Published : 05 Apr 2026, 10:17 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:33 PM
Shahriar Kabir, president of the advisory committee of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, has sought for division in jail in the crime against humanity case related to “murders” during Hifazat-e Islam’s rally at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka’s Motijheel, 12 years ago.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) heard his petition on Sunday. However, the tribunal did not issue any order after hearing from both sides.
Supreme Court lawyer PM Mehdi Hasan represented Kabir at the two-member Tribunal-1 headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mazumder.
He told the tribunal, “My client has been in prison for one year and seven months. He is a Bangla Academy awardee and a dignitary.”
“As per the prison rules, he is eligible for a division in the prison as a distinguished citizen.”
Opposing the division on behalf of the prosecution, Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim said: "A production warrant was issued against Shahriar Kabir two months ago in this case. If he gets division, why can't others get it?"
"Also, the defence lawyers should first go to the prison authorities. They can come to the court only if they don't get it there."
After the hearing, lawyer Hasan said: "We have filed a petition today seeking division forr Shahriar Kabir, a poet and author. The tribunal has heard us and taken the matter into consideration. We are hopeful that the court will give an order in this regard later."
Meanwhile, the tribunal has set Jun 7 as the deadline to submit the investigation report, extending it by two months.
Six suspects, including Kabir, arrested over the case, were presented before the tribunal Sunday morning.
The other five accused presented are former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, retired major general Ziaul Ahsan, former inspector general of police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque, former deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Mollah Nazrul Islam and former DIG Abdul Jalil Mandal.
Hifazat, a Qawmi madrasa-based organisation, was founded in 2010 to oppose the National Women Development Policy and National Education Policy. However, it gained broader recognition after staging counter-protests to the Shahbagh Movement, which demanded the maximum punishment for convicted war criminals.
On May 5, 2013, Hifazat held a rally at Shapla Chattar, with a 13-point list of demands that included punishing bloggers. After the rally, the group began a sit-in, bringing commercial activities in the area to a halt as violence and clashes escalated.
Amid clashes with police, the protesters carried out attacks, vandalism, and arson targeting government offices, vehicles and banks in the Motijheel, Paltan and surrounding areas.
Later that night, law enforcing agencies launched a joint operation to clear the area.
Human rights organisation Odhikar reported that 61 people were killed during the crackdown, while police maintained that 11 were killed in clashes throughout the day, but no one died during the operation at night.
Although there was no judicial action regarding this incident for more than a decade, a complaint was submitted to the ICT regarding the Shapla Chattar incident on Aug 20, 2024, after the fall of the Awami League government in the 2024 July Mass Uprising.
In that complaint, 19 people, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former prosecutors of the tribunal Tureen Afroz, Shahriar Kabir, Prof Muntassir Mamoon, and then spokesperson of the Ganajagaran Mancha Imran H Sarker, were accused of crimes against humanity.
The investigation is currently under way at the tribunal based on that complaint.
