Crime against humanity: ICT accepts charges against ex-DMP chief Habibur, 4 others

The International Crimes Tribunal today accepted charges against five former police officials, including the then DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, over the killing of two people and the shooting and injuring of two others in Rampura during the July Uprising.

The tribunal also issued arrest warrants for four accused who remain at large and scheduled the next hearing for August 17.

Apart from former DMP chief Habibur, the other accused are former additional deputy commissioner Rashedul Islam; then Rampura Police Station officer-in-charge Mashiur Rahman; then sub-inspector of the police station Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan; and then Rampura police outpost assistant sub-inspector Chanchal Chandra Sarkar.

Only Chanchal is in custody at present, while the remaining four are on the run.

According to the prosecution, the case was filed over over the crimes against humanity committed in the capital's Rampura during the July uprising.

On August 7, the prosecution submitted formal charges at the ICT against the five former police officials.

On July 19, six-year-old Musa was shot and critically injured during police action. The same bullet fatally struck his grandmother, Maya Begum, after passing through the child's body. Musa survived after treatment, but his grandmother died.

Another victim, Md Nadim, was also shot dead during the same incident.

In a separate incident that day, a video went viral on social media showing a young man, later identified as 18-year-old Amir Hossain, hanging from the ledge of an under-construction building. The video appeared to show two policemen shooting at him at close range while he clung to the edge, desperately trying to save himself.