Former IGP Mamun produced at ICT amid heightened security

Security at the International Crimes Tribunal has been beefed up ahead of the verdict in the case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two others for their role in attempting to violently suppress the July Uprising.

Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the only suspect in custody, has been brought to the tribunal and placed in the court’s lock-up, bdnews24.com reports.

The three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 bench headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, is set to deliver the verdict in the case on Monday.

The other two members of the tribunal are Justice Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and retired District and Sessions judge Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.

The tribunal's proceedings will begin at 11:00 am. The verdict will be broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV). The BTV broadcast can also be carried by other media outlets.

The Awami League announced a “complete shutdown” programme again for Sunday and Monday in response to the verdict. As part of the programme, sporadic crude bomb blasts and the torching of vehicles have been reported in parts of the country, including Dhaka.

Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Army personnel are on alert in front of the tribunal since the morning to ensure security.

Security forces are keeping a tight vigil around the Supreme Court. The Army has taken up positions in front of the High Court shrine gate.

A large number of law enforcement personnel have been deployed inside and outside the tribunal.

As the violence surrounding the verdict escalated, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali issued an order on Sunday to shoot anyone who tried to set fire to a bus or throw a crude bomb, colloquially called cocktail bomb, at a vehicle.

When asked about the order, he said: “I instructed over wireless that anyone setting a bus on fire or using crude bombs to threaten lives should be shot. This is allowed under our law.”

The BGB has been deployed in the Gopalganj, Faridpur and Madaripur districts, as well as Dhaka over fears of violence.

Despite police assurances of vigilance, the general public remains on edge. Many educational institutions in Dhaka have opted for online classes since Sunday. Several international organisations and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have asked their employees to work from home on Monday. Many multinational companies have also followed suit.

Alongside Hasina, the two other suspects in the case are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

Hasina was ousted from power on August 5 last year and fled to India in the face of a student-led mass uprising. It is believed that Asaduzzaman is also in India. The trial has proceeded in absentia after showing the two as fugitives.

Mamun, who was arrested and imprisoned, has pleaded guilty to the tribunal and given testimony as a state’s witness.

On July 10, the tribunal indicted the three on five charges of inciting, instigating and ordering the killing of 1,400 people to suppress the July Uprising, “superior command responsibility” and “joint criminal enterprise”.

ICT Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters on Thursday that the prosecution had sought the death penalty for Hasina and Asaduzzaman, adding: “We have petitioned the court for the maximum punishment. The court will exercise its discretion and we pray that the accused be given the maximum punishment for this crime.”