The International Crimes Tribunal has formally accepted charges against 19 individuals, including former Member of Parliament Saiful Islam, in a crimes against humanity case over the killing of student Shaikh Ashhabul Yamin in Savar during the 2024 July Uprising.
The tribunal also issued arrest warrants for 13 absconding accused and ordered that six others currently arrested in connection with other cases be produced in court on August 25.
The three-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal-2, headed by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, took formal cognizance of the charges on Sunday.
The other members of the panel were Judge Md Monjurul Basid and Judge Noor Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
Prosecuting lawyer Gazi MH Tamim argued for the state, praying to accept the formal charges following an evaluation of the primary allegations. He simultaneously applied for arrest warrants against the fugitives and orders for producing before the court those already in custody.
Following the hearing, the tribunal granted the prosecution's prayers.
The 19 accused includes Additional SP (Crime and Ops, Dhaka District) Abdullahil Kafi, DIG (Dhaka Range) Syed Nurul Islam, SP Asaduzzaman Ripon, Additional SP (Savar Circle) Shahidul Islam, Savar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahzaman, Ashulia Police Station Officer-in-Charge AFM Sayeed, former Dhaka-16 MP Saiful Islam, and former Savar Upazila Chairman Monjurul Alam Rajib.
Six of the accused are currently in custody in separate cases, while the remaining 13 are absconding.
According to the case details, the victim, Yamin was a fourth-year student in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).
On July 18, 2024, police officers and Awami League personnel launched an attack on an Students Against Discrimination rally at Savar bus stand.
Attackers grabbed Yamin, dragged him toward a police armoured vehicle, and shot him in the left side of his chest at approximately 1:30pm. Multiple splinters penetrated his chest. On-duty police officers then hoisted the critically injured student onto the roof of the armoured vehicle and drove back and forth across the area to terrorize demonstrators.
Yamin was subsequently dumped onto the street near death.
An officer exiting the armoured vehicle was instructed to shoot him in the leg again. Believing Yamin was already dead, the officer refrained from firing but dragged his body across the street, leaving him beside a road divider.
Bystanders noticed Yamin was still breathing and rushed him to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, where attending doctors declared him dead on arrival.