ICT sets 6 April for charge hearing against Hasina, 7 others in Kallyanpur 'Jahajbari' case
The date was fixed today by a three-member bench of the tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) has set 6 April for a hearing on framing charges against eight individuals, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a crimes against humanity case linked to the 2016 Kallyanpur "Jahajbari" incident in which nine people were shot dead.
The date was fixed today (8 March) by a three-member bench of the tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar.
During the proceedings, Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim represented the prosecution and applied for the appointment of state defence counsel for the six accused who remain absconding in the case.
He also sought time for the hearing on the formal framing of charges. The tribunal subsequently set 6 April for the hearing.
Earlier, on 22 February, the tribunal ordered the publication of notices in two national newspapers directing the fugitives to appear before the court. They were scheduled to appear today.
Two of the accused in the case – former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque and former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia – have been arrested.
The other accused include former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former DMP additional commissioner Sheikh Muhammad Maruf Hasan, former Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime chief Monirul Islam, former DMP joint commissioner (crime) Krishna Pada Roy, and former joint commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) Abdul Baten.
They are currently absconding.
On 29 January, the tribunal took cognisance of the formal charges submitted by the prosecution against the eight accused and issued arrest warrants against them.
The case relates to a police Counter Terrorism unit operation at a building in Kallyanpur, Dhaka, known as "Jahajbari", on the night of 25 July 2016. The operation, named "Operation Storm-26", left nine youths dead after they were shot.
Following the political changeover on 5 August 2024 and the reconstitution of the International Crimes Tribunal, the tribunal's investigation agency and the prosecution began investigating the incident.
