Dhaka: The prosecution on Monday submitted formal charges against 41 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former army chief General (retd) Aziz Ahmed, over the May 5, 2013 crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam’s Shapla Chattar rally in Dhaka.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Prosecutor Zahirul Amin submitted the charge sheet to the Registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) at around 10:45am, accompanied by Prosecutor Marjina Raihan. The charges are part of ongoing efforts to address the violent dispersal of the Hefazat-e-Islam rally, which resulted in numerous casualties.

A three-member bench of Tribunal-2, headed by Chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter today. This development marks a significant step in the legal proceedings surrounding the controversial crackdown.

Nine accused individuals are currently in custody related to this case. Among them are former minister Dr Dipu Moni, former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque, former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mollah Nazrul Islam, Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee advisory board president Shahriar Kabir, former DIG Abdul Jalil Mondal, and journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Babu.

The prosecution reports that 58 people were killed in various locations, including Dhaka, in connection with the Hefazat rally on May 5, 2013. The investigation agency has been able to identify 32 victims in Dhaka, 20 in Narayanganj, five in Chattogram, and one in Cumilla, highlighting the widespread impact of the crackdown.