Abu Sayed’s family at tribunal, 6 detained suspects brought to court

The verdict in the murder case of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed, one of the martyrs in the early days of the July Uprising, is to be announced soon.

The family members of the deceased have come to the International Crimes Tribunal to hear the verdict and have demanded the death penalty for those involved and a speedy execution of the verdict.

Six detained suspects have already been presented before the tribunal for the verdict.

The three-member Tribunal-2 bench led by Nozrul Islam Chowdhury is to deliver its verdict in the case on Thursday.

The two other members of the bench are retired district sessions judge Md Manjurul Bashid and District and Sessions Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.

Family Expects Death Sentences

Abul Hossain and Ramzan Ali, two brothers of Abu Sayed, spoke to reporters at the tribunal premises in the morning.

Abul said, "We hope that the verdict will be delivered today. At the same time, we want the sentences of those directly and indirectly involved in this murder to be executed as soon as possible following today's verdict. We expect hanging for those directly involved in this murder."

Noting that most of the accused are absconding, he said: "The lion's share are absconding. We hope that after this verdict is given, the law-enforcing agencies will arrest them as soon as possible and implement the verdict."

Expressing satisfaction with the trial process, Sayed's other brother and plaintiff in the case, Ramzan, said: "We have been saying from the beginning that we want the verdict in the Abu Sayed murder case quickly. Alhamdulillah, the verdict in the case will be delivered [on Thursday]. We want a fair verdict and for the law-enforcing agencies to quickly arrest the suspects and ensure their punishment. We are satisfied with the trial process so far. We will talk again after the verdict."

6 Suspects at Tribunal

Meanwhile, six accused arrested in connection with the case have been brought from jail to the tribunal in a prison van on Thursday morning.

They are former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Amir Hossain of the police, former Begum Rokeya University proctor Shariful Islam, former constable Sujan Chandra Roy, Chhatra League leader Imran Chowdhury, Assistant Registrar Rafiul Hasan Russell and Proctor’s Office contractual employee Anwar Parvez.

Security has been tightened around the area around the tribunal ahead of the verdict announcement.

Police and law-enforcing agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), have been on high alert in the area since morning.

The investigation report in the much-discussed Sayed murder case was submitted on Jun 24, 2025.

After scrutinising the report of the investigation agency, the prosecution submitted a formal complaint to the tribunal on Jun 30.

On the same day, the tribunal took the complaint into cognisance and issued arrest warrants against the 30 suspects.

After the formal complaint was submitted, an order was given to start the trial by framing charges against the accused on Aug 6 after hearing from the prosecution and the defence lawyers.

The trial began with opening statements on Aug 27 and the recording of testimony began the next day.

Sayed's father Mukul Hossain testified as the first witness in the case.

The recording of testimony lasted for several months and ended on Jan 13 of this year.

During this time, a total of 25 witnesses, including investigating Ruhul Amin, testified before the tribunal.

One of them, a “star witness”, was Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the July Uprising and now member of parliament.

The prosecution said his testimony helped “clarify” important aspects of the case.

After the testimony, the presentation of arguments began on Jan 20 and continued until Jan 27. On that day, the case was kept pending by Tribunal-2. Later, the verdict date was set for Mar 5.