After political upheaval, comes flood - Shakib Al Hasan named in FIR

Test no. 2544 is underway at Rawalpindi and on day 3 close, scorecard read :  Bangladesh 316 for 5 (Shadman 93, Mushfiqur 55*, Litton 52*, Mominul 50, Shahzad 2-47) trail Pakistan 448 for 6 dec by 132 runs. On a 35-degree third day broken up into sessions of uneven length - including a three-hour morning session - to accommodate Friday prayers, Bangladesh's batters weathered a period of early hostility before asserting themselves  

 

It is really news that Bangladesh is playing Test Cricket that too in Pakistan after the turmoil back home and devastating floods damaging the Nation of 170 million people. 

Media reports suggest that about  five million people in Bangladesh were stranded by floods in low-lying areas, as strong currents washed away river embankments. The death count rose to 15 as at least five rivers in the South Asian nation faced the severest flooding since 2018, according to government data. Eleven districts were affected.  The devastating floods are the latest setback for the  nation, recently besieged with deadly political protests and violence. An interim government led by Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus took over after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country earlier this month amid a student-led mass uprising. 

Magura is a district in southwestern Bangladesh, situated 176 kilometers from Dhaka. General elections were held in Bangladesh on 7 January 2024 in accordance with the current constitutional requirement, stating that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the current term of the Jatiya Sangsad. The Awami League, led by Ms Sheikh Hasina, won the election for the fourth consecutive time with less than 10% of the eligible voters voting according to an Election Commission, which is run by the ruling political party.  The party won 224 seats while independent candidates, most of whom were Awami League members propped up as dummy candidates to give a semblance of competition, won 62 seats. 

At Magura, the man, the subject matter of the post won a landslide victory – he secured 179415 votes of the 185388 polled.  The man, Shakib Al Hasan is known for his aggressive antics on field, a left hand middle order batter and slow left arm spinner – more than 14500 international runs and 700 international wickets, makes him one among the best Cricketers of Bangladesh.

 

Shakib Al Hasan made his Test debut in 2007 against India. His breakthrough came in the Test against New Zealand in Chittagong in 2008 where he picked up 7 wickets for 36 runs, the best figures by a Bangladeshi bowler at that time.   He has played for various T20 tournaments around the world for many teams, including Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jamaica Tallawahs and Dhaka Dominators. 

The news is :  Shakib Al Hasan is among 147 people against whom charges have been filed in connection with an alleged murder during the protests in Bangladesh in early August, an officer at Dhaka's Adabor police station, where the case was filed, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. 

The case, of the death of a garment worker, was filed on Thursday by Rafiqul Islam, father of the deceased Mohammed Rubel. Apart from being Bangladesh's most famous cricketer, Shakib is a former member of parliament of the Awami League, the party that was in power in Bangladesh until earlier this month. Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of the Bangladesh at the time of the protests, and many former ministers and lawmakers from the party are among the accused.  Shakib’s name figures in the First Information Report. 

However, Shakib was not in Bangladesh on August 5, or at any time during the protests that led to the resignation of Hasina, following which she fled the country. Shakib was in Canada at the time, leading Bangla Tigers Mississauga at the Global T20 Canada league, being played in Brampton. Prior to that, Shakib was in the USA to take part in Major League Cricket until mid-July before flying to Canada where he played from July 26 to August 9. The Daily Star reported that "the case statement mentions that the complainant alleged that some of the accused as per instruction directly or indirectly from some others opened fire while hundreds of students including Rubel were protesting at Ring Road in Adabor area on August 5". Rubel was wounded in the firing and died in a hospital after two days, the FIR said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has put the number of deaths during the unrest at over 400 - between July 16 and August 4 - while some reports have put the number at over 650, with many people reported missing. Following the fall of the Awami League, an interim government has been put in place in Bangladesh, and there have been significant changes at the Bangladesh Cricket Board too, where former national captain Faruque Ahmed has taken charge as the president. 

Shakib became a member of parliament after winning the general elections in January this year from his hometown of Magura. It is news that amidst political turmoil, natural calamity and criminal charges, he  is currently playing the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
24.8.2o24