Khaleda Zia faces murder case probe

Khaleda Zia ... in legal tangle

AFP/Dhaka

A Bangladeshi court yesterday ordered an investigation into an allegation of murder against opposition leader Khaleda Zia over the death of dozens of people in petrol bomb attacks during a continuing transport blockade. The order from a lower court in the capital Dhaka comes after a pro-government activist, A B Siddiqi, filed a private complaint against Zia, the leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). “Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Rahman ordered the Gulshan police in Dhaka to investigate the complaint and submit a report by March 1,” Ashiqur Rahman, a court official, said. A lawyer for the plaintiff said Zia was responsible for the death of 42 people killed after opposition activists firebombed buses and trucks as part of a new wave of anti-government protests.  “She is to blame for the death of 42 innocent people as she ordered her supporters to attack vehicles with petrol bombs,” said lawyer Roushonara Sikder Daizy. Experts said it was extremely unlikely that a private complaint would result in a criminal prosecution. But they said the case was designed to intimidate Zia, who launched the blockade as part of her campaign to topple the government. The 69-year-old leader, who has been holed up in her office since January 3, has already been charged by police with lesser crimes including “abetting” and “instigating” the firebombings. Zia called the protests early last month. She urged supporters to enforce a nationwide blockade of roads, railways and waterways to try to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to call a fresh general election. The opposition boycotted the last poll in January 2014 on the grounds the result would be rigged.  The protests have triggered widespread violence that left at least 46 people dead — mostly victims of firebombing attacks on buses and lorries. In the latest deaths, two activists from the BNP-allied Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party were shot dead allegedly by police, including a 23-year-old student. More than 10,000 opposition activists have been arrested, including dozens of front-rank officials. Others have gone into hiding.