Gazipur 7-murder: Javed Patwary, four others face arrest warrants

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Monday issued warrants for the arrest of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Javed Patwary and four other law enforcement officials in a case over the killing of seven youths in Gazipur in 2016.

The three-member tribunal, led by its Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mazumdar, passed the order after a hearing on the case.

Prosecutor MH Tamim represented the state during the hearing. Chief Prosecutor Advocate Mohammad Tajul Islam was also present.

The other accused who faced the arrest warrants are the then Special Branch chief Monirul Islam, former Gazipur Superintendent of Police Harun-or-Rashid, and the then superintendent and assistant superintendent of police in Bogura.

Javed Patwary also played a role as the head of the Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit during the operation.

According to tribunal sources, law enforcement officials picked up seven youths from different parts of the country and kept them confined in a house in Gazipur in October 2016.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), and CTTC used 830 rounds of bullets to stage the operation as a counter-terrorism raid on October 8.

After years of the orchestrated drive, the father of one of the victims, Ibrahim, who was a madrasa student from Jatrabari, Dhaka, lodged complaints with ICT-1.

Upon completion of investigations, the prosecution filed a new case with the tribunal against the accused.