Shakib Al Hasan Among 147 Charged In Bangladesh Protest Murder Case

Shakib Al Hasan is among 147 individuals facing charges related to an alleged murder during protests in Bangladesh earlier this month, according to an officer from Dhaka’s Adabor police station, as confirmed to ESPNcricinfo.

The case was filed on Thursday by Rafiqul Islam, the father of the deceased garment worker Mohammed Rubel.

Shakib, Bangladesh’s most renowned cricketer and a former Awami League parliament member, is listed as either the 27th or 28th accused in the first information report (FIR).

Notably, Shakib was not in Bangladesh on August 5 or during the protests that led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He was in Canada, leading the Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 Canada league, after previously participating in Major League Cricket in the USA until mid-July.

The case statement alleges that some of the accused, acting on instructions from others, opened fire during a protest at Ring Road in Adabor on August 5. Rubel was injured and died two days later in the hospital.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reports over 400 deaths during the unrest from July 16 to August 4, while other sources estimate the number at over 650.

Following the fall of the Awami League, an interim government has been established in Bangladesh, leading to significant changes in the Bangladesh Cricket Board, including Faruque Ahmed’s appointment as president.

Shakib, who won his parliamentary seat in January from Magura, is currently playing in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.