State witness and former police officer Sheikh Abzalul Haque has apologized to the International Crimes Tribunal for failing to prevent the brutal killing and burning of six youths in Ashulia during the July-August movement. He sought forgiveness on Wednesday (19 November) after giving his statement before Tribunal-2, led by retired district judge Md. Manjurul Basid.
On the same day, Abzalul testified against former MP Saiful Islam and 15 other accused in a case involving the killing of seven people, including the burning of six bodies in Ashulia. Although he was not present during the burning itself, he said he learned of the incident on 15 August when he went to deposit his service weapon at the police station. According to his testimony, then Ashulia Police Station OC Sayed and ASI Biswajit poured petrol on the six bodies and set them on fire.
Following his deposition, Abzalul asked the tribunal for forgiveness.
Earlier, on 21 August, Tribunal-2 framed formal charges against the 16 accused and ordered the trial to begin. Seven of the eight accused present in court pleaded not guilty, while SI Abzalul admitted his involvement and applied to become a state witness. His confession was formally recorded, and he was granted permission to testify for the prosecution.
After charges were framed, 14 September was set as the date for opening statements and recording witness testimonies. On that day, the tribunal rejected the accused’s discharge pleas and formally read out the charges. For the eight absconding accused, including former MP Saiful Islam, two state-appointed lawyers were assigned.
The arrested accused include: former Additional SP (Crime & Ops) of Dhaka district Abdullahil Kafi, former Additional SP (Savar Circle) Shahidul Islam, Inspector Arafat Hossain, SI Malek, SI Arafat Uddin, ASI Kamrul Hasan, SI Abzalul, and Constable Mukul. A notice was published in newspapers instructing the fugitive accused to appear before the tribunal.
On 2 July, the prosecution submitted formal charges along with 313 pages of documents, statements of 62 witnesses, 168 pages of evidence, and two pen drives. The tribunal accepted the charges and issued arrest warrants against the eight absconding accused.
Notably, on 5 August 2023, six young men were shot dead by police in Ashulia. Their bodies were later placed in a police van and burned. One of the victims was reportedly still alive at the time but was also set on fire with petrol. Following the incident, a case was filed with the International Crimes Tribunal on 11 September on charges of crimes against humanity.
