Three Policemen Sentenced to Death over July Uprising Murders

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has delivered a landmark verdict in a crimes against humanity case involving the fatal shooting of a young man clinging to a building ledge and the murders of two others in the capital’s Rampura area during the July mass uprising. The court sentenced three former police officers to death, whilst awarding life imprisonment to another and a 20-year jail term to a fifth accomplice.

A three-member judicial bench, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, pronounced the judgment on Sunday. The other members of the tribunal panel were Justice Shafiul Alam and Justice Mohitul Hoque Enam Chowdhury. This marks the fifth verdict delivered in connection with the human rights violations perpetrated by state forces during the anti-government demonstrations.

Sentences and the Status of the Accused

The three high-ranking police officials handed the death penalty are the former Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Habibur Rahman, former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of the DMP’s Khilgaon zone, Md Rashedul Islam, and the former Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rampura Police Station, Md Mashiur Rahman. All three capital convicts remain at large. Notably, former Commissioner Habibur Rahman had previously received a separate death sentence in another murder case related to atrocities in Chankharpul.

The tribunal sentenced former Sub-Inspector (SI) of Rampura Police Station, Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan, to life imprisonment. He is also currently absconding. Meanwhile, Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, a former Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Rampura police outpost, was handed a 20-year prison sentence. Sarkar is the only convict in custody and was produced before the tribunal under heavy security for the verdict announcement.

The Three Specific Counts of Atrocities

The prosecution successfully established three distinct charges of state-sponsored violence against the accused, all occurring on 19 July 2024 in the Rampura-Banasree area:

• The First Charge: The targeted shooting and murder of a citizen named Md Nadim Hossain during the early afternoon hours in Banasree.

• The Second Charge: The severe wounding of Amir Hossain, a young man who was shot whilst desperately hanging from the cornice of a building under construction to escape police gunfire.

• The Third Charge: A late afternoon shooting where a single bullet pierced through the head of a seven-year-old boy, Basit Khan Musa, and fatally struck his grandmother, Maya Islam.

Timeline of the Judicial Proceedings

The investigation agency submitted its formal probe report to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office on 31 July last year. Following a thorough review of the evidence, the prosecution filed formal charges before the tribunal on 7 August.

The tribunal framed indictment charges against the accused on 18 September, with the deposition of witnesses commencing on 23 October. The evidentiary phase concluded on 13 January, followed by the completion of closing arguments from both sides on 3 February. Although the court initially scheduled the verdict for 4 March, the date was deferred following a petition by the prosecution. The tribunal eventually fixed Sunday as the final date to deliver this long-awaited judgment.