The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 on Sunday sentenced three of the five accused, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Habibur Rahman, to death in a crimes against humanity case over the shooting of a young man hanging from the cornice of a building and the killing of two others in Rampura during the July mass uprising.
Besides fugitive former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, the tribunal handed death sentences to former additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Md Rashedul Islam of DMP's Khilgaon Zone and former Rampura Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Md Mashiur Rahman.
The tribunal also sentenced fugitive former sub-inspector Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan to life imprisonment, while former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, the only accused in custody, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The verdict was delivered by a three-member bench of ICT-1 led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder.
Earlier, on June 15, the tribunal fixed June 28 for delivering the verdict after concluding arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
During the second round of closing arguments, defence counsel Sarwar Jahan Nippon argued on behalf of Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, claiming that his client had no involvement in the incident.
Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam sought the maximum punishment for all five accused.
After hearing both sides, the tribunal fixed the date for delivering the verdict.
Earlier, on June 10, Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, who was serving as an ASI at the Rampura police outpost at the time of the incident, testified again in his defence. During his testimony, he also brought allegations against a prosecutor. He had earlier testified in his defence on January 13 this year.
Apart from Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, all other accused remain absconding. They are former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman; former ADC of DMP's Khilgaon Zone Md Rashedul Islam; former Rampura Police Station OC Md Mashiur Rahman; and former SI Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan.
The prosecution submitted the formal charges on August 7, 2025. On September 18, 2025, ICT-1 framed charges against the five accused and ordered the trial to begin.
The verdict was initially scheduled to be delivered on March 4. However, the prosecution later sought permission to submit fresh digital evidence. As a result, Amir Hossain, the prosecution's first witness, was recalled to testify.