Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for ousted premier Sheikh Hasina

Srinagar, Oct 17: A court in Bangladesh has ordered an arrest warrant for the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is currently living in exile in neighbouring India. 

Hasina had fled the country in August after she was dethroned by a student uprising.

The warrant was issued by the International Crimes Tribunal in its first hearing since being reorganised by the transitional government led by Muhammad Yunus, TRT World reported.

"The court has... ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and to produce her in court on November 18," Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters on Thursday.

Hasina's 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

"Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August", Islam said, calling it a "remarkable day".

Hasina, 77, has not been seen in public since fleeing Bangladesh, and her last official whereabouts is a military airbase near India's capital New Delhi.

Her presence in India has infuriated Bangladesh.