Sheikh Hasina to claim over a million pound in damages from BA

LONDON: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has initiated a law suit against British Airways (BA) claiming over a million pounds in damages for denying her a boarding pass on April 23 to return to her country.

In the five-page legal notice issued to the Managing Director of BA on behalf of Hasina, the Legal Action Committee of the UK Awami League has claimed that the party chief had suffered "grave mental stress and agony" due to the carrier's decision to prevent her from boarding the plane despite having a valid ticket and passport.

It gave BA two weeks' time to reply to the notice.

Former Supreme Court judge Shamsuddin Choudhury, who is the chairman of the Committee, told reporters "Sheikh Hasina is determined to pursue her remedy through law suit, claiming damages to the tune of over a million pounds for the humiliation she suffered and the damage caused" to her image.

Sheikha Hasina, who is leaving for Dhaka tomorrow night, told reporters at an informal dinner last night "I have left it to my party's Legal Action Committee and solicitors to file the suit and they will look after it."

Asked about her future plans, the 60-year-old daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh, said "First, I want to go back to my country. Then I will see. I have faith in our people and they will decide."

Asked whether the military-backed government would restore democracy, Hassina, who was the Prime Minister between 1996 and 2001, said "we have our past experience with military government. How can they give democracy.

They can give martial democracy not people's democracy".