The prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunals on Thursday filed formal charges against former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman and four other police officers for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the July 2024 student uprising at Rampura.
Prosecutors Faruk Ahammed and Saimum Reza Talukder submitted the charges to the tribunal registrar.
The Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder and comprising Justice Shafiqul Alam Mahmood, and retired district judge Md Mohitul Hoque Anam Chawdhury, is expected to hear the charges on Sunday.
The three charges relate to the killing of two聽 protesters at Rampura and the alleged brutal attack on a civilian, Amir Hossain.
The other accused are Khilgaon Zone former assistant commissioner Md Rashedul Islam, Rampura police station鈥檚 former officer-in-charge Md Mashiur Rahman, the聽 police station鈥檚 sub-inspector Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan and Rampura outpost鈥檚 former in-charge Chanchal Chandra Sarker, currently in custody.
This is the second time Habibur Rahman has been charged for his alleged command responsibility. He was earlier charged for his similar responsibility over the killing of six protesters at Chankharpool in the capital, during the final days of the uprising that forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee the country.
According to the prosecution, Amir Hossain was returning home from Jummah prayers on July 19, 2024 when police opened fire on protesters at Rampura. Amir, caught in the chaos, took shelter on the fourth floor of an under-construction building.
Police allegedly chased him, ordered him to jump from the fourth floor at gunpoint, and then fired several shots at him. Bullets hit his legs while he was hanging from a rod. After the police personnel left the spot, Amir managed to jump to a lower floor.
Three hours later, he was rescued by a student and two doctors and was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he survived the bullet and other injuries.
Prosecutors also alleged that the five accused were involved in the killing of two others in Rampura the same day. Of the two, a child was reportedly shot while the same bullet killed her grandmother, according to witness testimony.
Chanchal Chandra Sarker is accused of shooting a student protester and then hanging his body from a rooftop.
Meanwhile, the Tribunal-2, chaired by former High Court judge Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, is hearing charges against 16 former police officers and a former local lawmaker for the killing of six student protesters at Ashulia on August 5, 2024.
The prosecution completed its submission, and the tribunal has set August 13 to hear the defence arguments for the eight accused currently in custody.
The detained accused are dismissed additional superintendent of police Abdullah Al Kafi, former Additional SP Md Shahidul Islam, Detective Branch inspector Md Arafat Hossain Arju, sub-inspectors Arafat Uddin, Abdul Malek, and Sheikh Afzalul Haque, assistant SI Kamrul Hasan and former constable Mukul Chowkder.
The absconding accused are former independent MP for Dhaka-12 Saiful Islam, former deputy inspector general of police Nurul Islam, former SP of Savar Circle Asaduzzaman Ripon, former additional SP of Savar Circle Saidul Islam, former Ashulia OC AFM Sayeed Roni, former OC (Investigation) Md Masudur Rahman, former OC (Operations) Nirmul Kumar Das, former SI Biswajit Saha and local Juba League leader Rani Bhuiyan.
The victims were reportedly shot dead and their bodies burned. So far, five victims have been identified: Sajjad Hossain (Sajal), As-Sabur, Tanzil Mahmud Sujoy, Bayezid Bustami, and Abul Hossain. One victim remains unidentified.
