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Staff Correspondent
Dhaka: The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, and other fugitive accused in a crimes against humanity case over the killings that occurred during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Square in Motijheel on May 5, 2013.
The order was issued on Monday (July 27) by a three-member bench of International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam, after taking cognizance of the prosecution’s formal charges. The tribunal also ordered the arrest of all accused who remain at large.
The prosecution submitted the formal charges, prompting the tribunal to issue the warrants. Of the 41 individuals charged in the case, nine are currently in custody. They include former minister Dr. Dipu Moni, former State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan, former IGP AKM Shahidul Hoque, former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Molla Nazrul Islam, writer and researcher Shahriar Kabir, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondal, journalist Farzana Rupa, and journalist Mozammel Babu.
The charge sheet also names several former ministers, members of parliament, political leaders, senior law enforcement officials, and officers from the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and the police. Among those listed are former Home Minister Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Dr. Abdur Razzaque, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Bahauddin Nasim, Latif Siddiqui, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Dr. Imran H. Sarker, former IGP Hasan Mahmud Khandker, Mohammad Javed Patwary, former RAB Director General Mokhlesur Rahman, and numerous other officials from various security agencies.
Earlier, the prosecution stated that its investigation had found evidence that 58 people were killed in the Shapla Square incident. According to the prosecution, the killings took place during a late-night operation by law enforcement agencies following the Hefazat-e-Islam rally on May 5, 2013.