Formal charges have been submitted against 16 individuals, including former Member of Parliament Muhammad Saiful Islam, in a case over the killing and burning of six people in Ashulia, Savar — on the outskirts of Dhaka — during the July 2024 mass uprising.
The prosecution submitted the charges to the registrar’s office of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Tuesday (July 2).
The prosecution has named 11 individuals as accused in the case. They are former Member of Parliament Muhammad Saiful Islam; former Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Savar Circle Md Shahidul Islam; former Additional Superintendent of Police of Dhaka district Abdullahil Kafi; former Officer-in-Charge (in-charge) of Ashulia Police Station AFM Sayed (Roni); former Inspector Md. Arafat Hossain of Dhaka District Detective Branch (DB) North; former Sub-Inspectors Abdul Malek, Arafat Uddin, Sheikh Abzalul Haque, Bishwajit Saha, Kamrul Hasan of Ashulia Police Station; and former Constable Mukul Chokdar.
Out of these 11 accused, eight have been arrested and are currently in custody. Today, seven of them were produced before the tribunal.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, is scheduled to hear the case today.
On August 5 last year, six youths were killed in police firing in Ashulia, Savar. Their bodies were then taken away in a police van and set on fire. The victims were identified as Sazzad Hossain (Sojal), As Sabur, Tanzil Mahmud Sujay, Bayezid Bustami, and Abul Hossain. The identity of the sixth victim remains unknown.
According to the prosecution, during the brutal incident, one victim was still alive but was not spared. The perpetrators poured petrol on the person and burnt them alive.
On September 11 last year, a case was filed at the International Crimes Tribunal accusing the perpetrators of crimes against humanity.