The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday took cognizance of formal charges in a case involving crimes against humanity, including the widely publicized shooting of a student who was hanging from the cornice of a building in the capital’s Rampura area during the 2024 anti-discrimination student movement.
Of the five accused, the tribunal also issued arrest warrants against four, including fugitive and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Habibur Rahman.
The next hearing is scheduled for August 17.
The three-member bench of the tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, passed the order following a submission by the prosecution. Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim represented the prosecution during the hearing.
On Thursday, prosecutors Faruk Ahmed and Saimum Reza Talukder submitted the formal charges to the tribunal registrar, outlining severe allegations against the accused.
Others charged in the case are former additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Khilgaon zone under DMP Md Rashedul Islam, former officer-in-charge (OC) of Rampura police station Md Mashiur Rahman, former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Rampura police outpost Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, and former sub-inspector (SI) of Rampura police station Turiqul Islam Bhuiyan.
Former ASI Chanchal Chandra Sarkar was arrested by DMP police on January 26. He was produced before the tribunal on January 28, after which the court ordered his detention.
According to the case documents, on July 19, 2024, victim Amir Hossain was returning home after offering Jummah prayers.
Suddenly, he was caught between protesters and police, and law enforcers began firing at him. Amir ran to the fourth floor of an under-construction building and took shelter.
At one stage, police chased protesters up to the fourth floor. They repeatedly ordered him to jump down at gunpoint.
A policeman fired several shots to scare him. Out of fear, Amir jumped and hung from the rod of the under-construction building.
Then, a policeman on the third floor fired six shots at Amir, hitting his legs. When the police left, Amir jumped and somehow landed on the third floor. Blood was pouring from his legs.
About three hours later, a student and two doctors rescued Amir, took him to a local hospital, and later transferred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Amir Hossain survived the incident.
Apart from this, the accused have also been charged with killing two people in the area on the same day
