Rangpur: The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) today framed charges in a crime against humanity case concerning the killing of Begum Rokeya University (BRU) student Abu Sayed during the July-August Mass Uprising of 2024. The tribunal, led by Justice Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, dismissed discharge petitions submitted by the defense for some of the accused.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, six of the 30 accused were present in court and pleaded not guilty. The individuals in custody and facing trial include former BRU proctor Shariful Islam, former assistant registrar Rafiul Hasan Russel, former staffer Md Anwar Pervej, former sub-inspector Amir Hossain, former constable Sujan Chandra Roy, and former general secretary of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League university unit, Imran Chowdhury Akash.
Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam advocated for the framing of charges during the hearing on July 30. In contrast, defense counsels had filed discharge petitions for three of the detained accused a day earlier, on July 29. Advocates Azizur Rahman Dulu, Aminul Gani Titu, and Salauddin Regan represented Sujan Chandra Roy, Shariful Islam, and Imran Chowdhury Akash, respectively.
Previously, on July 22, the tribunal appointed six state defense counsels to represent fugitive accused individuals, enabling the trial to proceed in absentia. An arrest warrant for 26 fugitives, including former BRU vice-chancellor Professor Dr. Md Hasibur Rashid, was issued on June 30 after the tribunal accepted the formal charges submitted by the prosecution.
The investigation agency submitted its report on June 24, charging 30 individuals, including a former commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police. On June 15, the first tribunal gave the prosecution a one-month deadline to submit the investigation report, which led to the interrogation of four arrestees: Amir Hossain and Sujan Chandra Roy on June 18, and Shariful Islam and Imran Chowdhury Akash on June 19. The tribunal formally acknowledged the arrest of these four accused on April 9.
According to the prosecution’s account, on July 16, 2024, just before Abu Sayed’s murder, then-proctor Shariful Islam and BCL activists expelled students from the BRU campus. During this altercation, two policemen allegedly shot and killed Sayed at close range. The martyr’s family filed a complaint on January 13, 2025, accusing 25 individuals in connection with the killing.