58 killings tied to Shapla Chattar crackdown

Investigators have identified 58 killings linked to the crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam’s Shapla Chattar rally in Dhaka and four districts on May 5–6, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal’s (ICT) chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said yesterday.

He confirmed the figure based on post-mortem reports, burial site identifications, and statements from victims’ families. Of the victims, 32 were in Dhaka, 20 in Narayanganj, five in Chattogram, and one in Cumilla.

Aminul said the number of accused would be “no fewer than 30,” with six already arrested, including a former inspector general of police, though identities were not disclosed at this stage of investigation.

He indicated responsibility may extend to the highest levels of government under the doctrine of superior command responsibility. “From the head of government to force chiefs and police commissioners, many may be involved.”

He stated that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina would be the principal accused, adding, “We have found her involvement, along with others.”

Asked about sacked army officer and former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre Ziaul Ahsan, Aminul said Ziaul was directly involved and present at the scene.

The investigation, being pursued as a crimes against humanity case, is at its final stage. Families of all identified victims have been interviewed, and evidence has been collected for each killing.

“We are not going beyond what the investigation has established,” Aminul said, responding to questions about higher casualty figures previously claimed in political statements.

The probe has examined the role of law enforcement agencies, ruling party activists, and the government.

“Certainly, law enforcement, the Awami League, and the government are within the scope,” Aminul said.

He added that former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun had initially been considered an accused, but investigators later received information that he was abroad at the time, which is being verified.

Replying to another query, Aminul said the prosecution believes the incident may constitute crimes against humanity, citing elements of a “systematic and widespread attack” and “targeted killings” against a specific group.

On March 12, the ICT issued arrest warrants for Hasina, former home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, former IGP Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, former DMP commissioner Benazir Ahmed, and Gonojagoron Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker over the killings.

Meanwhile, prosecution witness Shafiqul Islam, a madrasa principal and imam in Purbachal, yesterday completed his testimony before ICT-1.

He described his enforced disappearance after being abducted in 2022 in a case involving 17 individuals, including former top officials and army officers, linked to a Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell allegedly operated under the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).

Shafiqul said he was picked up from Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on January 13, 2022, and spent 38 days in secret detention at Rab-1 headquarters before being taken to Nilphamari. There, Rab showed him arrested in a false case, from which he secured bail after 16 months.

He recalled a Rab member telling him in Nilphamari, “Were you in Rab-1? No one returns from there! Allah has saved you and that’s why you have come here.”

With the help of investigators, he later identified the detention centre on the Rab-1 premises, noting he heard azan, vehicles, trains, and aircraft during his confinement.

Shafiqul claimed he was subjected to enforced disappearance and torture for speaking out against the Awami League over the killing of Hefazat supporters and demanding justice.