Bangladesh on the boil: How Sheikh Hasina’s trial has plunged the country into unrest | Explained

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel stand guard outside the High Court in Dhaka on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)

Fresh violence has broken out in Bangladesh ahead of a crucial announcement by a special tribunal in the case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The country has witnessed a wave of arson and crude bomb attacks over the past 48 hours, with incidents reported in Dhaka and several other cities. The unrest comes as tensions continue to mount before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) announces the verdict date in the case against the ousted leader.

Hasina, who was forced out of power in August 2024 following a student-led uprising, faces charges of “crimes against humanity,” including murder and enforced disappearances. The 78-year-old former prime minister has dismissed the allegations and currently resides in India, where she has been granted refuge.

Violence spreads across the capital

Dhaka and its surrounding areas have been on edge this week, with multiple reports of explosions and arson attacks. According to Bangladeshi media, two crude bombs exploded near the Dhaka University metro station area on Wednesday night, injuring at least three people. Around the same time, another blast occurred outside a shopping complex in the capital, The Business Standard reported.

The explosions caused panic and temporarily disrupted a documentary screening about the “fascist regime,” The Daily Star said. Police have since cordoned off the areas and stepped up patrols near major intersections.

Several arson attacks were also reported across the country. In Brahmanbaria, unidentified individuals set fire to a Grameen Bank branch, destroying furniture and important documents. “Furniture and important documents were destroyed in the blaze,” branch manager Md Kalim Uddin told The Daily Star. Grameen Bank was founded by Muhammad Yunus, who now serves as the Chief Adviser of the interim government.

A train coach in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area was also set ablaze late Wednesday night. Locals managed to catch two suspects and handed them over to the police. In Gazipur and Ashulia’s Sarkar Market, four buses were torched, while several other vehicles were set on fire in Munshiganj, Tangail, and Gopalganj. A running passenger bus was also attacked on the Dhaka–Tangail highway early Thursday morning.

According to Prothom Alo, no casualties were reported in these incidents, but authorities fear more violence could erupt as political tensions rise.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-2) recovered six petrol bombs and four handmade explosives, known locally as cocktails, from the Rayerbazar area in Dhaka. Dhaka Tribune reported that the weapons were likely meant to be used during the Awami League’s planned “Dhaka Lockdown.”

‘Dhaka lockdown’ call and political unrest

The banned Awami League, led by Hasina, has called for a nationwide “Dhaka Lockdown” on Thursday to protest against what it calls the “illegal” interim government of Muhammad Yunus.

In Shariatpur’s Zajira area, party members blocked the Dhaka–Bhanga expressway, causing major traffic disruptions on the Padma Bridge. Early Thursday morning, a truck was set on fire in Tastar Kandi in Nawdoba, though firefighters managed to bring it under control. Prothom Alo reported that two buses were also vandalised, and small crude bomb explosions were heard in parts of the capital.

Authorities have since deployed additional security forces to prevent further unrest. Twelve platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been stationed in Dhaka, along with two more in nearby districts. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali assured residents that the situation is under control. “There is no cause for concern or fear. Dhaka city dwellers will stand against the Awami League’s subversive activities,” he told reporters.

The case against Sheikh Hasina

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 announced on Thursday that it will deliver its verdict in Hasina’s case on Monday, November 17. The former leader is accused of orchestrating mass violence during last year’s student protests, which resulted in dozens of deaths.

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun are also named in the case. Al-Mamun has turned approver, reportedly providing key testimony about the government’s handling of the protests.

Security around the tribunal in Dhaka has been tightened, with the army, police, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) jointly monitoring the area.

As Bangladesh braces for the tribunal’s decision, tensions between the Yunus-led administration and Hasina’s supporters are expected to intensify. With political uncertainty deepening and violence spreading across major cities, the country faces one of its most volatile moments since Hasina’s ouster last year.