Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 40 others in connection with the alleged crimes against humanity during the May 5, 2013 crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam’s rally at Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar.
The ICT-2 on Monday took cognisance of the formal charges brought against 41 people, including Hasina, and approved the prosecution’s plea seeking arrest warrants against the fugitive accused. The case will now proceed through the tribunal’s legal process.
Besides Hasina, the accused include former home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former information ministers Hasanul Haq Inu and Hasan Mahmud, former state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku, several former Awami League ministers and senior leaders, former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, former inspectors general of police Benazir Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, Shahidul Hoque and Mohammad Javed Patwary, along with former senior officials of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The charge sheet also names Gonojagoron Mancha convener Dr Imran H Sarker, Sector Commanders Forum president Shahriar Kabir, Channel 71 Managing Director Mozammel Haque Babu and journalist Farzana Rupa.
Earlier, ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said investigators had identified 58 deaths linked to the crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam’s Shapla Chattar rally in Dhaka and four other districts on May 5-6, 2013. The prosecution said the figure was based on witness accounts, documents and other evidence collected during the investigation.
On May 5, 2013, Hefazat-e-Islam called a “Dhaka blockade” programme over its 13-point charter of demands, including stopping activities it described as anti-Islamic, protecting religious values and taking action against bloggers accused of hurting religious sentiments.
Thousands of Hefazat supporters gathered at Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar in Dhaka as part of the programme. Late that night, security forces launched an operation to disperse the gathering. The exact number of deaths during the operation remains disputed. While the then Awami League government reported limited casualties, Hefazat and several human rights groups alleged a much higher death toll. The Shapla Chattar operation remains one of the most controversial episodes in Bangladesh’s recent political history.