2016 Kallyanpur Raid: Charges Filed Against Sheikh Hasina and Eight Others in Tribunal

On Thursday (29 January), the tribunal’s prosecution team submitted the charge sheet. Alongside the former prime minister, names include then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Police Inspector General (IGP) A.K.M. Shahidul Haque, former DMP Commissioner Md. Asaduzzaman Mia, and former DB and SB Chief Monirul Islam. The charge sheet further alleges that several top law enforcement officials were directly involved in the incident.

According to the prosecution, on the night of 25 July 2016, a raid was staged at the so-called “terrorist hideout” in the Kallyanpur building. It is claimed that the nine youths had been previously detained from various parts of the country, and several were held in intelligence custody for extended periods. They were later deliberately taken to the building.

The charge sheet states that the SWAT and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) units fired at the victims intentionally. The police’s post-raid claim that the deceased were terrorists was fabricated and misleading, according to the prosecution.

Investigations revealed that the government at the time orchestrated such raids nationwide to maintain power and instill fear. The prosecution noted that labeling innocent, devout citizens as terrorists and carrying out extrajudicial killings had become a regular practice.

The charge sheet further mentions that the block raid conducted under the supervision of senior police officials was intended to instill fear in the public and project the government’s toughness internationally. Evidence presented post-raid and the investigation reports were pre-planned.

The prosecution stated that the families’ long-standing demand for justice prompted the formal filing of the case. If accepted, arrest warrants for the accused may be considered in subsequent hearings. Observers believe this filing will give a new turn to the judicial process of the highly controversial Kallyanpur raid.