2013 Hefajat-e-Islam rally: ICT case filed against Hasina

A complaint was filed with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal today accusing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 23 others of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013.

Supreme Court lawyer Gazi MH Tamim filed the complaint on behalf of Mufti Harun Ijahar Chowdhury, joint secretary general (education and law) of Hefajat.

"We registered the complaint, and thus the investigation has started from today," Ataur Rahman, deputy director (admin) of the investigation agency, told The Daily Star today.

"Once we complete preliminary investigation and visit the place of occurrence and the tribunal is reconstituted, we, through the prosecution, will seek arrest warrants against the accused," he said.

This is the fourth complaint filed with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal accusing Hasina.

Of the four, three are connected to the recent violence centring the quota reform movement, which ultimately turned into a mass uprising that toppled the Hasina-led Awami League government.

The 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 advisor 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; Ziaul Ahmed, former additional director general of 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 Gonojagoron 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.

Besides them, some unnamed ministers, state ministers and lawmakers, unnamed individuals from law enforcement agencies and the then policy makers of some electronic and print media were accused.