Former PM Hasina & 40 others named as accused in Shapla Chattar Massacre probe report
In a Nutshell:
- Investigators handed prosecution their report on the 2013 Shapla Chattar killings during a Hefazat-e-Islam rally.
- The report names 41 accused, including fugitive ex PM Sheikh Hasina, and will be formally submitted to the tribunal on July 21.
- Accused also include ex army chief General Aziz, former Ekattor TV editor Mozammel Hoque Babu, reporter Farzana Rupa, and journalist Shahriar Kabir, plus former police, RAB, and DMP chiefs.
Why it Matters
This case has dragged on for over a decade, with past reports estimating between 41 and 93 deaths, while the tribunal's own investigation now confirms at least 32 killed in Dhaka alone. Hasina has already faced arrest warrants and multiple hearings in this case since 2025, and the July 21 submission pushes it a step closer to trial, following earlier arrests of figures like Farzana Rupa, Mozammel Babu and Shahriar Kabir tied to the same killings.
What We Think
Hefazat has openly called this trial too slow, even criticising the July Declaration for skipping any mention of Shapla Chattar, while NCP convener Nahid Islam has argued that punishing those responsible earlier could have prevented the deadlier July 2024 killings. What stands out is that even after Hasina's government fell, this case still dragged through repeated deadline extensions before reaching this stage. Bangladesh's justice system moves slower than public patience allows, and this submission needs to become an actual courtroom process, not another delay.
