Rampura crackdown during July uprising was part of 'state policy', tribunal observes
Three former police officials sentenced to death over killings and attacks during the 2024 July Uprising; tribunal says protesters were unarmed.
Highlights:
- Tribunal holds three senior officers responsible for two killings and two attempted killings.
- Three former senior police officials sentenced to death in crimes against humanity case.
- Verdict says protesters were unarmed and police were instructed to use 'maximum force.'
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has described the attacks on unarmed protesters in Dhaka's Rampura and Banasree areas during the July uprising as a "widespread and systematic" attack directed against a civilian population as part of "state policy".
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The violence formed part of a broader nationwide campaign to suppress the movement, during which lethal force was used under a chain of command that authorised the maximum use of force against protesters, the tribunal said in the 147-page full verdict in a crimes against humanity case over incidents in Rampura and Banasree on Wednesday (15 July).
The verdict was delivered on 28 June by a three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, with Justices Shafiul Alam and Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.
"The incidents in Rampura and Banasree were part of a widespread and organised attack against civilians carried out by state forces in coordination with members of the then ruling Awami League and its affiliated organisations," the judgement said.
The tribunal sentenced former DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, former ADC for Khilgaon Zone Rashedul Islam, and former Rampura police station OC Mashiur Rahman to death. Former SI Tarikul Islam was sentenced to life imprisonment, while former ASI Chanchal Chandra Sarkar received a 20-year prison term.
The tribunal found that former OC Mashiur led the atrocities in the area. The verdict said Mashiur personally opened fire on the victims.
On 19 July 2024, during the uprising, Amir Hossain was critically injured after being shot while hanging from the ledge of a building in Rampura. On the same day, Maya Islam and her seven-year-old grandson Basit Khan Musa were also shot. Maya was killed, while Basit sustained severe injuries. Another man, Nadim, was also killed in police firing in the area.
Former commissioner Habibur instructed officers via wireless communication not to hesitate in using maximum force against protesters.
Acting on those instructions, police shot and killed Nadim in front of Banasree Mosque after Friday prayers on 19 July 2024, according to the judgement.
On the same day, police shot dead Maya inside the collapsible gate of her home in Banasree and seriously injured Basit. Former SI Tarikul Islam and former ASI Chanchal shot Amir.
The tribunal held Habibur, Rashedul and Mashiur responsible for the murders of Nadim and Maya and for the serious injuries inflicted on Basit and Amir.
Considering the nature and gravity of the offences, the tribunal said all three were deserving of the maximum punishment for each of the three charges brought against them. However, it deemed it appropriate to impose a single sentence on each accused.
The judgement noted that fugitive former SI Tarikul and former ASI Chanchal were relatively junior police officers and that Amir survived his gunshot wounds. These factors, the tribunal said, warranted comparatively lesser sentences.
The tribunal also observed that Chanchal had not absconded and had faced trial. Having spent a prolonged period in custody and being the only accused immediately serving his sentence, he was entitled to further leniency in sentencing, the judgement added.
