Dhaka: The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 convicted and sentenced three individuals, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman, to death for crimes against humanity committed in Chankharpul, where six people were killed on August 5, 2024. The two other convicts facing the death penalty are former DMP Joint Commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty and former Additional Deputy Commissioner Shah Alam Mohammad Akhtarul Islam.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the tribunal also ordered the confiscation of the properties of the three condemned convicts. All three, along with another convict, remain at large. The tribunal, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, delivered the judgment at 12:35 p.m. in a crowded courtroom, emphasizing the superior command responsibility of the convicts over their subordinates.
The tribunal further sentenced former assistant commissioner of DMP’s Ramna Zone, Mohammad Imrul, to six years’ imprisonment. Imrul has not yet been arrested and was tried in absentia. Former inspector Md Arshad Hossain received a four-year imprisonment sentence, while former constables Md Sujon, Imaj Hossain Emon, and Nasirul Islam were each sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The judgment highlighted that Shah Alam Mohammad Akhtarul Islam forced lower-ranking policemen to take up arms and open fire on protesters, even handing over a Chinese rifle to constable Sujon after another constable refused to fire. The tribunal observed that the lower-ranking policemen had little choice but to follow orders from their superiors.
Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment and announced plans to file an appeal. He acknowledged the customary practice of expressing gratitude after a court judgment but emphasized the intention to challenge the verdict.
The judgment, initially scheduled for January 20, was postponed to January 26 due to delays in finalizing the verdict. The prosecution submitted the formal charge against the eight accused on May 25, 2025, marking the first formal charge filed at the ICT in cases related to the July-August mass uprising. The tribunal indicted the eight on July 14.
The six victims, Shahriar Khan Anas, Sheikh Mahdi Hasan Zunayed, Md Yakub, Md Rakib Hawlader, Md Ismamul Haque, and Manik Miah, were killed on August 5, 2024, in Chankharpul. The tribunal’s investigation agency submitted a 90-page probe report on April 20, 2025. This is the second judgment delivered by the reconstituted tribunal.