also accused the Yunus-led administration of widespread political persecution. The party claims thousands of its members have been detained, while reports of enforced disappearances and attacks on journalists have drawn sharp criticism from international observers. Former foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen recently petitioned the UN Human Rights Council, alleging “systematic repression” and “impunity for state-linked abuses.”

Police say at least 552 Awami League activists have been arrested in the past 10 days, including 44 on Wednesday alone, and estimate that more than 3,000 have been detained since the party was outlawed in October.

Meanwhile, security forces have been redeployed nationwide. The army recently withdrew half of its 60,000 personnel from policing duties for “rest and training,” while additional Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) units have been mobilised to maintain order in Dhaka and surrounding districts.

The spate of violence underscores the volatility gripping Bangladesh as the country braces for the tribunal’s next move — a moment that could reshape its turbulent political future.

With PTI inputs