ICT-2 adjourns indictment hearing in Abu Sayed killing case till Wednesday

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 has adjourned till Wednesday the hearing on charge-framing in a crimes against humanity case lodged over the killing of Begum Rokeya University (BRU) student Abu Sayed during the July-August Mass Uprising.

The three-judge panel of ICT-2, led by Justice Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, passed the order as counsels for three of the six accused, who have been arrested and facing the trial in person, moved discharge petitions for their clients on Tuesday.

Advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu argued for Sujan Chandra, advocate Aminul Gani Titu for Shariful Islam and advocate Salauddin Regan stood for the accused Imran Chowdhury Akash.

The tribunal also fixed four state defence counsels to defend the cases for 24 fugitive accused and set tomorrow to place their arguments in the case.

Earlier, on July 22, the second tribunal had ordered the appointment of six state defence counsels to represent 24 fugitive accused to facilitate trial in absentia.

The ICT-2 on June 30 issued arrest warrants against 26 accused, including the former vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Professor Dr Md Hasibur Rashid. The tribunal passed the order after taking the formal charges submitted by the prosecution into cognisance.

On June 24, the investigation agency of the ICT filed its probe report in the case, bringing charges against 30 individuals, including a former commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police.

The first tribunal, on June 15, had granted the prosecution one month to submit the investigation report in the case.

It had also allowed the investigation agency to interrogate former sub-inspector of police Amir Hossain and former constable Sujan Chandra Roy on June 18, and former BRU proctor Shariful Islam and general secretary of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) university unit, Imran Chowdhury Akash, on June 19.

The tribunal had shown the four arrested in the case on April 9.

According to the prosecution, before the killing of Abu Sayed on July 16, 2024, the proctor Shariful and leaders and activists of BCL attacked university students and forced them off the campus. At one point, two policemen shot and killed Abu Sayed from close range, prosecution lawyer Muhammad Tajul Islam earlier said.

Family members of martyr Abu Sayed filed a complaint on January 13 against 25 people over his killing.