International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against 17 former police officials including former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Habibur Rahman in connection with the July-August mass killings.

The three-member tribunal led by its chairman Justice Md Golam Motuza Mazumder passed the order on Sunday (October 27).

ICT`s chief prosecutor Tajul Islam informed about the order. The tribunal ordered police to produce the accused by November 20 next.

Apart from the police officials, the ICT has ordered police to produce former prime minister`s two advisers, 10 former ministers, an army official and a former secretary before it.

Tajul Islam said: "We have submitted three applications to the ICT to show the accused arrested. One of those applicants is related to those against whom the warrants were issued earlier and those who were arrested before the issuance of warrants. The ICT approved the applications showing 20 individuals arrested and they have been shown arrested."

He said those who have been arrested are former law minister Anisul Huq, Lt Col (Retd) Faruk Khan, Dr Dipu Moni, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Huq Inu, Junayed Ahmed Palak, Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Salman F Rahman, former Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak, Shahjahan Khan, Kamal Ahmed Mazumder, Golam Dastagir Gazi, former justice HM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and home ministry`s former secretary Jahangir Alam.

A petition was submitted to the ICT to show detained 14 individuals arrested in a genocide case. Accepting the petition, the court has passed an order asking police to produce them before the ICT on November 18 next.

The chief prosecutor also said they pleaded to the ICT in another petition to show another six persons arrested. They are former IGP Abdullah Al Mamun, Major General (suspended) Ziaul Ahsan, Abdullah Al Kafi, Arafat Hossain, Abul Hasan and Mazharul Islam. They are now in jail after being arrested in different cases. "Since we have received specific complaints against them, we have pleaded to the court to show them arrested in this case. The court has ordered to produce them before it on November 20 next showing them arrested."

He said the arrest warrants have been issued on the basis of the following evidence:

i. Ordering to destroy students and people completele or partially;

ii. Ordering to kill unarmed civilians using life-threatening arms and helicopters on them.

They didn`t kill the students and people only. They disfigured the dead bodies, didn`t allow to hold namaj-e-janaza and death certificates. Arrest warrants have been issued against them.

So far, 60 complaints have been lodged against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Awami League and 14 party leaders and law enforcement agencies on charges of enforced disappearance and mass killings.

The ICT launched its activities officially on March 25, 2010 to try the war criminals.