The trial of former Member of Parliament Abul Hasanat Abdullah and three others begins today at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 in Dhaka. They are accused of crimes against humanity for the alleged crossfire killings of two men, Tipu Howlader and Kabir Molla, in Agailjhara, Barishal, on February 21, 2015. The proceedings will open with the prosecution’s introductory statement and the testimony of the first witness.

According to the case documents, the victims were political rivals of Abul Hasanat Abdullah. The charges allege that Abdullah, unable to defeat them politically, abused state power to orchestrate their deaths. He allegedly instructed then Barishal Superintendent of Police A.K.M. Ehsanullah to frame the victims in a false case, after which Assistant Sub-Inspectors Mahbul Islam and Jasim Uddin carried out the killings under the guise of a crossfire incident.

The tribunal had framed charges on May 20, 2026, ordering the trial to proceed. The two arrested police officers are to be produced from prison for today’s hearing.