Crimes Against Humanity: Bangladesh Army Detains Senior Officers Amid War Crimes Tribunal Orders
The Bangladesh Army has taken 15 officers, including both serving and retired, into military custody after their arrest was ordered by the International Crimes Tribunal – Bangladesh (ICT-BD). Arrest warrants were issued against the offices for their alleged involvement in “disappearances and crimes against humanity” during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
Bangladesh Army confirmed the development on Saturday (October 11, 2025). Army Adjutant General Major General Mohammad Hakimuzzaman stated at a press briefing in Dhaka that 16 officers had been ordered to report to Army Headquarters. Fifteen complied. One, Major General Kabir Ahmed, Hasina’s former Military Secretary, failed to report and has since gone into hiding.
Hakimuzzaman added that the Bangladesh Army would “fully support” the ongoing legal process.
Who are the officers in custody and what are the charges?
Those detained include two major generals, six brigadier generals, and multiple colonels and lieutenant colonels. The ICT-BD issued arrest warrants for 30 individuals earlier in the week, 25 of them are either serving or retired military personnel. The charges relate to enforced disappearances, abduction, and torture of political dissidents during Hasina’s Awami League-led regime.
Prosecutors claim that 17 of the accused were involved in torture operations at RAB’s Taskforce Interrogation Cell, while 13 others are implicated in similar acts at the Joint Interrogation Cell. The tribunal has also named Hasina and her former defence and security adviser, retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, as key suspects.
Former Bangladesh PM Hasina is currently in India.
Why has this sparked internal tensions in the military?
The arrests mark a rare and potentially destabilising move, the detention of serving officers by their own institution, outside the framework of the Army Act. Although police reportedly received the ICT-BD’s arrest orders, Hakimuzzaman stated that the army had not received formal warrants but chose to act independently.
The tribunal’s aggressive posture against top military figures follows months of political upheaval in Dhaka after Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a military-backed transition. While the ICT-BD was initially set up in 2010 to try 1971 war crimes, its mandate was expanded under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, allowing the trial of figures from Hasina’s administration.
The army’s public compliance with ICT-BD orders may be intended to reassert institutional integrity and distance the military from Hasina-era operations, even as tensions simmer beneath the surface.
Where does India stand in light of these developments?
The timing is politically sensitive: Sheikh Hasina is currently in India, prompting speculation about New Delhi’s potential role, or at least awareness, of the shifting dynamics in Dhaka. Bangladesh, traditionally seen as within India’s strategic sphere of influence, is navigating a period of deep domestic instability.
Separately, Bangladesh recently rebuked remarks by the Indian Foreign Secretary about upcoming elections as “unwarranted,” suggesting strains in the bilateral narrative. Hasina’s presence in India, while being prosecuted back home, could become a diplomatic flashpoint, particularly if India is seen as shielding her.
Could this have an impact on civil-military relations in Bangladesh?
The military’s decision to detain its own officers marks a pivotal moment in Bangladesh’s civil-military balance. It reflects a strategic calculation: by allowing the ICT-BD to proceed, the current leadership may be attempting to cleanse the institution of political baggage, pre-empt internal dissent, and demonstrate legal accountability.
Yet, it also raises risks. Internal fractures within the armed forces could deepen, especially if factions remain loyal to Hasina or object to being tried in civilian courts. Major General Kabir Ahmed’s flight from justice and the continued absconding of Tarique Siddique signal non-compliance within top brass.
If the ICT-BD proceeds with prosecuting serving officers and top civilian leaders, this could become Bangladesh’s most significant transitional justice process since the Liberation War trials. With Hasina as a central figure in the cases, the outcomes could reshape the country’s political landscape.
