DHAKA, Bangladesh — Tension is spiraling across Bangladesh as a wave of violence, arson attacks, and crude bomb blasts hits major cities ahead of Monday’s highly anticipated court verdict against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her Awami League party has called for a nationwide “lockdown,” crippling transport and forcing schools to shift online.
Authorities reported 32 crude bomb explosions on Wednesday alone, while dozens of buses were set on fire across Dhaka, Chattogram, and other urban centers. Two more bombs detonated near Dhaka airport on Thursday night, although no injuries were recorded.
Military deployment and rising fear
As unrest intensifies, the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has deployed 400 Border Guard soldiers across the capital. Security checkpoints have multiplied, public gatherings remain heavily restricted, and several ministries have moved to emergency schedules.
The violence reached Gopalganj, Hasina’s ancestral district, where attackers hurled a firebomb into a government office. Meanwhile, an office of Grameen Bank, the microfinance institution founded by Yunus, was torched in eastern Bangladesh.
Police have arrested dozens of Awami League supporters accused of involvement in recent explosions and acts of sabotage.
The case against Hasina
Sheikh Hasina, 78, fled to India in August 2024 after massive student-led protests erupted over a controversial job-quota system. UN investigators estimate that as many as 1,400 people were killed during the uprising, which they say was met with systematic, deadly force by security agencies under her government.
Hasina is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity, including allegations that she personally ordered forces to fire on unarmed protesters. Prosecutors have requested the death penalty.
Leaked audio from July 2024 — authenticated by BBC Eye — was played in court, allegedly capturing Hasina authorizing the use of lethal weapons. She has dismissed the audio as manipulated and insists the charges are politically driven.
Hasina responds from exile
Speaking to the BBC from India, Hasina called the trial a “farce” orchestrated by a “kangaroo court.”
“I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians,” she said.
“If the government is honest, file a case against me at the International Criminal Court.”
She also urged authorities to lift the ban on the Awami League ahead of the February 2026 general election, arguing that millions of supporters are being disenfranchised.
Her lawyers have sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations, citing fair-trial violations, blocked access to legal counsel, and political interference.
Fire at Awami League headquarters
Tensions escalated further on Thursday when protesters set fire to part of the Awami League headquarters in Dhaka. According to local reports, a group of 10–15 people gathered materials on the building’s fourth floor before setting them ablaze. The same structure was attacked during the government’s collapse last August.
What comes next
The Supreme Court will announce the verdict date on November 17, with the final ruling expected roughly a week later. Analysts say the outcome could determine Bangladesh’s political future and trigger further unrest.
Meanwhile, Yunus has announced a national referendum on the July Charter — a proposed constitutional reform — to be held alongside February’s parliamentary elections. The charter seeks to redefine elections, military oversight, anti-corruption rules, and whether sanctions against Hasina should remain in place.
Bangladesh remains on high alert as the verdict approaches, with citizens bracing for more violence in a deeply polarized nation.
