Deposed PM Sheikh Hasina Faces New Legal Battle Amid Controversial Past in Bangladesh

A case of enforced disappearance was filed against Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other ex-government officials, implicating them in the 2015 abduction of lawyer Sohel Rana. This is the second legal action against Hasina since her resignation and flight to India amid protests. Rana alleges brutal torture during his captivity.

A legal storm intensifies around Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as a new case of enforced disappearance was filed last Wednesday. The charge pertains to the alleged abduction of Supreme Court lawyer Sohel Rana in 2015, reported The Daily Star.

The indictment names high-profile former ministers, including ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and ex-Law Minister Anisul Haq, alongside former top law enforcement officials. Rana recounted harrowing torture, including electric shocks, that left him nearly unconscious before his release in August 2015.

This marks the second lawsuit brought against Hasina since her resignation and subsequent escape to India amid widespread protests over a controversial job quota system. The political unrest has claimed 560 lives since mid-July, coinciding with violent upheavals following her government's collapse on August 5, which led to an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

(With inputs from agencies.)