The trial of Border Guard Bangladesh officer Lieutenant Colonel Redwanul Islam and three others begins today at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka. The case concerns the killing of 28 people in the Rampura area during the July uprising. The three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, will open proceedings with introductory statements. The other members of the panel are Justice Shafiul Alam Mahmud and retired district judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.

On December 24, the tribunal rejected discharge petitions and formally framed charges against the four accused, setting January 20 for the trial’s start. Redwanul and former BGB officer Major Rafat Bin Alam are in custody, while former DMP ADC Rashedul Islam and former Rampura OC Mashiur Rahman remain absconding. Earlier hearings were delayed, and the prosecution submitted formal charges following investigations that identified the accused as participants in the Rampura killings.

The tribunal had previously ordered newspaper notices for the absconding defendants. The case stems from widespread violence during the July–August student and public protests, in which 28 people were killed and many injured in Rampura.