Hasina, 72 others sued over alleged conspiracy to wage civil war, overthrow interim govt in virtual meeting

A sedition case has been filed against ousted premier Sheikh Hasina and 72 others for allegedly conspiring to wage civil war in Bangladesh and oust the interim government in a virtual meeting recently.

On 19 December 2024, a virtual meeting of an online platform called 'Joy Bangla Brigade'  conspired to wage civil war and to overthrow the current interim government, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Bangladesh Police said in a press statement today (27 March).

"The case was filed in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Dhaka with the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs, as it appeared that there were clear elements of the crime of treason by conspiring to declare a civil war to overthrow the current government at the online platform meeting," reads the press statement.

The court took note of it and ordered the CID to investigate, it added.

The press statement, however, does not mention who filed the case.

Hasina has been made the prime accused in the case.

Besides, Rabbi Alam, vice president of the Awami League US unit, has been made the second accused. 503 other participants in the online meeting have also been charged.

Citing information gathered by intelligence agencies, the press statement said many in the 19 December meeting expressed their determination to fight until their last breath to restore the power to Hasina through a civil war.

A total of 577 individuals participated in the meeting and expressed a single-minded commitment to following all instructions of Hasina.

The CID said Rabbi Alam hosted the meeting.

Review of voice recordings of the conversations of Hasina, Rabbi and other participants at the meeting revealed that they decided not to allow the interim government to run the country peacefully.