DHAKA, Nov 1: Bangladesh’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has officially declared ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 260 others fugitives in a sedition case tied to the “Joy Bangla Brigade” online platform, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The notice, issued in both English and Bengali on Friday, was signed by CID Special Superintendent (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan and followed an order from the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court. It was published in two national newspapers, The Daily Star and Amar Desh, as part of a public declaration.
With approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs under Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the CID launched the sedition probe earlier this year. Investigators said they uncovered evidence of “conspiratorial activities” conducted both domestically and abroad through the Joy Bangla Brigade platform, which allegedly sought to overthrow the legitimate government.
According to the CID’s findings, the Joy Bangla Brigade portrays itself as a movement loyal to Sheikh Hasina and her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but had been using digital channels to promote content “inciting unrest and resistance” against the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The group’s website reportedly accuses Yunus of being “a meticulous designer and killer” responsible for “mob justice” and “aiding extremism” in Bangladesh — rhetoric that officials say violates the nation’s sedition laws.
After months of investigation, including forensic analysis of digital servers and social media data, the CID submitted a chargesheet against 286 individuals, including Hasina.
On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court-17 Judge Ariful Islam declared Hasina and 260 others as absconding, ordering the publication of the notice to facilitate further legal proceedings, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has concluded trial proceedings against Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity. The tribunal is expected to announce its verdict on November 13.
Hasina, now in exile in India, faces accusations of ordering torture, abductions, and extrajudicial killings during her tenure. She fled Bangladesh after a student-led uprising in August 2024 that toppled her Awami League government, paving the way for Muhammad Yunus to assume leadership of the interim government.