The prosecution has filed an application seeking to defer the verdict in a crimes against humanity case over the shooting of one person and the killing of two others in Rampura during the July uprising.
The application was submitted on Tuesday to the registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
The verdict in the case is scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. However, citing certain complications, the prosecution has requested the tribunal not to pronounce the judgment and to defer it instead.
Allegations of investigative negligence have emerged in the Rampura case. One such allegation is that a police officer who allegedly ordered the shooting was not made an accused despite the existence of call records. In addition, statements from new witnesses are yet to be recorded. The prosecution has therefore sought a postponement of the verdict to allow further witness examination.
Earlier, on February 3, the closing arguments in the case were concluded. The prosecution claimed that documentary evidence, video footage and eyewitness testimony clearly established the involvement of five accused persons, and sought the maximum punishment for them. Defence lawyer, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty on behalf of their clients and sought acquittal.
On February 15, Tribunal-1 fixed the date for delivery of the verdict. The five accused include former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman. Among them, former Assistant Sub-Inspector Chanchal Chandra Sarkar of the Rampura Police Outpost is currently under arrest.
The other accused who remain at large are former Additional Deputy Commissioner of Khilgaon Zone Md Rashedul Islam, former Officer-in-Charge of Rampura Police Station Md Mashiur Rahman, and former Sub-Inspector Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan of the same station.
State defence counsel Md Amir Hossain is representing Habibur Rahman and the four other accused.
It may be recalled that on July 19, 2024, during student-led protests, a young man named Amir Hossain climbed onto an under-construction building beside the Banasree–Meradia road in Rampura to escape a police assault. Police reportedly followed him. At one point, while he was hanging from iron rods on the cornice of the rooftop, a police officer allegedly fired six rounds at him, leaving him seriously injured. On the same day, Nadim and Maya Islam were shot dead by police in the Banasree area.
The prosecution submitted formal charges in the case on August 7, 2025. Subsequently, on September 18, the tribunal framed charges against the five accused and ordered the commencement of trial proceedings.