A complaint has been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal on charges of genocide at a Hefazat-e-Islam rally in the capital’s Motijheel’s Shapla Square in 2013. The complaint was filed on Tuesday. Sheikh Hasina and 50 others have been named as accused in it.
Hefazat-e-Islam Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque said that during the previous Awami League government, this massacre was not tried. On the contrary, everyone was detained and tortured for years under false cases. Now, he demanded that a fair trial be ensured for this incident during the tenure of the interim government.
Tribunal prosecutor MH Tamim said that they have filed the complaint because the massacre by RAB police at the Hefazat rally falls under the category of genocide under the International Crimes Tribunal Act-1973. Their complaint will be sent to the tribunal’s investigation agency soon.
The charges include former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Minister Rashed Khan Menon, former Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, former Minister Hasan Mahmud, former MP Haji Selim, former Prime Minister’s Advisor Salman F Rahman, former Narayanganj MP Shamim Osman, former Prime Minister’s Advisor Tariq Ahmed Siddiqui, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, former IGP Benazir Ahmed, former RAB Additional Director General Ziaul Ahmed, DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Harun Or Rashid, former DMP Deputy Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar, President of the 1970s Murderous Broker Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir, Nirmul Committee member Professor Muntasir Mamun, former Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Turin Afroz, Convener of the Ganajagaran Mancha Imran H Sarkar, Former CEO of Ekattor TV Mozammel Haque Babu, former Managing Director and CEO of Somoy TV Ahmed Jobayer, Editor of ABnews24.com Subhas Singha Roy, former Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Naimul Islam Khan, former Army Chief Aziz Ahmed and NSI’s Md. Manzur Ahmed, along with 50 others, have been made accused.
On May 5, 2013, thousands of activists and supporters of Hefazat gathered at Shapla Chattar in the capital. That night, a joint force of RAB police cut off electricity and conducted a raid.