Charges Filed Against Hasina, Aziz Over Shapla Crackdown

Hefazat-e-Islam activists attend a rally on May 5, 2013, in Motijheel, Dhaka. File Photo: Collected

The prosecution on Monday submitted formal charges against 41 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, over the alleged crackdown on the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka on May 5, 2013.

Prosecutor Zahirul Amin submitted the charge sheet to the Registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) at around 10:45am, accompanied by Prosecutor Marjina Raihan.

A three-member bench of ICT Tribunal-2, headed by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, is scheduled to hold a hearing on the charges.

Nine accused are currently in custody in the case. They include former minister Dr Dipu Moni, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, former Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque, former DIG Mollah Nazrul Islam, Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee advisory board president Shahriar Kabir, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondal, and journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu.

According to the prosecution, 58 people were killed at four locations, including Dhaka, in connection with the Hefazat rally on May 5, 2013.

The investigation agency identified 32 victims in Dhaka, 20 in Narayanganj, five in Chattogram and one in Cumilla, the prosecution said.