The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday ordered 15 army officers into jail custody after they were shown arrested in three separate cases involving allegations of enforced disappearances, killings, and other crimes against humanity said to have been committed during the Awami League regime.
A three-member bench of ICT-1, headed by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder and comprising Justice Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and Judge Md Mohitul Haq Enam Chowdhury, passed the order following a petition hearing.
The accused, who had been in custody over the allegations, were brought to the tribunal under heavy security around 7:15am.
Their bail petitions were rejected, and the court directed that they be sent to prison.
Senior officers
Those ordered to jail include former Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) additional director general Brig Gen Md Jahangir Alam, Brig Gen Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Brig Gen Md Kamrul Hasan, Brig Gen Md Mahbub Alam, Brig Gen KM Azad, Col Abdullah Al Momen, and Col Anwar Latif Khan (currently on retirement leave).
Also detained are former RAB intelligence officials Lt Col Md Mashiur Rahman, Lt Col Saiful Islam Sumon, Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lt Col Mohammad Redwanul Islam, and former Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officer Maj Md Rafat-bin-Alam.
In addition, the tribunal ordered the imprisonment of three former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) directors: Maj Gen Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Brig Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui, and Brig Gen Ahmed Tanvir Majahar Siddiqui.
Cases implicating 34 accused
According to the prosecution, 34 individuals—including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina—have been named across the three cases.
One case lists 17 accused, another 13, and the third four. Hasina has been named in two of the cases. Of the 25 army officers charged, 15 are now in custody.
Security was tightened across Dhaka from early morning, with police, RAB, BGB, and army personnel deployed in Kakrail, Matsya Bhaban, Paltan, and the High Court’s Mazargate area.
Allegations detailed
The first case alleges that opposition figures were abducted, secretly detained, and tortured inside the Task Force Interrogation (TFI) cell operated by RAB during the Awami League’s tenure.
Formal charges naming Hasina and 16 others were submitted on October 8.
The second case accuses Hasina and 12 others of involvement in enforced disappearances carried out at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC), also known as “Aynaghar.”
The third case charges four officers, including BGB’s Lt Col Redwanul Islam, with crimes against humanity for the killing of 28 people during the July–August movement in Rampura.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam presented the charges before the tribunal and requested that they be accepted for trial.
After a preliminary hearing, the tribunal issued arrest warrants and ordered the accused to appear on Wednesday, leading to their detention.
