Bangladesh government on Thursday widened the judicial inquiry commission鈥檚 scope and jurisdiction tasking it with the investigation of all the killings and violence perpetrated between July 16 and July 21 during the students鈥� quota reform movement.聽
The commission鈥檚 members have also been increased from one to three, while it has been asked to submit its report to the government within 45 working days after completing the聽 probe, according to a cabinet division gazette issued on Thursday.
The cabinet division issued the new gazette after cancelling its July 18 gazette that announced the formation of a one-member judicial inquiry commission led by Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman to investigate the killing of students on July 16 during the anti-quota movement.
According to the new gazette, Justice Diliruzzaman has been made the chairman of the commission while Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Mohammad Showkat Ali Chowdhury have been appointed as its members.
Until August 1, at least 214 people were killed in student protests for quota reform in government jobs.
On July 28, the government disclosed that 147 people, including ordinary people, students, police, and ruling Awami League activists, were killed across the country in the violence.
Cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain on July 29 said that the official death toll reached 150.
The commission鈥檚 terms of reference included 鈥榰nearthing the reasons of death of those who were killed from July 16 to July 21 and finding out those culpable for the deaths鈥�.
The commission鈥檚 term of reference also included identifying those people involved in carrying out violence, sabotage, arson, looting and other criminal activities in July 16鈥�21.
The commission has also been tasked with assessing the loss incurred through the damages done to the infrastructure of different government, semi-government and autonomous institutions during the same time period.
Commission chairman Khandaker Diliruzzaman later at a news briefing said that on August 5 the commission would record statements of witnesses over the killing of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayeed on the university campus on July 16 during the movement.
On August 6, the commission is scheduled for recording statements of witnesses over the killing of Sazzad Hossain, Moslemuddin Milon and Md Manik Miah in Rangpur.
It has scheduled August 7 for recording statements of the witnesses regarding the killing of Mirazul Islam and Abdullah Al Taher in the district.
The commission requested all witnesses to appear before it at the Rangpur Circuit House to present their evidence from 9:00am on each of the three working days.