A Dhaka court on Wednesday ordered former Member of Parliament and Awami League leader Engineer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be sent to jail in connection with a murder case stemming from a fatal shooting during the July 2024 demonstrations in the capital’s Uttara area, according to court officials.
The order was issued by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain after the investigating officer submitted a petition seeking further legal action in the case. Rahman had been arrested late Tuesday from a residence in Uttara’s Sector 11 and was later produced before the court.
Sub-Inspector Md. Shamim of the prosecution division confirmed the court’s decision, while investigators stated that they had sought permission to question the former MP as part of the ongoing probe.
Engineer Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a former Member of Parliament for the Satkhira-1 constituency (Tala-Kalaroa) and president of the Satkhira District Awami League.
The case concerns the death of Asadullah, reportedly shot in Uttara Sector 7 on July 19, 2024, during violent Islamist‑provoked demonstrations that shook Bangladesh and led to the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.
Investigators said that following the shooting, Asadullah’s wife filed a general diary at Turag Police Station. Family members later identified his body at the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Aug. 11, 2024. A murder case was subsequently filed in connection with the incident.
Part of a Wider Wave of Cases
Rahman’s detention comes amid an ongoing series of arrests, prosecutions, and legal proceedings involving Awami League leaders and activists across Bangladesh.
Since the political transition that followed the events of August 2024, hundreds of criminal cases have been filed against senior Awami League figures, former ministers, lawmakers, and local leaders. Many of the cases relate to deaths and injuries that occurred during the July-August protests.
The new government has enacted a law titled the “July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Act,” granting indemnity to the July–August 2024 protesters for atrocities and crimes including murder, violence, arson, looting, and plundering, while members of the Awami League, along with journalists, teachers, cultural activists, and pro‑secular individuals, are being implicated in hundreds of cases.
Human rights advocate Advocate Parvez Hashem told The Voice, “Those responsible for acts of violence must certainly be brought to justice. However, there are serious questions surrounding the sheer number of cases and the nature and handling of many of them. We are observing that, in most instances, proper evidence, legal standards, and the fundamental principles of due process are not being followed.”
Citing an example, he said, “Former Chief Justice Khairul Haque has been shown arrested in eight separate cases. Several of these are murder cases filed in different parts of the country. No rational person would believe that an elderly retired judge was traveling across the country committing murders during the protests. Yet he has been shown arrested in cases from multiple locations. After securing bail in seven cases, he was recently shown arrested in an eighth case. The High Court has directed that he should not be shown arrested in such absurd cases after being granted bail. However, even the order of the higher court has been disregarded.”
The crackdown began during the administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and has continued under the current government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which came to power following the February 2026 election.
Human rights advocates and legal observers have repeatedly emphasized that investigations into political violence must be conducted impartially and based on credible evidence, regardless of the political affiliations of those accused.
Awami League Questions Credibility of Cases
Last month, the Awami League publicly expressed concern over the integrity of a number of cases linked to the July 2024 unrest.
In a statement, the party argued that investigations had uncovered significant weaknesses in many complaints and alleged that the cases had been used as instruments of personal vendettas or political targeting.
“What was expected to be a process aimed at ensuring justice and accountability has, in several instances, allegedly been used as a tool for personal revenge, financial gain, and framing political or personal rivals,” the party said in its statement issued in May 2026.
The Awami League further argued that findings from ongoing investigations had raised doubts about the authenticity of numerous allegations.
“This has raised serious questions about how many of the cases linked to July-August demonstrations were genuine and how many may have been politically or personally motivated,” the statement added.
Investigation Data Raises Questions
The party cited figures from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), claiming that a substantial number of cases assigned for investigation had failed to produce evidence supporting the allegations.
According to the figures cited by the Awami League, as of April 22, 2026, the PBI had been tasked with investigating 195 cases related to the July 2024 protests.
The party stated that investigators found no evidence in 24 cases, while plaintiffs withdrew another 20 complaints. Seven additional cases were reportedly withdrawn because they duplicated incidents already covered in other complaints, and one case was dismissed after the plaintiff failed to appear before the court.
“Investigations found no evidence in 24 of those cases. Plaintiffs also withdrew another 20 cases, most of which were reportedly false,” the Awami League said, adding that investigation reports had been submitted in 52 cases deemed unproven or otherwise invalid.
The figures have fueled debate over whether some complaints filed in the aftermath of the political upheaval were based on verifiable evidence or driven by broader political tensions.
