Shapla Chattar Mass Killing: Prosecution Brings Formal Charges Against Sheikh Hasina, 40 Others

The prosecution on Monday formally submitted charges against ousted former prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former army chief General Aziz Ahmed and 39 others in a crimes against humanity case linked to the deaths surrounding the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka's Motijheel.

The charge sheet was filed with the registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) at around 10:45am by Prosecutor Zahirul Amin, accompanied by Prosecutor Marzina Raihan.

The case is set to be heard later in the day by ICT-1, a three-member bench headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder.

Of the 41 accused, nine are currently in custody. They include former minister Dr Dipu Moni, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan, former inspector general of police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque, former deputy inspector general (DIG) Mollah Nazrul Islam, Shahriar Kabir, president of the advisory council of the Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondal, journalist Farzana Rupa, and Mozammel Babu.

According to the prosecution, investigators have identified 58 deaths connected to the violence surrounding the Hefazat rally held on 5 May 2013 across four locations. Of those, 32 occurred in Dhaka, 20 in Narayanganj, five in Chattogram and one in Cumilla.

The case centres on allegations of crimes against humanity arising from the operation to disperse the Hefazat-e-Islam rally, which had been organised to press the group's 13-point demands.

After a day of clashes and unrest, a joint force comprising the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) cleared Shapla Chattar late that night. The operation remains one of Bangladesh's most debated and controversial political crackdowns.