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Demonstrations and arson took place in many areas of Dhaka on Thursday.
Violence has increased in the country ahead of the court’s decision against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. His party Awami League has demanded a ‘lockdown’ in the entire country in protest.
In response, workers of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami took to the streets in many areas of Dhaka on Thursday and also took out processions at some places.
According to Al-Jazeera, 32 bombs exploded on Wednesday and dozens of buses were set on fire. Two more bombs also exploded near Dhaka airport on Thursday night, but there were no casualties.
Schools in the capital Dhaka and big cities were made online. Public transport has been completely stopped. 400 paramilitary soldiers were deployed in the capital.
The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict in the crime against humanity case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 17. Hasina is accused of promoting violence in the student movement in 2024.
Photos of demonstration in Bangladesh…
On Thursday, people took out processions with torches in many areas of Dhaka.
Dozens of buses were set on fire in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Protests were held by burning tires at many places in Dhaka.
Students protesting in Dhaka on 13 November.
Hasina said- the case going on against me is a false farce
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected allegations of crimes against humanity and the killing of hundreds of people in last year’s violent protests. Hasina said in an interview with BBC that the ongoing case against her is a false farce.
He is accused of ordering security forces to open fire on unarmed protesters to suppress a student movement against his dictatorial government, killing up to 1,400 people according to the United Nations.
Hasina clearly denied that she never gave such an order. A leaked audio evidence of July 2024 was presented in the court, in which Hasina was talking about the use of weapons to stop the violence.
Hasina said- file a case against me in the International Court
Hasina said that she is ready to face the case at the international level. He said that I have said many times that if Yunus government is really honest, then file a case against me in the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, they will not do so because they know that an impartial court will acquit me.
He said that Yunus had received the support of some Western countries, but now they too were abandoning him because he included radicals in the government, discriminated against minorities and weakened the Constitution.
Border guards Bangladesh stand guard outside the Supreme Court in Dhaka on November 12, 2025.
Demand to hang Hasina
The government lawyer has made five serious charges against Hasina, of which murder, failure to stop crime and crimes against humanity are the most important.
The government lawyer has demanded death sentence for him. Bangladesh is on high alert in view of the increasing tension in the matter. The deployment of police and army has been increased at airports and important buildings across the country.
Demand to punish former home minister and former police chief also
Apart from Hasina, death penalty is being demanded for two other accused, former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Chaudhry Abdullah al-Mamun. According to the report, Hasina is refusing to return from India and said that she was not given any chance to defend herself.
His lawyers have appealed to the United Nations saying the trial violated fairness and due process of law. His party Awami League is barred from contesting the February elections and separate corruption cases are also pending.
Arson in the office of former PM Sheikh Hasina
On the other hand, in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka at around 1 pm on Thursday, protesters set fire to the headquarters of Awami League. According to the Dhaka Tribune, about 10 to 15 people collected wood, paper cartons and other items and set them on fire on the fourth floor of the building.
Even after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, the same building was set on fire.
Sheikh Hasina’s overthrow after violence and arson
The event began on 5 August 2024, when Sheikh Hasina’s government was overthrown in Bangladesh. Before and after this, huge demonstrations, arson and violence were seen across the country.
There were allegations against the government that the protesting students were arrested, tortured and fired upon. After violence escalated, Sheikh Hasina left the country and took refuge in India.
After this, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh registered a case against him. The court ordered him to return to the country and appear in the case, but he did not obey this order.
Tribunal’s government lawyer Ghazi Munawwar Hussain Tamim said that November 13 will only be given as the date for pronouncing the verdict, the sentence will not be pronounced on that day. Usually it takes about a week for the decision to be announced.
Referendum will be held in Bangladesh on the same day of elections
Bangladesh Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus has announced to hold a referendum on the July Charter on the day of parliamentary elections. He said that its objective is to strengthen the democratic process in the country.
In July 2025, a constitutional reform proposal named “July Charter” was made among the country’s political parties and civil organizations. An attempt was made to decide four important things.
- How will elections be held in future?
- What will be the role of army or judiciary?
- What will be the new policies related to corruption and human rights?
- Will the restrictions imposed on Sheikh Hasina continue or not?
The number of votes a party gets, the number of seats it gets in the upper house.
Yunus said in an address to the nation on Thursday afternoon that the public will be asked for their opinion on the order to implement the July Charter in the referendum. He told that it will have four different parts.
Yunus said that the 100-member upper house will be formed on the basis of representation to strike a balance between the different demands of political parties. That is, the party will be given seats in proportion to the number of votes it gets.
He said that the preparations to bring the July Charter into the process are in the final stage and the notification from the Government Gazette is awaited. The government had warned on November 3 that all parties would have to resolve their differences within a week, otherwise the government would take necessary steps. But despite this, differences remain between the parties.
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