BNP has filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal alleging the killing of 2,276 party leaders and activists in the 'crossfire'. At the same time, the party has submitted complaint over disappearances of 153 people including the party's central leader and former Member of Parliament from Sylhet-2 constituency M Ilias Ali.
BNP has filed such complaints against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the members of the relevant law enforcement agencies with the tribunal's prosecution team on Thursday. The complaint was filed by the party's disappearance and murder data preservation coordinator Md. Salauddin Khan on behalf of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Lawyer Nurul Islam Zahid was with him during the submission of complaints.
The complaint of disappearance signed by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir states that from 2008 to 2024, the head of the illegal Awami League government, Awami League terrorists and some over-enthusiast members of the law enforcement agencies have kidnapped, disappeared and killed BNP leaders, activists and supporters, and many have been kept in hiding until now. According to BNP information, a total of 153 people have been kidnapped, killed and disappeared so far. It is requested to take action to investigate and file a case after investigating these disappearances.
The Crossfire complaint states that in 2007, the then army chief Moin U Ahmed, with the help of the intelligence agency, some members of the police force and Ansar and BGB, suppressed, oppressed and tortured the opposition parties including BNP and brought Sheikh Hasina to power illegally in 2008. Similarly, the Awami League formed the government in 2014 through illegal elections. The Awami League remained in power through illegal elections held twice moe in 2018 and 2024.
The complaint states that when BNP and various political parties participated in peaceful rallies and various programs in protest, they tortured them by filing false cases of disappearance and arresting them without warrant, kidnapping, disappearance, murder. They forced many to leave the their homes, even the country.
The complaint further states that under the orders of the illegal Awami League head of government, some over-enthusiast members of the law enforcement forces and terrorists of the Awami Leaguesuppressed, oppressed and tortured the BNP and carried out heinous killings in the name of crossfire to destroy, annihilate and segregate the people from the party. A total of 2,276 people have been killed in the name of crossfire. The main objective of the Awami League and the law enforcement forces and their supporters was to eliminate, destroy and kill BNP in the name of crossfire, to erase people from a big party like BNP and to expel BNP family members from the country, to create fear in the party by killing them in the name of crossfire, to try to prevent supporters and people from party works and to make them meritless.
The complaint said, "We strongly demand on behalf of BNP to investigate and bring to justice this heinous act and false, fabricated plan of the Awami League and the then law enforcement forces for killing 2,276 people in the name of crossfire."
Regarding the complaint, Salauddin Khan later told the reporters, "During the Awami League government, party leaders and activists were killed in crossfire across the country for eliminating BNP. I have prepared and submitted a district and upazila-based list of these crossfires."
Apart from this, 153 workers including BNP standing committee member Salah Uddin Ahmed, former leader Ilias Ali, ward commissioner Chowdhury Alam have been disappeared. A separate complaint has been filed in that incident.’
He said, “Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been made the main accused in this incident. In addition, more than a hundred unknown people have been made accused. The names of various law enforcement officers who were involved in this misdeed have also been mentioned here. But for the sake of investigation, I am not mentioning any names. A 245-page complaint of crossfire and a 20-page complaint regarding 153 disappearances signed by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been submitted Along with the total complaints.
(Trasnlated by Lutful Hoque)
