An application has been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged assault and physical torture of former Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) official Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Tarek Sayeed Mohammad inside Munshiganj District Jail.
The application seeks directives from the tribunal to ensure a fair and independent investigation into the incident.
Supreme Court lawyer Mahmudul Hussain Rubel submitted the application on behalf of Sayeed on Sunday. Rubel informed TIMES that International Crimes Tribunal-2 will hear the application on 1 October.
According to the petition, the assault and physical torture took place late at night on 16 September while Sayeed was detained in Munshiganj District Jail. Following the attack, he was transferred from Munshiganj District Jail to Kishoreganj District Jail due to security concerns and the situation arising inside the prison.
Arrest in disappearance, extrajudicial killing cases
On 10 August, Sayeed was shown arrested on charges of crimes against humanity relating to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the tenure of the Awami League government.
International Crimes Tribunal-2 issued the order following a hearing on an application presented by the prosecution.
According to prosecution information, BNP leaders Abdul Mannan, Jahirul Islam Suman, and Asaduzzaman Babul were extrajudicially killed in Lakshmipur on 15 December 2013, whilst BNP activist Bellal Hossain was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance in the same incident.
In addition, BNP leaders Saiful Islam Hiru and Humayun Kabir Parvez were allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance in Laksam, Comilla, on 27 November 2013.
The prosecution alleged that Sayeed was serving as the Commanding Officer (CO) of RAB-11 at the time of these incidents, and investigations into these cases are currently ongoing.
Death sentence in Narayanganj 7-murder case
Sayeed is a death row convict in the Narayanganj seven-murder case. On 27 April 2014, seven individuals, including the then Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarkar, were abducted and subsequently murdered in Narayanganj.
Sayeed was serving as the Commanding Officer of RAB-11 in Narayanganj during that period. Investigative and judicial records established his orders and direct involvement in the abductions and killings. In 2017, a Narayanganj court sentenced Sayeed and several co-accused to death.
The High Court subsequently upheld his death penalty, and the case remains pending before the Appellate Division.
