Hasina, Aziz sued over ex-BDR official’s death in custody

Chawkbazar Police Station in Dhaka has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 13 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed, over the death of a civilian officer of the then Bangladesh Rifles.

Abdur Rahim, a former Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), died in prison. He was an accused in the 2009 BDR carnage case.  

The FIR was accepted on March 4 following a court order, confirmed Ashraful Alam, court general registrar for Chawkbazar Police Station, on Sunday, March 9. 

The case stems from a petition filed by Rahim’s son, Advocate Abdul Aziz, with the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on August 25, 2024.  

The court revisited an unnatural death (UD) case linked to the BDR carnage, originally filed in 2010. After hearing the plaintiff’s statement, it sought an update on the UD case status. 

On December 2, 2024, Sub-Inspector Ahmad Ali Molla of Chawkbazar Police Station reported that no UD case had been recorded for Rahim’s death. 

On February 2, 2025, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Zunaid ordered the police to register the case as an FIR, which was done on March 4. 

The court further directed the submission of a probe report by April 10, as per an order issued on March 7.  

According to the case statement, Rahim, who died on July 29, 2010, was allegedly pressured in jail with “alluring offers” to turn approver in the BDR killings and provide false testimony. 

His refusal, the plaint alleges, led to his premeditated murder in custody. 

MIN/MSU/NMA