The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday indicted 24 Awami League leaders and four police senior officers over the killing of nine protesters in the  capital’s Mohammadpur area during the 2024 mass uprising.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, set June 8 for the commencement of their trial through an opening statement from the prosecution and recording statements of prosecution witnesses.

The tribunal passed the order after rejecting discharge petitions filed by the four detained accused, Ansar member Omar Faruk Anchar, and banned Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders Naimur Rahman Rassel, KM Fazle Rabbi, and Sazzad Hossain.

The four detained accused were on the dock and pleaded ‘not guilty’ while charges were read out to them.

The remaining 24 accused are still in hiding and will be tried in absentia. They were represented by state-appointed counsels.

The key accused in the case include former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, who is also a first cousin of deposed prime minster Sheikh Hasina, and Awami League senior leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak.

The accused include four former senior police officers. They are the then Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman, additional deputy inspector general Proloy Kumar Zoarder, DMP joint commissioner (operations) Bilob Kumar Sarkar, and Mohammadpur zone ADC Rowsanul Hoque Soikat.

According to chief prosecutor Md Aminul Islam, a captured conversation between Sheikh Hasina and Dhaka south city mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh revealed that Hasina ordered Taposh to locate protesters at Mohammadpur using drones and fire on them from helicopters with ‘lethal weapons.’

According to the prosecution, the accused, acting on instructions from Jahangir Kabir Nanak, opened fire indiscriminately on a peaceful rally of unarmed protesters in the Mohammadpur area on July 18, 2024.

The first charge against them states that the attackers killed Dhaka Residential Model College Class XI student Mohammad Farhanul Islam Bhuiyan at Dhanmondi 27 at about 2:30pm. Two others, Sadid Rahman Sani and Fathin Mahtadi Tawki, were hacked and beaten.

The second charge alleged that the police, armed with Chinese rifles, shotguns, tear gas, and sound grenades, took positions at Noorjahan Road, Mohammadpur bus stand, and Bachhila-bound road, where Md Mahin Mia and Md Robin were shot dead and many others were injured.

According to the third charge, six more people were killed and eight others injured in separate shooting incidents on July 18, 2024 and July 19, 2024.

Among the dead were hawker Al Shahriar Hossain Rokan, courier service worker Md Razu Ahmed, and HSC examinee Mahmudur Rahman Saikat, who were shot near Moyur Villa and Mohammadpur Model College at the night of July 19, 2024.

The accused include Dhaka north city Awami League president Sheikh Bazlur Rahman, organising secretary Azizul Haque, Mohammadpur thana Awami League president MA Sattar, and general secretary Md Tofayel Siddique.

The others accused include Dhaka north city Juba League general secretary Md Ismail Hossain, Mohammad Arifur Rahman, DNCC ward no 33 former councillor Asif Ahmed, and ward no 32 former councillor Syed Hasan-Nur-Islam Rashtan.

The list also includes ward no 33 Juba League joint general secretary Tarekuzzaman Rajib, Jahangir Kabir Nanak’s assistant private secretary Md Masudur Rahman Biplob, Riaz Mahmud Hridoy, Aiman Wasek, and Ahad Hossain Sohag.

The accused people also include ward no. 33 Awami League president  Md Sentu, general secretary Mohammad Mainul Islam, Zahir Uddin Ahmed who is popularly known as Bichhu Jalal, armed helmet force member Md Yunus, and former councilor Asif Ahmed’ associate Md Rubel Hossain.

On January 18, the chief prosecutor submitted formal charges against the accused.

The prosecutors said that all the accused were linked to the Awami League and its affiliated organisations.