The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Wednesday charged 30 people, including former Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur vice-chancellor Hasibur Rashid, in a case of crimes against humanity over the murder of student Abu Sayeed during the July 2024 protests.
Abu Sayeed, a student of the university鈥檚 English department, was shot dead on July 16, 2024, on the divider of the Dhaka鈥揜angpur Highway near his campus, while staging a demonstration as part of the nationwide students鈥� movement against discrimination.
His killing became a flashpoint in the July uprising that ousted the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
This is the first case taken up by the ICT-2 since its formation during the interim government.
The three-member tribunal of retired High Court judge Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, retired district judge Md Manjurul Basid and judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir, also set August 27 for the commencement of the trial in the case through the prosecution鈥檚 opening statement.
The court also set August 28 to start the recording of the depositions of prosecution witnesses.
The charges, submitted by the chief prosecutor on July 1, accuse the 30 individuals of murder, torture, and聽 other inhumane acts as part of a coordinated crackdown on protesters.
The accused list includes 12 university officials, eight police officers, nine leaders of Awami League鈥檚 student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League, which was banned by the interim government, and a physician.
Six detained accused, including former proctor Shariful Islam, staff members Anwar Parvez Appel and Rafiul Hasan Rasel, assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain, constable Sujan Chandra Roy, and BCL leader Imran Chowdhury Akash, heard the charges against them from the dock.
Asked whether they were guilty or not, they separately pleaded 鈥榥ot guilty鈥� and demanded justice.
The remaining 24 accused are still in hiding and will face the trial in absentia.
The absconding accused include nine university staff, including former VC Hasibur Rashid and top administrators, six senior police officers, including former Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner Moniruzzaman Beltu, and several senior officials of the district administration, eight BCL leaders, including BRUR unit president Pomel Barua and secretary Mahafuzur Rahman Shamim, and a forensic physician, Sarowat Hossain Chandan.
Sarowat Hossain Chandan is accused of influencing the duty doctor to manipulate the post-mortem report stating that Abu Sayeed died following fatal head injuries.
The chargesheet also implicates deposed prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, both in hiding in India, and detained former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, now a state evidence, for instigating the violence under superior command responsibility.
Their names, however, were not included in this case as they are facing trial in a separate case for coordinated crimes during the 2024 uprising.
The complaint in this case was filed by Abu Sayeed鈥檚 brother Ramjan Ali on January 13. Ramjan accused 24 identified individuals and 130鈥�135 other unidentified people of crimes against humanity in Rangpur.
Sayeed鈥檚 death, captured on video, showed him standing alone with his arms outstretched before collapsing from a police bullet. The footage went viral, igniting nationwide outrage and further fueling the anti-government protests.
Abu Sayeed is recognised as the first martyr of the 2024 student-led uprising that began on July 1, calling for the abolition of discrimination in public sector recruitment quotas.
The movement led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
