DHAKA (MNN); Several crude bombs exploded across Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Sunday, police reported, raising tensions ahead of Monday’s verdict in a case against ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over last year’s street protest violence.
No casualties were reported, but the blasts unsettled an already tense city. Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia for alleged crimes against humanity, accused of ordering a deadly crackdown on student protests in mid-2024. She denies wrongdoing and has remained in India since fleeing Bangladesh after her ouster in August 2024.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner has ordered officers to fire on anyone attempting arson or hurling crude bombs, according to local media. Security has been reinforced across Dhaka, Hasina’s stronghold Gopalganj, and two neighboring districts, with Border Guard Bangladesh personnel deployed to assist local authorities.
Police and Rapid Action Battalion teams are stationed around key government buildings and major intersections, leaving parts of the city unusually quiet. “It’s very tense — hardly anyone is coming out,” said Ramjan Ali, a Dhaka autorickshaw driver. “I’ve been on the road since morning, but I’ve barely earned anything today.”
In the days before the verdict, more than 30 crude bomb explosions were reported, along with dozens of buses set on fire in Dhaka and nearby districts. Authorities have also arrested several Awami League activists in connection with the explosions and acts of sabotage.
