Is Another Awami League Leader Facing Arrest in Bangladesh?

Dhaka, June 23 (NationPress) Former Awami League MP Sabina Akter Tuhin was detained on Monday in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, over several cases related to the July 2024 protests. This comes as the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus escalates its efforts to crack down on the party of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Joint Commissioner (South) of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Nasirul Islam, confirmed the arrest, revealing that Tuhin, who previously served as the MP for the Dhaka-14 constituency, was apprehended in the early hours of Monday.

According to a report from the leading Bangladeshi daily, The Business Standard, the police officer stated, "Tuhin, the ex-lawmaker from the Mirpur area, faces multiple allegations, including one concerning a murder during the July Uprising last year."

In another incident, police apprehended Mohammad Monirul Moula, the former Managing Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL), late Sunday night in Dhaka's Bashundhara Residential Area due to a corruption case.

Moula had been appointed as the MD of Islami Bank in January 2021, under the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam confirmed that Moula was taken into custody related to a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Local reports indicate that in December of the previous year, the ACC lodged a graft case against 58 individuals, including the former IBBL MD and the bank's former Chairman Ahsanul Alam, concerning the alleged embezzlement of Bangladeshi Taka 1,092 crore through loan fraud.

After the fall of the Awami League government, the central bank restructured the board of directors of Islami Bank, and in April, Moula was placed on a three-month forced leave due to alleged involvement in loan irregularities.

As the crackdown on the Awami League continues, several other party leaders were also placed under police remand for questioning by the Yunus regime last week.

The Yunus-led administration has issued numerous arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Hasina, her family members, and supporters of the Awami League.

Analysts describe these actions as a significant political vendetta pursued by the interim government under Yunus, as multiple cases were filed against the former PM and her supporters on seemingly baseless grounds, immediately following her ousting in August 2024.

The abrupt removal of Hasina last August was widely regarded as a serious blow to the country's democratic framework. The interim government has also faced heavy criticism for allegedly providing support to radical and extremist Islamic groups.