The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 has scheduled June 7 for the indictment hearing in a case involving a 2016 raid at a building known as "Jahajbari" in Kalyanpur, which resulted in the deaths of nine individuals.
The order was delivered Wednesday afternoon by the three-member tribunal, presided over by Justice Md Golam Martuza Majumder.
The case centers on an operation conducted on July 26, 2016, by various units of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
While officials at the time, including former Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque, characterized the deceased as members of the banned militant group Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB), the prosecution now alleges the encounter was staged.
According to the prosecution's allegations, the nine individuals had been in police custody for an extended period before being brought to the site and shot at close range. The formal charges filed with the registrar’s office on January 29 contend that the victims had no ties to militant organizations.
The tribunal has already issued arrest warrants for six fugitive suspects, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Other fugitives named in the case are Sheikh Muhammad Maruf Hasan, Monirul Islam, Krishna Podo Roy, and Abdul Baten. In February, the ICT-1 directed authorities to publish notices in two national newspapers calling for their surrender.
Two other high-profile suspects, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque and former DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah, were formally shown arrested in connection with the case in March 2025.
The June hearing will determine whether the charges against the eight accused will be formally framed, moving the case toward a full trial for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the extrajudicial killings.
