ICT set to deliver verdict on Ashulia body-burning case this afternoon

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to deliver its verdict in a crimes against humanity case concerning the brutal killing of seven individuals and the subsequent burning of six bodies in a police van in Ashulia during the July Uprising.

The three-member panel, led by Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, will pronounce the verdict.

This will be the third such verdict from the tribunal since it was reconstituted following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in August 2024.

The court on February 1 fixed today for the final ruling after keeping the case under consideration for judgment (CAV) since January 20. CAV or Curia Advisory Vault, is a Latin legal term meaning the court awaits verdict.

The case centres on the events of August 5, 2024, when six young men were shot dead by police in the Ashulia area of Savar.

According to prosecution's evidence, the bodies were later piled into a police van and set on fire.

"Tragically, one of the victims was still alive when the fire was set. Police poured petrol on the van and burned him alive," Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam told journalists last year during a press briefing.

Another person was also killed the previous day, bringing the total number of victims in this trial to seven.

The prosecution submitted extensive documentary evidence, including 313 pages of supporting papers, listed 62 witnesses, 168 pages of exhibits, and digital evidence stored on two pen drives, to prove that the incineration was deliberate.

Among the 16 individuals facing the tribunal's judgment, eight are currently in custody. They include high-ranking former police officials such as Md Abdullahil Kafi, the former additional superintendent of police (Crime and Ops) for Dhaka district, and Md Shahidul Islam, former additional superintendent of police for the Savar Circle.

Other arrested suspects include former Detective Branch inspector Arafat Hossain, sub-inspectors Malek and Arafat Uddin, assistant sub-inspector Kamrul Hasan, and constable Mukul Chokder.

One of the arrested officers, sub-inspector Sheikh Abzalul Haque, admitted his guilt during the trial and provided a confessional statement, subsequently appearing as a state witness.

Meanwhile, former lawmaker Saiful Islam and seven other suspects remain absconding and are being tried in absentia.

The tribunal formally began the trial on August 21 last year after framing charges of crimes against humanity.

Prosecutor Mizanul Islam led the final rebuttal for the state, while a team of defence lawyers, including Amir Hossain and Mirajul Alam, presented arguments for the accused.