The Bangladesh Army announced on Saturday, October 11, 2025, that it has taken 15 active officers into custody. This significant development follows an order from the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) for their arrest, so they can stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity. These grave accusations reportedly relate to events that occurred during the government of the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
During a press briefing at the military headquarters in Dhaka, Major General Mohammad Hakimuzzaman, the army’s Adjutant General, confirmed the detentions. He stated, “Directives were issued asking 16 officers to report to the army headquarters. Fifteen of them responded.”
However, one officer, Major General Kabir Ahmed, who previously served as the former Prime Minister’s Military Secretary, failed to report and is now in hiding. Mr. Hakimuzzaman added, “Major General Kabir went into hiding. Activities are underway to prevent him from going abroad.”
Those who complied with the directive have been placed in military custody and are currently separated from their families. The 16 officers initially summoned included two major generals, six brigadier generals, and several colonels and lieutenant colonels, according to the briefing.
This situation has fueled widespread public debate, particularly across social media platforms, concerning whether active military personnel should be tried by a civilian tribunal for alleged crimes committed during their official duties, rather than through traditional military courts under the Army Act.
In response to these discussions, the army reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, stating its respect for “all constitution-acknowledged laws of Bangladesh” and asserting that “measures would be taken against the officers in custody in line with the law.”
The ICT-BD had previously issued arrest warrants for 30 individuals on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. This action came after the prosecution formally accepted charges in two cases involving alleged “enforced disappearances or abduction and torture of political dissidents” during the Awami League administration. Intriguingly, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, has been identified as a key suspect in both of these cases.
Out of the 30 accused, 25 are either serving or retired military officers, a group that includes five former directors general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Many of these officers also had roles in the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an organization that draws its personnel from both the armed forces and police. Prosecutors allege that 17 of the accused were involved in torture at RAB’s Taskforce Interrogation Cell, while another 13 are implicated in abuses at the Joint Interrogation Cell.
Among the high-profile individuals named is retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, who served as the deposed premier’s defense and security adviser and is also reported to be on the run.
The army’s announcement came just a day after police confirmed they had received the ICT-BD’s orders for the arrest of 32 individuals, including both active and former military officers. However, Major General Hakimuzzaman clarified that the army headquarters had not formally received these warrants, but took its own initiative to detain its officers.
Originally, the ICT-BD was established in 2010 by Sheikh Hasina’s government to prosecute individuals who collaborated with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War. However, its operations were later suspended under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which then amended the ICT-BD law. This amendment controversially expanded the tribunal’s mandate, allowing for the trial of leaders from the preceding administration, a change that now sees Sheikh Hasina herself among those accused.
ICT-BD’s chief prosecutor, Tajul Islam, explicitly named Ms. Hasina and her former defense adviser, Tarique Siddique, as primary suspects in both ongoing cases as of Wednesday, October 8, 2025.