The 15 army officers now in custody will be handed over to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) if the court places them on remand following their appearance on 22 October, sources in the army and tribunal confirmed. If they are not remanded, they will be sent to jail.
“I don’t see any scope for granting them bail,” said one tribunal prosecutor, adding that if remanded, the officers would be interrogated at the tribunal’s safe house in Dhanmondi.
If they are sent to jail, prosecutors can interrogate them anytime, he told TIMES of Bangladesh Sunday night.
A total of 15 serving officers are currently in custody. One of them, Colonel Md Anwar Latif Khan, who was on leave preparatory to retirement (LPR), was taken into custody on Saturday. As he was still formally on LPR, he is being counted as a serving officer.
Army sources said none of the 15 had been formally arrested but were attached to army headquarters, meaning they are being kept under guard and cannot move freely or communicate with anyone, including their families.
“The army was prepared for this situation, which is why these officers had been under watch for months,” said one senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The source added that two officers — Major General Kabir Ahmed and Major General Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain — had earlier been attached to the Foreign Ministry, anticipating that they could face charges by the tribunal.
The situation has placed the army in uncharted territory in its 54-year history, raising questions about how the force will handle serving officers accused of serious crimes. Officials said the matter would be left to the tribunal’s judgement.
Many within the military believe the development will not tarnish the army’s image, as the accused allegedly committed the crimes while serving in other agencies such as the RAB and DGFI, which operated under the now-deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
On Thursday, the tribunal formally charged 28 individuals, including 25 army officers, in three cases involving enforced disappearances during the Awami League’s rule and killings during the July uprising.
So far, 25 current and former military officials have been charged; of them, nine are either retired or suspended, the army confirmed at a press briefing on Saturday at Dhaka Cantonment.
The army issued an attachment order on 8 October, directing the serving officers and the one on LPR to report to a designated facility by 9 October. Fifteen complied and are now in custody, while one — Maj Gen Kabir Ahmed — has been missing since the morning of 9 October.
The serving officers formally charged include Maj Gen Sheikh Md Sarwar Hossain, Brig Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique, Brig Gen Ahmed Tanvir Mazahar Siddique, Brig Gen Md Jahangir Alam, Brig Gen Tofail Mostafa Sarwar, Brig Gen Kamrul Hasan, Brig Gen Md Mahbub Alam, Col K M Azad, Col Abdullah Al Momen, Lt Col Md Moshiur Rahman Jewel, Lt Col Saiful Islam Sumon, Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lt Col Redwanul Islam, and Major Md Rafat Bin Alam Mun.
Alongside Hasina’s former adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, seven former DGFI directors general from 2009–2024 — including Lt Gen Molla Fazle Akbar, Maj Gen Sheikh Mamun Khaled, Lt Gen Md Akbar Hossain, Maj Gen Md Saiful Abedin, Maj Gen Md Saiful Alam, Maj Gen Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, and Maj Gen Hamidul Haque — have also been charged, as well as Maj Gen (retd) Mohammad Towhidul Ul Islam, a former CTIB director.
All nine retired officers are absconding, reportedly hiding in Dubai, the UK, the US, and India. Maj Gen Kabir Ahmed, one of the serving officers, has also gone missing. Some sources suggest he may have fled to India, though this could not be independently verified.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said on Sunday that after the arrest warrants were issued in the crimes against humanity cases, the 15 officers now in military custody must be produced before the court, where they will be tried under the law.
“This is not only under the ICT Act — it is also recognised in the Constitution that no one can be detained for more than 24 hours after arrest without being produced before a court,” he said. “Once they are brought before the court, it is for the court to decide whether to grant bail.”
Tajul added that although the army headquarters had held a press briefing, the tribunal had not yet been formally notified of the detentions.
