Shakib Al Hasan is one of 147 individuals named in an FIR for an alleged murder during protests in Bangladesh in early August. The case centers on the death of a garment worker, Mohammed Rubel. His father, Rafiqul Islam, filed the report at Dhaka’s Adabor police station.
Shakib, Bangladesh’s most renowned cricketer and a former Awami League member of parliament, ranks as the 27th or 28th accused in the FIR. The protests, which took place on August 5, led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the eventual collapse of her government. Despite his name appearing in the FIR, Shakib was not in Bangladesh during the protests. He was in Canada at the time, leading the Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the Global T20 Canada league, after previously playing in Major League Cricket in the USA.
The Daily Star reported that the FIR alleges some accused, following orders from others, opened fire on a protest in the Adabor area, resulting in Rubel’s injury. He succumbed to his injuries in a hospital two days later.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated over 400 deaths during the unrest between July 16 and August 4, while some reports suggest the toll could exceed 650, with many missing persons. After the Awami League fell, an interim government took charge in Bangladesh, prompting significant changes in the Bangladesh Cricket Board, where former national captain Faruque Ahmed became president. Shakib, who won a parliamentary seat from Magura in January, is currently playing in the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.
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