A new complaint has been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on Tuesday, accusing ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 23 others, including journalists Mozammel Haque Babu, Ahmed Zobayer, Subhash Singh Roy and Naimul Islam Khan.
Charges of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013, have been brought in the case statement.
Supreme Court lawyer Gazi MH Tamim filed the complaint on behalf of Mufti Harun Ijhar Chowdhury, joint secretary general (education and law) of Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh.
Ataur Rahman, deputy director (admin) of the investigation agency, told the FE that they have registered the complaint, and thus the investigation has already been started from Tuesday.
He further said that now there is no judge and prosecutor in the tribunal. And after the reconstitution of the tribunal they, through the prosecution, will seek arrest warrants against the accused.
This is the fourth complaint filed with the ICT against Sheikh Hasina.
Of the four, three are connected to the recent violence centring the anti-quota student movement, which ultimately turned into a mass uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led government. Apart from Sheikh Hasina, other accused are Obaidul Quader, AL general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister; Reshed Khan Menon, former minister; Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, former mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation; Hasan Mahmud, former minister; Haji Selim, former lawmaker; Salman F Rahman, former adviser to prime minister; Shamim Osman, former Narayanganj lawmaker; Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former security advisor to the prime minister; AKM Shahidul Haque, former inspector general of police. Benazir Ahmed, former inspector general of police.
The list also includes the names of Ziaul Ahsan, former additional director general of the RAB; Harun Or Rashid, former additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP); Biplab Kumer Sarker, former deputy commissioner of DMP; Shahriar Kabir, president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee; Prof Muntassir Mamoon, member of Nirmul Committee; Tureen Afroz, former prosecutor of ICT and member of Nirmul Committee; Imran H Sarker, convener of Ganajagaran Mancha; Mozammel Haque Babu, chairman of Ekattor TV; Ahmed Zobayer, former managing director and CEO of Somoy TV; Subhash Singha Roy, editor of ABnews24.com; Naimul Islam Khan, former press secretary of prime minister; Aziz Ahmed, former army chief; and M Manzur Ahmed, former DG of NSI.
According to a statistics of Odhikar, a human rights organisation, a total of 61 people died during the Awami League-led government crackdown on a rally of Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on May 5 and 6 in 2013.
The ousted AL government, however, put the number of deaths at 13.
Meanwhile, another murder case has been filed against Sheikh Hasina and 48 others over the death of Kabi Nazrul College Student Omar Faruq at Laxmibazar area in the city on July 19 during the movement.
The deceased's mother, Kulsum Akter, filed the case with the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Tariqul Islam. After recording statement of the complainant the judge asked the Sutrapur Police Station to register the statement as an FIR (First Information Report).
Another murder case was filed against Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul and 17 others over the death of a fruit trader in Jatrabari area of the capital during the movement.
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