DHAKA: Bangladesh's former President Mohammad Abdul Hamid boarded a Thai Airways flight from the Dhaka international airport at 3 am and left the country as most Bangladeshis were in a deep sleep. As the interim government woke up and found what had happened, it suspended and transferred officials and constituted a high-level probe. Former president Hamid was among those being probed for the measures taken against protesters during the anti-Sheikh Hasina agitation last year.
Hamid served as the President of Bangladesh for two terms - from 2013 to 2023. He is also a co-accused in at least one case of murder filed against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her aides from the agitation period in 2024. The Hasina regime was accused of opening fire and killing protesters who were out to oust her.
The 81-year-old former president is an accused in the murder case filed at Kishoreganj Sadar police station on January 14, according to the Dhaka Tribune, with Hasina and her family members. Former minister Obaidul Quader is also a co-accused in the case.
The interim government of Muhammad Yunus has formed a high-level committee to investigate the departure of Abdul Hamid to Thailand, according to reports. Police officers have been suspended and transferred as Hamid left in a lungi for Thailand. His family members say he left with his brother and brother-in-law for medical treatment, but his political opponents say that he has fled to escape being tried in Bangladesh.
