Tribunal accepts charges against 19 suspects in Savar student killing case

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The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has formally accepted charges of crimes against humanity against 19 individuals, including a former member of parliament, in connection with the killing of student Shaikh Ashhabul Yamin during the July uprising. The prosecution submitted the formal charges on Sunday before a bench led by Justice Md. Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, alongside members Justice Md. Manjurul Basid and Justice Md. Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir. The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for August 25.

Yamin, a fourth-year computer science and engineering student at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), was killed on July 18 in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. The incident garnered widespread national outrage after video footage surfaced on social media, showing the student being dragged and thrown from an armored personnel carrier (APC) by police during a protest.

The accused list includes former lawmaker Muhammad Saiful Islam, alongside high-ranking police officials and local political leaders. The law enforcement officials named in the case are former Dhaka Range DIG Syed Nurul Islam, former Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Md. Asaduzzaman, former Additional SP Md. Abdullahil Kafi, former Savar Circle Additional SP Shaidul Islam, former Savar Police Station officer-in-charge Md. Shahzaman, and former inspector A.F.M. Sayed. Former ASI Mohammad Ali, former Naik Md. Suhel Mia, and former constable Md. Mahfuz Mia were also indicted.

The political figures named in the charges include former Savar Upazila Chairman Manjurul Alam Rajib, former Savar Upazila Chhatra League President Md. Atikur Rahman, and former Tetuljhora Union Chairman Fakrul Alam Samar. The remaining defendants are Savar Upazila Awami League member Mehedi Hasan Tushar, Md. Raju Ahmed, who served as personal secretary to the former Upazila Chairman, Bongaon Union Awami League President Md. Farid, former Savar Upazila Chhatra League Vice President Zaman Khan, former Dhaka District Jubo League convener Md. Mizanur Rahman, and Sharaf Ashraful Alam.

Yamin, who resided at the MIST Osmani Hall and maintained a family home in Savar’s Bank Town residential area, became a prominent symbol of the movement following the graphic documentation of his death. The prosecution’s filing marks a significant step in the judicial process to address the alleged atrocities committed during the unrest.