ICT verdict in Chankharpul 6 murder case postponed to January 26

The verdict in the International Crimes Tribunal case concerning crimes against humanity related to the killing of six people in Dhaka's Chankharpul area during the July uprising has been postponed to January 26.

The three-member bench of Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Golam Mortaza Majumder, had been scheduled to pronounce the judgment today, January 20. 

Proceedings began around 11:30 am, with the chairman noting that the day was set for the verdict. However, since the full judgment writing was not yet ready, the tribunal deferred it and fixed the new date of January 26.

This follows the conclusion of arguments from both the prosecution and defense sides on December 24, when the tribunal originally set January 20 for the verdict.

The case involves eight accused, including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman. Four of them—former Inspector (Operations) of Shahbagh Police Station Md. Arshad Hossain, Constable Md. Sujan Mia, Md. Imaz Hossain Emon, and Md. Nasirul Islam—are in custody and were produced before the tribunal today. 

The remaining four are absconding: former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former DMP Joint Commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty, former Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ramna region Shah Alam Md. Akhtarul Islam, and former Assistant Commissioner of Ramna region Mohammad Imrul.

The tribunal framed charges against all eight on July 14 this year and ordered the trial to proceed. 

Testimony and cross-examination of 26 witnesses were completed over 23 working days, starting from November 12.

The incident occurred on August 5, 2024, when police opened fire during a peaceful student-led movement in the Chankharpul area of the capital. This resulted in multiple casualties, with six individuals killed: Shahriar Khan Anas, Sheikh Junaid, Md. Yakub, Md. Rakib Howlader, Md. Ismamul Haque, and Manik Mia Shahrik.