ICT authorises interrogation of 2 policemen in July massacre case

Mojibur Rahman will be questioned on Mar 16 and Iqbal Hossain on Mar 18, says the tribunal’s chief prosecutor

The International Crimes Tribunal has greenlighted the questioning of Assistant Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Hossain and former Uttara police chief Mojibur Rahman in a case over the killings during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement protests.

The tribunal bench led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder issued the order on Sunday.

Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said Mojibur’s interrogation has been scheduled for Mar 16 and Iqbal’s for Mar 18.

Tajul said: “Three matters were [looked into] at the tribunal today. One of them is a case from 2017, the accused in which are mostly dead. A report arrived from the prison today on the death of two more accused.”

The parts of the case involving the deceased were scrapped, he said.

“Another matter was about the Uttara killings. We sought two months for the submission of the investigation report. The court granted it and set May 12 for the next hearing,” Tajul said.

“The court has also granted a plea to hand over of the two accused in the same case, Iqbal and Mojibur, for questioning by our investigation agency."

“We said about Uttara -- during the student-led uprising in July and August, nearly 200 student protesters were killed there, led by those we have sought to interrogate. That’s why the court approved our interrogation request to gather detailed information from them,” he said.

The third matter, Tajul said, was about “arrest warrants”.

“Warrants have been issued against three of them. We refrained from revealing their names even to the court so that they can’t flee and we can apprehend them. We can’t disclose the names to you [journalists] either. We can tell you once they’re arrested.”

He, however, said that the incident occurred in Rampura.