Dhaka, Aug 17 - A Dhaka court Monday dropped a murder charge against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political associates, which was levelled almost three years ago for being present at a rally that witnessed a clash leading to seven deaths.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dilara Alo Chandana passed the order after Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Md Abdullah Abu submitted a petition along with a recommendation letter of the home ministry for withdrawal of the case.

The clash between workers of Hasina-led alliance and that of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami took place Oct 29, 2006. It happened amid a charged political atmosphere two days before Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's government quit office.

Reports of that time indicated that the Jamaat activists, allegedly present to disrupt the Hasina rally, were attacked.