
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) has scheduled Thursday (February 5) to deliver its verdict in the high-profile crimes against humanity case involving the killing of seven youths and the subsequent immolation of their bodies in Ashulia during the mass uprising in July-August 2024.
Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, chairman of the three-judge panel, issued the short order on Sunday morning.
The case reached the verdict stage—referred to in legal terms as CAV (curia advisory vault -- a Latin legal term meaning the court awaits verdict) —on January 20 after both the prosecution and defense concluded their final arguments.
The case centers on the events of August 5 in 2024, when six youths were shot and their bodies, along with a seventh injured person, were piled into a van and set ablaze near the Ashulia Police Station.
The prosecution alleges that police members committed the act to destroy evidence and frame protesters for the arson, noting that at least one victim was reportedly still alive when the fire was ignited.
A total of 16 individuals were charged in August 2025 for their roles in the massacre. Currently, eight suspects are in custody, seven of whom have pleaded not guilty.
These include former senior police officials such as Additional Superintendent Md. Abdullahil Kafi and ASP Md. Shahidul Islam, alongside several inspectors and constables.
Notably, former sub-inspector Sheikh Abzalul Haque pleaded guilty and has since testified as an approver for the state.
The tribunal is also proceeding against eight fugitive suspects who failed to surrender despite public notices, including former lawmaker Muhammad Saiful Islam and former Deputy Inspector General of Police Nurul Islam.
The investigation agency’s report highlighted that while 29 people were killed during the uprising in the Savar-Ashulia region, the specific cruelty of the August 5 "van burning" incident constitutes a distinct and grave crime against humanity.




