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suspended officers the same way it does to those in service. “If the police act upon the warrants, they may arrest those individuals directly.”

However, the army has offered them an option to come under its custody. “A retired officer may go to court or the police himself. But if he prefers, he may come under army custody. We will provide a secure stay. The choice lies with them,” he said.

Earlier on October 8, the prosecution formally charged 28 people, including the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 23 top and mid-ranking current and former army officers, in two cases of enforced disappearances, secret detention, and torture in the 15 years of her rule.

On the same day, in a third case, formal charges were pressed against two other army officers, who had served in the BGB, and two police officers, over the killings of 28 people and crimes against humanity in Rampura during the July uprising last year.

Besides Maj Gen Kabir, the serving officers who were formally charged included 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, and Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, Lt Col Redwanul Islam, and Major Md Rafat Bin Alam Mun.

Besides Hasina’s former adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the nine retired officers are former DGFI chiefs Lt Gen (retd) Md Akbar Hossain, Lt Gen (retd) Md Saiful Alam, Lt Gen (retd) Ahmed Tabrez Shams Chowdhury, Maj Gen (retd) Md Saiful Abedin, and Maj Gen (retd) Hamidul Haque; CTIB director Maj Gen (retd) Mohammad Towhidul Ul Islam; DGFI official Lt Col (retd) Mokhsurul Haque; Col (retd) Anwar Latif Khan and Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Khairul Islam.

Explaining the procedure, Adjutant General Hakimuzzaman said arrest warrants are issued by the tribunal and sent to the inspector general of police (IGP) for execution, with a specific deadline.

The IGP’s office is responsible for delivering them through official channels.

“The warrant is not like an electricity bill. It cannot just appear on social media. It must come through the prescribed route: from the tribunal to the police, then to the individual, who will receive and sign.”

Hakimuzzaman added that although copies of the charge sheets or their annexes have been circulated on social and mainstream media, the army has not yet received any formal warrant.

“Nonetheless, we respect every law recognised by the constitution,” he said. “That is why, even before receiving any warrant, we acted promptly on October 8 and ordered all serving officers named to report to army custody by October 9.”

He said the decision to place the officers in custody was taken to maintain discipline, ensure accountability, and follow precedent.

The adjutant general also spoke of “legal complexities arising from the third amendment” to the ICT Act, passed on October 6, which disqualifies anyone formally charged from holding public office.

He read the relevant provision and noted that the accompanying clause states the disqualification does not apply to anyone acquitted or discharged by the tribunal.

“The army will seek legal clarification from the appropriate authority on how this disqualification clause will apply to serving members of the armed forces. We will ask how it should be executed in the case of soldiers and officers, including whether they remain employed during the proceedings,” he said.

Asked whether the officers now in custody would be handed over to police or produced before the ICT by October 22, the deadline mentioned in the tribunal’s order, Hakimuzzaman said the army would proceed strictly according to law.

“We are seeking legal clarification on the amendment, and once we receive that clarification, we will act exactly as the law requires,” he said.

He further said that, unlike civil bureaucracy, the army’s personnel management is bound by strict service-age limits. For example, majors retire at 50, lieutenant colonels at 52, and colonels at 54, which can make the timing of legal proceedings significant.

“If a trial continues beyond a person’s service age, it raises practical questions,” he said. “That is why we need formal clarification from the legal authority on how this law should apply to us.”

ICT Prosecutor Mizanul Islam told The Daily Star that under the amended law, members of disciplinary forces can be tried for crimes against humanity and the disciplinary forces include the army, navy and airforce.

He also said they would provide a legal explanation if the armed forces seek any.

Addressing questions on whether the incidents occurred within cantonment areas, Hakimuzzaman explained that the place of occurrence does not automatically determine jurisdiction.

“Rab and DGFI were the workplaces of those named, but these agencies are not under Army Headquarters. DGFI functions under the Prime Minister’s Office, currently under the Chief Adviser’s Office. Even as a major general, I cannot simply walk into DGFI without prior appointment. The chain of command is completely separate,” he said.

Hakimuzzaman said that both the National Commission on Enforced Disappearances and the ICT chief prosecutor had publicly stated that the Bangladesh Army as an institution was not involved in the alleged offences.

“It was mentioned clearly in the commission’s interim report and in the prosecutor’s remarks that as an organisation, the army was not involved. These were individual actions by officers who were then serving in Rab or DGFI.”

He said the army has been cooperating fully with both the commission and the prosecution since the beginning.

“Whenever they asked for documents or personnel, we provided them. Even last Thursday -- after the charge sheets were filed -- they sought documents, and we sent them immediately.”

He admitted that the current legal situation has affected their morale but said the army remains focused on its mission. “Yes, it affects morale, but the chief of army staff has made it clear: we will remain steadfast. We will perform our duty with full discipline.”

In response to a question about whether the army would take responsibility for any alleged wrongdoing by individual officers, Hakimuzzaman said, “The army of Bangladesh is the army of every citizen. It belongs to the nation, not to any individual or party. If any officer or member has done wrong elsewhere, the person will face justice. But the institution itself stands for the law, discipline, and the country.”

Army Headquarters Director (military intelligence) Brig Gen Selim Azad, Director (military operations) Brig Gen Manzur Hossain, Director (judge advocate general) Brig Gen Asif, and Director (personnel) Brig Gen Mustafiz, among others, were present at the briefing.

Citing the office of the ICT Chief Prosecutor, Chief Adviser’s

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday said that currently there are no plans to issue warrants against any additional members of the armed forces.

On Facebook, he described social media posts that the ICT is going to issue arrest warrants against over a hundred more army officers as “completely baseless rumours”.

The press secretary urged the public not to believe misleading information, saying that such falsehoods are part of efforts to create divisions among the general public and within the armed forces ahead of the general election.

He further clarified that the government has no plans to dismantle the DGFI.

“The government is considering reforms to enhance the agency’s focus on transborder and external intelligence operations,” he said.