The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday formally filed charges against Awami League joint general secretary and former lawmaker Mahbubul Alam Hanif and three local party leaders for their alleged role in the killing of six protesters during the July 2024 uprising in Kushtia.
The other accused are Kushtia District Awami League president Md Sadar Uddin Khan, general secretary Md Ali Asgar Ali, and Kushtia Town Awami League general secretary Ataur Rahman Ata.
Prosecutor Mizanul Islam submitted the charges before the three-member ICT-2 bench, headed by Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury. The tribunal has scheduled Monday to decide whether to take cognisance of the three counts. All four accused are reportedly at large.
According to the prosecution, Hanif and the three leaders met at the Kushtia Awami League office on July 27, 2024, and allegedly instructed their followers to use “maximum force” against protesters, labeling them criminals.
The second charge alleges that Hanif, along with Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, made inflammatory remarks at a press conference at the party president’s office in Dhanmondi on July 15, 2024. They reportedly claimed the Awami League and Chhatra League could contain the student movement and described the protesters as Jamaat-e-Islami members, criminals, and communal forces — statements the prosecution says were intended to justify violence.
The third charge alleges that on August 5, 2024, Hanif and the three Kushtia leaders coordinated an attack on unarmed protesters, during which party activists, with police support, opened fire. Between 1:30 pm and 4:00 pm, six people were shot dead across Kushtia. The victims were identified as labourer Ashraful Islam, trader Babul Farazi, jobholder Yunus, and students Abdullah Al Mustakin, Md Usama, and Suruz Ali Babu. They were participating in or supporting the student-led 'March to Dhaka' programme.
Earlier, on September 25, the tribunal received eight counts of crimes against humanity charges against detained Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasod) president Hasanul Haq Inu for his alleged command responsibility over the violent crackdown in Kushtia and other areas, which also include the killing of the six protesters.
