Sheikh Hasina verdict today: Dhaka on edge amid blasts, shutdown calls - top developments

Dhaka on edge as Sheikh Hasina calls for nationwide shutdown ahead of ICT verdict

Bangladesh remained on edge late Sunday as explosions, arson attacks, and sweeping security crackdowns intensified ahead of Monday’s crucial verdict by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

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Security has been intensified across Bangladesh ahead of the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict against 78-year-old former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the July 2023 student-led “July Revolt.”

Also read: ‘Allah gave life, he will take it’: Inside Sheikh Hasina’s message to supporters ahead of verdict

Authorities said law enforcement agencies have completed all preparations to respond to any unrest, with police, paramilitary forces, the military, and Border Guard Bangladesh deployed in Dhaka, Gopalganj, and nearby districts.

Tensions escalated after multiple crude bomb blasts were reported across the capital overnight, raising fears of renewed violence as the dissolved Awami League called a nationwide shutdown on November 17. The party alleges the case against Hasina is politically motivated, while prosecutors have sought the death penalty.

In an emotional message ahead of the ruling, Hasina urged supporters to stand firm and confront the interim government, praising earlier demonstrations against what she described as a politically engineered trial.

Here are the top developments:

• Authorities reported multiple crude bomb blasts across Dhaka overnight, heightening fears of unrest as Awami League supporters called for a nationwide shutdown.

• Police, paramilitary forces, and the military have been deployed across Dhaka, Gopalganj, and nearby districts, with Border Guard Bangladesh reinforcing security.

• The Dhaka Metropolitan Police instructed officers to shoot anyone involved in arson or deadly attacks. “I stated over the wireless that anyone who sets a bus on fire or throws crude bombs with the intent to kill should be shot," DMP Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali said.

• Since November 10, dozens of explosions have targeted Grameen Bank branches and vehicles in police compounds; at least one bus driver died in an arson attack and several Awami League activists were detained.

• Hasina, living in India since August 2024, urged supporters to resist restrictions, saying: “There is nothing to be afraid of. I am alive. I will live. I will support the people of the country.”

• She accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of persecuting her party. “Those who have killed police one after another lawyers, journalists, cultural activists their families will never get justice,” she said, alleging Bangladesh was turning into a “militant state.”

• Hasina dismissed the tribunal’s charges as politically motivated, saying, “You know that all the charges brought by the Chief Prosecutor are false,” and labelled the process a “kangaroo court” run by a “usurper.”

• The tribunal will deliver a verdict on five charges of crimes against humanity linked to the July 2023 uprising, where prosecutors allege she ordered lethal force, including drones and helicopters, claims she denies.

• Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal is being tried in absentia, while ex–police chief Abdullah Al-Mamun has turned approver in the case.

• Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has sought the death penalty for Hasina, calling her the “mastermind and chief architect” of the 2023 crackdown; a UN report cites up to 1,400 killed.

• Officials said “approved parts” of the verdict will be broadcast live, with interim home affairs adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stating that the ruling “will be executed.”

• Under tribunal law, Hasina can appeal only if she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days; India has not responded to Bangladesh’s extradition request.

• Supporters are warning of escalating protests, with Sajeeb Wazed telling Reuters that Awami League followers would block February’s election unless the party’s ban is lifted.

• In her NDTV interview, Hasina said the 2024 ouster was a “tragic subversion of democracy” engineered by “anti-democratic forces” and said she left the country only to prevent further violence.

• She described the destruction of her father’s home as “a barbaric attempt to erase the legacy of our hard-fought battle for independence,” adding that Bangladesh’s true legacy lies in “democracy, equality, secularism, and economic emancipation.”