The investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday filed first formal charges against detained Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon and detained Awami League leader Qamrul Islam.

The charges relate to their alleged involvement in the crackdown on student protesters during the July–August 2024 mass uprising in the capital.

This is the first time formal charges have been filed against Menon, who elected as lawmaker with AL boat symbol in the last general election, and Qamrul, also a former food minister, since they were detained following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024, amid a student-led uprising.

The investigation agency also submitted formal charges against several former senior police officials in a separate case.

Those charged include former inspectors general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque and Mohammad Javed Patwari, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah, former Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit chief and former Detective Branch chief Harun Or Rashid, and six others.

They are accused of involvement in the killing of seven youths in a so-called staged encounter with alleged extremists in Gazipur in 2016.

Prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim confirmed the filing of the charges to journalists.