[🇧🇩] Those who have laid down their lives to free Bangladesh

[Saif]

Private univ students demand justice for July-August massacre

Students from different private universities held a rally in Dhaka on Friday, demanding justice for the massacre in the July-August mass uprising.

www.newagebd.net

Private univ students demand justice for July-August massacre
Staff Correspondent 25 January, 2025, 00:29

Students from private universities gather in front of the National Museum in Dhaka to stand in solidarity with ‘March for Unity and Justice’ programme, demanding justice for the massacre in the July-August mass uprising, on Friday. | Sony Ramani

Students from different private universities held a rally in Dhaka on Friday, demanding justice for the massacre in the July-August mass uprising.

The Students Movement Against Discrimination, Combined Private Universities organised the rally titled March for Unity and Justice in front of the National Museum in the capital, which was the first event held by private universities students after the uprising.

They also called for state reform, ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and providing proper treatment for the injured at the rally.

Kotha, a student of the East West University, said that while public universities initiated the movement against discrimination, it gained momentum with the participation of private university students, particularly from July 18.

Mentioning that private university students took to the streets after witnessing the killings of other students, she said, ‘It feels like we are failed warriors when we still have to demand proper treatment for those injured in the mass uprising.’

Another student, Md Rabiul Sani from American International University-Bangladesh, who was shot at Ashulia in Dhaka on August 4, said that there were expectations that everyone responsible for the massacre, including the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, would be brought to justice.

‘All citizens would be treated equally. The prices of daily commodities would be reduced. However, none of these issues were addressed by the interim government,’ he mentioned.

The students also stressed that victims from private universities were being neglected in terms of receiving proper treatment and financial assistance, emphasising that the mass uprising took place for a beautiful and safe Bangladesh, so it should not go in vain.

Representatives of around 60 universities from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions participated in the rally, said Monju, an organiser of the rally.

According to government data, 834 people were killed and 11,551 injured during the student-led mass uprising that began on July 1 with protests, demanding quota reform in civil service jobs and culminated in the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

The government is still updating the data.​

 

[Saif]

Why is the govt indifferent, ask anguished families of martyrs

Even six months after the movement, the government has yet to compile a complete list of martyrs or ensure medical treatment for all injured individuals

en.prothomalo.com

Why is the govt indifferent, ask anguished families of martyrs
Editorial Desk
Updated: 03 Feb 2025, 20: 19

Families of the martyrs held a press conference and the injured persons blocked roads to demonstrate, serving as evidence that the government has not adequately fulfilled its responsibilities towards the families of the martyrs and those who were injured.

On Saturday the families of the martyrs held a press conference demanding national recognition for the martyrs of the July uprising, rehabilitation for each affected family and the swift completion of the trials of those involved in the killings. Meanwhile on Sunday the injured individuals from the July uprising staged a protest in the capital, blocking roads from the Rajaswa Bhabhan (NBR office building) in Agargaon to the TB hospital, demanding proper medical treatment. They alleged that, despite assurances the government has not taken steps to ensure their medical care.

Members of 20 affected families spoke at the press conference organised under the banner of the Central Group of Martyrs’ families. Among them were families who lost their sole earning members. It is inconceivable that the government would remain indifferent to the rehabilitation of those who sacrificed their lives for democracy and to ensuring proper medical treatment for those who were injured.

The families of the martyrs have also demanded arrangements for a meeting with the Chief Advisor. Additionally, they have announced plans for hunger strikes and street protests if their demands are not met.
Government policymakers frequently discuss national policies and plans, often commemorating the sacrifices of the martyrs.

However, there remains a lack of prioritisation in the government’s policies and planning. Otherwise, why would the families of the martyrs still be in distress six months after the government has taken over the responsibility? Why would the injured be forced to block roads in protests?

The government established the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation to provide support to the families of the martyrs and the injured. However, significant criticism has been directed at the slow progress and bureaucratic hurdles in implementing its initiatives.

Bithi, the wife of martyr Hafizur Rahman who was killed during the student uprising, informed Prothom Alo that her husband had been driver. They have two daughters, aged eight and three. The elder daughter was previously enrolled in a school, but due to financial constraints following Hafizur Rahman’s death, she had to transfer her to a madrasah. She now has no one to support her family.

Meanwhile, Saidur Rahman Khan, the grandfather of Shahriar Khan Anas, who was martyred on 5 August in Chankharpul, stated, “This government is our government, yet it has completely ignored our plight.”

Three months ago, the individuals injured in the July uprising staged a protest demanding medical treatment. At that time, several advisers assured them of action. While the government did take some steps to address their medical needs, the fact that many injured individuals are still not receiving proper treatment is evident from their continued protests on the streets. The government’s indifference toward the families of the martyrs and the injured is unacceptable.

Even six months after the movement, the government has yet to compile a complete list of martyrs or ensure medical treatment for all injured individuals. Does the government have an explanation for this delay? Why must the affected people repeatedly take to the streets to demand their rights?

We expect the government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the martyrs’ family and arrange advanced medical treatment for the injured. The families of the martyrs have also called for the swift prosecution of those responsible for the killings. While the government may cite legal procedures in this regard, can it provide any justification for its failure to support the martyrs’ families or ensure proper treatment for the injured?​

 

[Saif]

July mass uprising deaths: How much more suffering to retrieve the bodies

Abul Hossain left his home wearing a yellow jersey, a lungi and shoes. On 5 August, he participated in the student-people's movement in Ashulia. Those who were with him reported that he was placed on a van after being shot. Since then, his wife, Lucky Akter, has searched everywhere for him-...

en.prothomalo.com

July mass uprising deaths: How much more suffering to retrieve the bodies
Mansura Hossain
Dhaka
Updated: 05 Feb 2025, 21: 25

Abul Hossain left his home wearing a yellow jersey, a lungi and shoes. On 5 August, he participated in the student-people's movement in Ashulia. Those who were with him reported that he was placed on a van after being shot. Since then, his wife, Lucky Akter, has searched everywhere for him- morgues of various hospitals, prisons and any possible location where he might be found.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Lucky Akter said, “At first I thought my husband was still alive. However, nearly 25 days after the incident, a video went viral showing bodies piled on a van in front of Ashulia police station. In that video, I saw a man wearing yellow jersey. The moment I saw it, I recognized him immediately. He had left home that day wearing the very jersey.”

After extensive searching, it was discovered that two individuals had been buried at a location in Ashulia. The description provided by Lucky Akter, including the clothing and physical details of her husband, matched one of them. In the meantime, she filed a case at the police station, seeking justice for husband's killing.

Finally, nearly six months later, on 1 February, Ashulia police exhumed two bodies from the cemetery in the Ambagan area of Bogabari. Among them, one was Abul Hossain, 33, husband of Lucky Akter, claimed by her. To confirm the identity, DNA tests will be conducted on both exhumed bodies.

Since their marriage in 2012, Lucky has been living in Ashulia with her husband, who was a day labourer. Now, she moves between her father’s house and her in-law’s home with her two children, aged 11 years and 12 months. Despite clear evidence in the video, Abul Hossain has not been recognised as a martyr in the official gazette since his body was not recovered earlier. As a result, his family has not received any financial assistance. In September last year, his death certificate officially recorded the cause of death as murder.

There are no official statistics on how many families have yet to receive the bodies of their loved ones, like Abul Hossain. Furthermore, unless the family files a case or submits an application for identification, it is not possible to exhume the body or conduct a DNA test without a court order.

To finalise the list of those killed in the movement, the government has established a special cell on the mass uprising. On 10 November, a public notice was issued, requesting families of deceased, missing or unidentified individuals buried as unclaimed bodies to submit applications with proof of identity. However, Muhammad Aslam Molla, a member of the cell, stated that very few such applications have been received from families.

No list of missing or unclaimed bodies

Like Abul Hossain’s family, Md Hasan’s family also searched for him desperately. On 5 August, Hasan left home wearing a white Payjama and Panjabi. After that, there was no trace of him. Hasan worked at an electrical equipment shop in Kaptan Bazar, Dhaka and lived in the Suti Khalpar Balur Maath area of Jatrabari. His father is a farmer in Bhola. Hasan was the eldest of two siblings.

Hasan’s uncle, Nure Alam, searched numerous times at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College but found no sign of his nephew. However, on 12 January, with the assistance of the special cell on the July mass uprising under the anti-discrimination student movement, Nure Alam was able to match Hasan with an unidentified body at the forensic morgue of Dhaka Medical College.

On 10 January, the special cell on the July Mass uprising first revealed information about six unclaimed bodies at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College (under Shahbagh police station). During this process, the cell members also learned about another body from Jatrabari police station stored in the same morgue. This body is now believed to be Hasan’s.

Nure Alam told Prothom Alo last Monday that DNA samples from Hasan’s parents were collected by the CID laboratory 20 days ago for testing, but the results have yet to be released. In his search for Hasan, he even had to pay bribes in multiple places.

Hasan Inam, secretary of the special cell on the July mass uprising formed under the anti-discrimination student movement, told Prothom Alo that it is unacceptable that, even after six months, there is still no complete list of missing individuals or those buried as unclaimed bodies. He further stated that if the government had wanted, it could have compiled a list of the missing alongside the names of the martyrs and the injured.

The family of Muhammad Hridoy, 20, has yet to find his body. In front of Sharif General Hospital in Konabari, Gazipur, a police officer approached Hridoy, placed a gun against his back and pulled the trigger. There is even video footage showing police dragging Hridoy’s body into an alley. However, no further footage exists beyond that point. Since 5 August, his family has been searching for his body.

Due to financial hardship, Hridoy worked as an auto-rickshaw driver in Konabari while also studying at Hemnagar Degree College in Tangail. The International Truth Justice Project and Tech Global Institute conducted a forensic analysis of Hridoy’s video footage and produced a documentary. This documentary included the scene of Hridoy being shot, which reignited discussion about his case.

As Hridoy’s body has not been found, his family has not received any financial assistance, unlike the families of other martyrs of the July mass uprising. He has also not been included in the official list of the martyrs. On 26 August, his brother-in law, Md Ibrahim, filed a case at Konabari police station, accusing the police of shooting Hridoy dead and concealing his body.

Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone, Hridoy’s elder sister Ms Jasmine said, “There is a video evidence of the police shooting my brother. His body has not been sent outside Bangladesh. Even if we do not get his full remains, we at least want his bones back."

Demand for body identification

The responsibility for burying unclaimed bodies, as assigned by the City Corporation, lies with Anjuman Mufidul Islam. The organisation has been burying unclaimed bodies at the cemetery adjacent to the Rayerbazar Martyrs’ Memorial.

According to their records, 80 unclaimed bodies were buried at Rayerbazar Cemetery in July and 34 in August. However, it is not possible to determine how many of them died during the movement or was shot.

Relatives, after identifying unclaimed bodies from photographs at Anjuman Mufidul Islam, rush to Rayerbazar Martyrs’ Memorial Cemetery in search of their beloved ones. In block 4, small bamboo sticks are placed at regular intervals to mark the graves of unclaimed bodies, but there are no other identifying markers. Families of those buried as unclaimed bodies have been demanding DNA testing to confirm the identities of their loved ones.

Ahmed Ferdous, head of the Forensic DNA Lab at the Criminal

Investigation Department (CID), has recommended forming a permanent ommission or cell comprising representatives from all relevant agencies to identify missing persons unidentified bodies. He stated that it is difficult for the CID or any single organisation to handle this task alone. He also emphasised the need for an online database to record information on every missing person and unidentified body.​

 

[Saif]

Yunus calls victims of July Uprising ‘Creators of history’

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has paid tribute to those killed and wounded in the July Uprising, calling them “creators of history”. While distributing state assistance to the families of those killed in the uprising and those injured, the chief advisor said: “You are living histo

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Yunus calls victims of July Uprising ‘Creators of history’
bdnews24.com
Published :
Feb 10, 2025 22:51
Updated :
Feb 10, 2025 22:51

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has paid tribute to those killed and wounded in the July Uprising, calling them “creators of history”.

While distributing state assistance to the families of those killed in the uprising and those injured, the chief advisor said: “You are living history. I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart.”

“A nation that cannot remember history will never develop as a nation,” he added.

The financial cheque handover ceremony took place on Monday at the office of the chief advisor in Dhaka’s Tejgaon.

During the event, Yunus presented cheques to the families of the 21 victims and the seven individuals injured in the uprising.

According to a media statement issued by the Chief Advisor’s Office, this marks the beginning of the state's process to provide financial assistance to the victims.

At the ceremony, the families of the three people killed and three others injured shared their perspectives.

They raised concerns about the trial of the murders, state honours, financial assistance, and rehabilitation.

Some relatives were overcome with emotion as they recounted their experiences from the July events.

Yunus said: “I always think that the sacrifices of those, for whom we can call the country a new Bangladesh, cannot be measured by any criteria.”

Addressing the victims’ families, the chief advisor said: “From today, they have officially become part of the government. This is institutional recognition. Beyond this, everyone in society must accept your responsibility.”

Commenting on the ongoing pursuit of justice for all murders and disappearances, Yunus said: “If justice is done immediately, it becomes injustice. The main thing about justice is that it must be just; there must be no injustice.”

He also urged the public to remain vigilant, saying: “Keep a vigilant eye so that there is no violence and clashes in the country.”

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT GIVING TO JULY VICTIMS?

According to the government's decision, those killed in the July uprising will be officially recognised as "July Martyrs," while the injured will be called "July Warriors”.

Each martyr's family will receive a one-time financial assistance of Tk 3 million.

Of this amount, Tk 1 million will be provided through National Savings Certificates in the 2024-25 fiscal year, with the remaining Tk 2 million to be distributed through National Savings Certificates in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Each martyr's family will also receive a monthly allowance of Tk 20,000.

Working members of these families will be given priority for government and semi-government jobs.

The "July Warriors" will receive treatment based on two criteria.

Those with serious injuries, classified under "Category A," will be granted a one-time payment of Tk 500,000.

Of this, Tk 200,000 will be provided in cash, via bank draft, during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with the remaining Tk 300,000 allocated for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

The seriously injured will also be provided with a monthly allowance of Tk 20,000.

They will be entitled to lifelong medical care at multiple government hospitals, and if recommended by the medical board, they may be sent abroad for treatment.

They will also receive necessary training and rehabilitation facilities to support their employment prospects.

Under "Category B," the “July Warriors” will receive a one-time payment of Tk 300,000.

Of this, Tk 100,000 will be provided during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with the remaining Tk 200,000 allocated for the following fiscal year.

They will receive a monthly allowance of Tk 15,000, along with necessary training for employment.

They will also be given priority for positions in government and semi-government jobs.

“July Warriors” will be issued identity cards, which will grant them access to multiple government benefits when presented.

So far, the government has officially recognised 834 individuals as "martyrs" of the July Uprising.

The list of the injured has also been compiled and will be gazetted shortly.​

 

[Saif]

EX-MINISTER HOUSE ATTACK: Students hold coffin procession as injured fellow dies

A student who was injured in a counter attack by local people allegedly over attacking on the ousted Awami League government’s liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque on February 7 night, died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital Wednesday afternoon...

www.newagebd.net

EX-MINISTER HOUSE ATTACK: Students hold coffin procession as injured fellow dies
Staff Correspondent 13 February, 2025, 00:06

A student who was injured in a counter attack by local people allegedly over attacking on the ousted Awami League government’s liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque on February 7 night, died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Abdul Kashem, 17, a resident under Gacha police station in Gazipur city, who died at about 3:00pm on Wednesday at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, according to police and victim’s family.

‘The body was kept at the Dhaka Medical morgue for autopsy,’ said DMCH police outpost in-charge Md Faruk.

He said that Kashem had been taken to the DMCH at about 2:00am on February 8 in a critical condition, hours after he was injured in Gazipur.

Protesting at Kashem’s death, the Students Against Discrimination held a coffin procession at about 9:00pm on Wednesday following Kashem’s namaz-e-janaza at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital Dhaka, demanding banning the Awami League.

Central convener of the platform Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post announced the coffin procession programme. He also announced coffin processions in districts, upazilas and unions across the country.

At least 15 students were injured in the counter attack as several dozens of students allegedly went to attack the residence of Mozammel.

A case was filed with the Gazipur Sadar police station on February 9, mentioning names of 239 people and 200-300 unnamed others over the attack on members of the Students against Discrimination.

Gazipur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Md Mehedi Hasan told New Age that at least 160 people, including 28 on Wednesday, had been arrested so far in this connection.​

 

[Saif]

15 killed in 6 hrs even after Hasina’s departure

When the helicopter carrying former PM Sheikh Hasina, who was fleeing to India in the face of the mass uprising of the students and people, was crossing the border at around 2.30 pm, a massacre was unfolding in Savar

en.prothomalo.com

15 killed in 6 hrs even after Hasina’s departure
Md Abdullah Al Hossain
Dhaka
Updated: 06 Feb 2025, 10: 59

People carrying a man hit by bullet in front of the Lab Zone in Savar File photo

5 August 2024. When the helicopter carrying former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was fleeing to India in the face of the mass uprising of the students and people, was crossing the border at around 2.30 pm, a massacre was unfolding in Savar near Dhaka with intermittent fire from the police. There were ambushes in at least four places.

At least 15 people were killed there in just six hours after Sheikh Hasina fled the country. As many as 10 of them were students. The remaining of the deceased were day labourers and low income people. Besides, some 33 persons sustained severe bullet wounds in these incidents. This came up in a Prothom Alo investigation.

The protesting students and people came face to face with the policemen in front of the police station right before the evening. The police were equipped with lethal weapons while the students and people only had brickbats and sticks. All of sudden, the police started firing indiscriminately in the narrow lane filled with people and students.

The police opened fire even at the end of the day as they were fleeing from their stations. When the entire country was celebrating the fall of the government, it was an evening of terror for the residents of Savar.

During two months of investigation, Prothom Alo collected and analysed footage of at least 400 videos of these incidents and compiled them to make a documentary titled Savar Massacre: In the Six Hours After Hasina Fled.

Non-stop firing on the highway

The agitated students and people brought out a procession from the Jahangirnagar University campus with various slogans against Awami League. This procession was heading towards Ganabhaban. Around 11:00, the procession started gaining momentum as students from Ashulia Bypail joined.

Meanwhile, the police had taken a strong position in the Savar bus stand area since morning to prevent any procession from entering Dhaka. Local Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders and activists with firearms were along with the police there. There had been intermittent fire in the lanes and the highways since the morning that day.

At around 11: 30 am, madrasah student Md Hasibur Rahman, 17, was shot. About an hour later another student Md Sazzad was shot. They both succumbed to their injuries later.

Meanwhile the procession brought out from the Jahangirnagar University to two and a half hours to reach the Savar bus stand area. The situation turned tense there. In the meantime, the news that the army chief would address the nation at 2:00 pm spread throughout the procession. As soon as the procession tried to move forward to Dhaka upon hearing the news, it was met with heavy police resistance, with tear gas and pellets being fired.

However, the protesters did not back off. To prevent them from moving ahead, the police were firing with lethal weapons. The protesters started to run away to save their lives. There are a number of videos of people carrying numerous injured persons who were hit by the bullets.

Eyewitness Md Mostafizur Rahmam said he saw three persons falling right beside him after being shot. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “He was shot and fell in front of me. It made a hole in the side of his neck. Right next to him someone suddenly fell to the ground. The bullet probably got him in the chest or abdomen. Another fell to the right of him.”

Another teenager named Muzahid Mallik was shot dead. Auto-rickshaw driver Sujan Mia was shot right after. Sujan was shot on his chest and waist.

The highway became vacant following that. Although a large portion of the protesters returned after hearing the news of Sheikh Hasina’s departure from the country, a part of the protesters were scattered around in front of the New Market. Al-Amin was shot there.

At around 2:40 pm, the police backed off a little from the Savar bus stand and took position at the Pakeeza U-loop on the western side of the road. They were accompanied by the local Awami League leaders and activists there.

Nafisa Hossain was shot dead in front of the Pakeeza Model Mosque. A bullet hit the left of her chest and came out at the back, to the right.

At around 2:53 pm, police entered the Thana road from the Dhaka-Aricha highway. But they were still firing towards the highway. At that time, 10th grader Alif Ahmed Siyam, who was hiding behind the road divider, was shot.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Tania Ahmed, Alif Ahmed Siyam’s mother, said, “When he raised his head to look over the divider, the bullet hit him in the right eye and came out at the back. He fell to the ground immediately.”

Massacre in front of the police station

A portion of the protesting students moved towards Dhaka to celebrate the fall of the government. The other portion stayed put in Savar to create a resistance against police firing and moved forward to the Savar police station. They were chanting slogans that – ‘Sheikh Hasina has fled, Sheikh Hasina has run away.”

Later, at around 3:50 pm the police and protester came face to face at intersection near the Savar police station. The police force moved inside the police station at around 4:30 pm and locked up the main gate from inside. They urged the students to calm down with a mike from inside. Meanwhile, students and locals thronged in front of the police station. The students and general people increase in number in front of the police station. After a while, the police fired tear-shells from the roof of the mosque inside the police station. Then they started lethal gunfire.

A local trader in front was shot 18-19 times in his left hands and 20-22 times on right hands with pellets within seconds.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, he said, “I fell down immediately. I crawled past at least 5 shops. The skin and flesh on the knees were scraped off. Then I lost consciousness.”

A man in a red t-shirt was seen lying along the boundary wall of a hospital opposite to the police station. His identity could not be confirmed.

Schoolboy Safwan Akhter was shot dead at the intersection area. A bullet smashed his right hand and another hit on the right side of his chest. The 15-year-old was shot dead at the spot while demonstrating.

Worker Al Amin was shot dead there too. The bullet pierced through the left side of his chest and came out the back at the right. And auto-rickshaw driver Md Rafique was shot in between his chest and abdomen. He too died on the spot.

By that time, the intersection area became vacant. The students and people started thronging the Muktir Mor at around 5:15 pm. After the last round of firing, the crowds had grown.

The situation escalated at the Muktir Mor (an intersection) within a minute with the slogan – “direction action, Savar people into action! Direct action!”

People scattered around Muktir Mor and different other places started moving towards the Chowrasta (another intersection). More than 100 people thronged there and the area turned into a battlefield. Police “fired bullets like rain”.

Video footage of the incident shows protesters fleeing as the police started firing. Numerous gunshots could be hard in the last 15 seconds of the video. People were seen trying to save the lives of people who have been shot. A number of bodies had been lying on the road for a long time.

Bus driver Manik Hossain was lying right in front of the police after being shot by them. He lost consciousness five minutes after being shot.

The police continued the firing for at least half an hour. Speaking to Prothom Alo, student Nazmul Hossain shared the terrible experience that he went through that day.

“As I was running I felt something hit my foot like a 1000-volt-shock. I saw my big toe was hanging loose, shaking. A bone was sticking out of my heel. It was all white,” he recalled.

Prothom Alo has information of four people being shot dead there. They are – Nishan Khan, Tanjir Khan Munna, Abdul Ahad Shaikat and Md Mithu.

Student Mithu was shot in his chest. He died at the Muktir Mor on the way to the hospital. Another student named Tanjir Khan died of excessive bleeding after being shot in his thigh.

Nishan Khan had a wound on the back side of his head. He died at the hospital.

Ambush one after another

Firing was still on in the New Market area when a team of police took stance in the Thana bus stand area after Sheikh Hasina’s departure. There was intermittent firing for 20 minutes. Two other students - Abdul Quayyum and Shrabon Gazi - were shot to death there by 2:45 pm.

Quayyum’s friend Al Amin said, “Suddenly I saw Quayyum falling to the ground in slow motion. I still didn’t realise Quayyum had been hit. He fell down and when we were lifting him, we saw blood trickling out from his side. The bullet hit him in the kidney damaging everything inside. I think the bullet came from across the road. It was shot from the roof.”

The witnesses suspect Quayyum was shot from the multi-storeyed City Centre on the other side of the road. Seeing suspicious movement of people in red clothes on the roof of the building, the agitated mob vandalised the building.

There was another incident of sneak attack in the Thana bus stand area at around 3:00 pm. Police fired bullets from the road while some other unidentified person opened fire from a building nearby. The agitated protesters attacked the local popular hospital suspecting that the gunshots were coming from that building.

Later, the people formed a procession to move forward. The procession faced another round of ambush as soon as it crossed the Enam Medical College. The aggrieved people then attacked a high-rise building nearby. They vandalised the ground floor but did not find anybody.

There was another round of ambush around 5:15 pm at the Muktir Mor. People raided the Zunaid Tower suspecting that the bullets were fired from that building. But they couldn’t find anybody.

Gunshots targeting upper body parts

The Prothom Alo investigation has identified 15 persons who have been shot to death in the Savar upazila from noon to evening on 5 August. As many as 13 of them were shot on the upper parts of their bodies. Four of them sustained lethal bullet wounds and one was shot on the neck. Nine of them were shot in between chest and waist and one died after being shot in the thigh.

Police opened fire while fleeing

After killing and injuring a number of people, the police were looking for ways to flee. Some members of the police fled through the river. Many of the police members put off their uniform to flee. It became easier as it was already evening by that time.

However, most of the police members came out through the Thana road in a convoy. They were still firing from the convoy.

At least 150 police members were marching in front of the police convoy followed by some motorcycles. The motorcycles were ahead of a convoy of 13 cars. There was a pick up van, an armoured car, ambulance, microbus, leguna (locally made public transport) and a truck in the convoy.

The locals claim there were local leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associate bodies. However, the claim couldn’t be verified. The police continued firing in the nearby lanes when the convoy was on the highway.

Relentless sounds of gunshots spread fear among the residents of Savar upazila. In the end, the police convoy moved towards the cantonment.

* This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu​

 

[Saif]

Hastily buried in unmarked graves

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing.

www.thedailystar.net

The disappeared of the July uprising: Part 1
Hastily buried in unmarked graves

In Block 4 of Rayerbazar graveyard lie many unidentified victims of the July atrocities. Photo: Naimur Rahman

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.

On July 18, 2024, two days after Abu Sayed's killing in Rangpur, Sohel Rana stepped out of his home in Dhaka's Jatrabari around 6:00pm to join the quota reform movement. He told his mother he would be back soon, but he never did.

Around an hour after he joined the protest in Jatrabari area, police detained Sohel, 28, tortured him, and then shot him several times, four fellow protesters and a person who admitted him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital told The Daily Star. His inquest report, prepared by Shahbagh police, confirms he had multiple pellet wounds on both sides of his chest and bruises on different parts of his body.

Faisal Sarker, 18, a college student who also worked as a supervisor of a bus company, left home for work at Abdullahpur bus stand in Uttara on July 19. By the time he got out, the crackdown on the streets was getting worse.

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find his grave."— Rasheda Begum Sohel Rana's mother.

He called his mother to tell her that he was coming home, in Cumilla, to stay with her until the situation stabilised. His family last heard of him when he was crossing Uttara to get a bus. He then vanished.

The same day in Uttara, Md Assadullah, a driver and a father of two, was shot by Awami League-affiliated helmeted assailants, according to CCTV camera footage and multiple still images verified by The Daily Star.

Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah never knew each other in life. But their fates converged in death.

Their bodies, along with many others, ended up at Dhaka Medical College morgue. Unidentified, unclaimed.

A nationwide curfew, intended to quash the movement, kept their families from finding them, and the six were hurriedly buried in unmarked graves at Rayerbazar before their relatives could collect their bodies, an investigation by The Daily Star has found.

Meanwhile, at least 19 more families we spoke to continue searching for their fathers, sons, brothers or husbands whom they lost during the July uprising. But they don't know if they will ever find them as there are hardly any efforts from the government to resolve the mystery of these missing men.

Sohel Rana’s mother Rasheda Begum weeps as she touches the photo of her son at an exhibition. Photo: Collected
At least 12 of these 19 people went missing on August 4 and 5 from Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Sirajganj, Panchagarh and Bogura amid clashes and police firing.

The fact-finding report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cited senior security officials' testimony, saying deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina herself ordered security forces to "arrest the ringleaders of the protests, the troublemakers, kill them and hide their bodies."

However, there is no official account yet of how many bodies were actually hidden by the state apparatus.

The Daily Star investigated 31 cases of unclaimed or missing bodies, but evidence suggests that the actual number is higher.

Over the last two months, we have pieced together hospital records and police inquest reports as well as records from Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a charity for burial service, and Rayerbazar graveyard, and found evidence of deliberate attempts by state forces to kill protesters and hide their bodies.

Burial of eight unidentified bodies related to the July massacre is underway at Rayerbazar graveyard on July 24, 2024. Photo: Collected

THE UNMARKED GRAVES

Anjuman Mufidul Islam is the only burial service in the country that handles unclaimed bodies. We reviewed its register and found that the charity buried 515 bodies from January to November 2024, an average of 47 bodies per month.

"We last heard of him when he said he was crossing Uttara to board a bus. There were sounds of gunfire. Since then, his phone has been switched off."— Abdur Rahim Brother-in-law of Faisal Sarker.

However, the body count jumped after the middle of July. Only in the last 10 days of that month, when police, Rab, BGB, Ansar and armed forces members were called in to tackle the protesters, Anjuman sent 45 bodies for burial in the Rayerbazar graveyard, just two less than its monthly average.

Anjuman's register shows it did not send a single body for burial from August 1 to 11, despite an intensified crackdown between August 2 and 5. But in the remaining 20 days, it buried 34 bodies.

We went to see the burial sites at Rayerbazar on January 29. Block 4 of the cemetery contained 114 graves without names or any other identifiable markings. Grave staffers said many were victims of the July uprising, but could not give a figure.

Analysing Rayerbazar's register, we found that 27 bodies buried in July and 13 in August had dates of death between July 17 and August 5, the final and the deadliest three weeks of Sheikh Hasina's 15-year authoritarian rule, when hundreds were killed and thousands injured by state forces.

In addition to Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah, at least three more protesters – Rafiqul Islam, Mahin Mia, and Ahmed Jilani – now lie in Rayerbazar as unidentified bodies, The Daily Star can confirm.

Photos of their bodies are still on display on a wall of Anjuman among the 114 buried in July-August.

Of the 114, at least 40 died between July 17 and August 5 and the rest 74 before and after that period. Based on the dates of death of the 40, it is likely that many of them were victims of the July massacre.

All the six July uprising victims that we have been able to identify went missing between July 18 and 20 in and around the protest hotspots—Jatrabari, Shonir Akhra, Uttara, and Mohammadpur, witnesses and family members said.

Except Jilani, who was killed on August 3 and laid to rest on August 31, the rest were buried in July, within days of their deaths. Apart from Mahin, who went missing from Mohammadpur and taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, the other five were brought to DMCH.

When we met Sohel Rana's mother Rasheda Begum at her Jatrabari house in January, she clutched a picture of her son to her chest and wept.

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find where among the 114 graves lies my son."

Read Part 2 tomorrow on the systematic efforts by state agencies to hide the true extent of the July massacre.​

 

[Saif]

Summarily killed, hastily buried

The Daily Star investigates how July uprising protesters were disappeared in unmarked graves

www.thedailystar.net

Summarily killed, hastily buried
Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.

On July 18, 2024, two days after Abu Sayed's killing in Rangpur, Sohel Rana stepped out of his home in Dhaka's Jatrabari around 6:00pm to join the quota reform movement. He told his mother he would be back soon, but he never did.

Around an hour after he joined the protest in Jatrabari area, police detained Sohel, 28, tortured him, and then shot him several times, four fellow protesters and a person who admitted him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital told The Daily Star. His inquest report, prepared by Shahbagh police, confirms he had multiple pellet wounds on both sides of his chest and bruises on different parts of his body.

Faisal Sarker, 18, a college student who also worked as a supervisor of a bus company, left home for work at Abdullahpur bus stand in Uttara on July 19. By the time he got out, the crackdown on the streets was getting worse.

Sohel Rana’s mother Rasheda Begum weeps as she touches the photo of her son at an exhibition. Photo: Collected

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find his grave."— Rasheda Begum Sohel Rana's mother.

He called his mother to tell her that he was coming home, in Cumilla, to stay with her until the situation stabilised. His family last heard of him when he was crossing Uttara to get a bus. He then vanished.

The same day in Uttara, Md Assadullah, a driver and a father of two, was shot by Awami League-affiliated helmeted assailants, according to CCTV camera footage and multiple still images verified by The Daily Star.

Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah never knew each other in life. But their fates converged in death.

Their bodies, along with many others, ended up at Dhaka Medical College morgue. Unidentified, unclaimed.

A nationwide curfew, intended to quash the movement, kept their families from finding them, and the six were hurriedly buried in unmarked graves at Rayerbazar before their relatives could collect their bodies, an investigation by The Daily Star has found.

Meanwhile, at least 19 more families we spoke to continue searching for their fathers, sons, brothers or husbands whom they lost during the July uprising. But they don't know if they will ever find them as there are hardly any efforts from the government to resolve the mystery of these missing men.

At least 12 of these 19 people went missing on August 4 and 5 from Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Sirajganj, Panchagarh and Bogura amid clashes and police firing.

The fact-finding report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cited senior security officials' testimony, saying deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina herself ordered security forces to "arrest the ringleaders of the protests, the troublemakers, kill them and hide their bodies."

However, there is no official account yet of how many bodies were actually hidden by the state apparatus.

The Daily Star investigated 31 cases of unclaimed or missing bodies, but evidence suggests that the actual number is higher.

Over the last two months, we have pieced together hospital records and police inquest reports as well as records from Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a charity for burial service, and Rayerbazar graveyard, and found evidence of deliberate attempts by state forces to kill protesters and hide their bodies.

THE UNMARKED GRAVES

Anjuman Mufidul Islam is the only burial service in the country that handles unclaimed bodies. We reviewed its register and found that the charity buried 515 bodies from January to November 2024, an average of 47 bodies per month.

"We last heard of him when he said he was crossing Uttara to board a bus. There were sounds of gunfire. Since then, his phone has been switched off."— Abdur Rahim Brother-in-law of Faisal Sarker.

However, the body count jumped after the middle of July. Only in the last 10 days of that month, when police, Rab, BGB, Ansar and armed forces members were called in to tackle the protesters, Anjuman sent 45 bodies for burial in the Rayerbazar graveyard, just two less than its monthly average.

Anjuman's register shows it did not send a single body for burial from August 1 to 11, despite an intensified crackdown between August 2 and 5. But in the remaining 20 days, it buried 34 bodies.

We went to see the burial sites at Rayerbazar on January 29. Block 4 of the cemetery contained 114 graves without names or any other identifiable markings. Grave staffers said many were victims of the July uprising, but could not give a figure.

Analysing Rayerbazar's register, we found that 27 bodies buried in July and 13 in August had dates of death between July 17 and August 5, the final and the deadliest three weeks of Sheikh Hasina's 15-year authoritarian rule, when hundreds were killed and thousands injured by state forces.

In addition to Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah, at least three more protesters – Rafiqul Islam, Mahin Mia, and Ahmed Jilani – now lie in Rayerbazar as unidentified bodies, The Daily Star can confirm.

Photos of their bodies are still on display on a wall of Anjuman among the 114 buried in July-August.

Of the 114, at least 40 died between July 17 and August 5 and the rest 74 before and after that period. Based on the dates of death of the 40, it is likely that many of them were victims of the July massacre.

All the six July uprising victims that we have been able to identify went missing between July 18 and 20 in and around the protest hotspots—Jatrabari, Shonir Akhra, Uttara, and Mohammadpur, witnesses and family members said.

Except Jilani, who was killed on August 3 and laid to rest on August 31, the rest were buried in July, within days of their deaths. Apart from Mahin, who went missing from Mohammadpur and taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, the other five were brought to DMCH.

When we met Sohel Rana's mother Rasheda Begum at her Jatrabari house in January, she clutched a picture of her son to her chest and wept.

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find where among the 114 graves lies my son."

Read Part 2 tomorrow on the systematic efforts by state agencies to hide the true extent of the July massacre.​

 

[Bilal9]

EX-MINISTER HOUSE ATTACK: Students hold coffin procession as injured fellow dies

A student who was injured in a counter attack by local people allegedly over attacking on the ousted Awami League government’s liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque on February 7 night, died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital Wednesday afternoon...

www.newagebd.net

EX-MINISTER HOUSE ATTACK: Students hold coffin procession as injured fellow dies
Staff Correspondent 13 February, 2025, 00:06

A student who was injured in a counter attack by local people allegedly over attacking on the ousted Awami League government’s liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque on February 7 night, died while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital Wednesday afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Abdul Kashem, 17, a resident under Gacha police station in Gazipur city, who died at about 3:00pm on Wednesday at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, according to police and victim’s family.

‘The body was kept at the Dhaka Medical morgue for autopsy,’ said DMCH police outpost in-charge Md Faruk.

He said that Kashem had been taken to the DMCH at about 2:00am on February 8 in a critical condition, hours after he was injured in Gazipur.

Protesting at Kashem’s death, the Students Against Discrimination held a coffin procession at about 9:00pm on Wednesday following Kashem’s namaz-e-janaza at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital Dhaka, demanding banning the Awami League.

Central convener of the platform Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post announced the coffin procession programme. He also announced coffin processions in districts, upazilas and unions across the country.

At least 15 students were injured in the counter attack as several dozens of students allegedly went to attack the residence of Mozammel.

A case was filed with the Gazipur Sadar police station on February 9, mentioning names of 239 people and 200-300 unnamed others over the attack on members of the Students against Discrimination.

Gazipur Sadar police station officer-in-charge Md Mehedi Hasan told New Age that at least 160 people, including 28 on Wednesday, had been arrested so far in this connection.​

They should drop a few incendiary bombs in that Gazipur area (stronghold of AL). These people need "shock and awe" treatment like in Iraq. Maybe after Ramzan.

 

[Bilal9]

Hastily buried in unmarked graves

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing.

www.thedailystar.net

The disappeared of the July uprising: Part 1
Hastily buried in unmarked graves
View attachment 15360
In Block 4 of Rayerbazar graveyard lie many unidentified victims of the July atrocities. Photo: Naimur Rahman

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.

On July 18, 2024, two days after Abu Sayed's killing in Rangpur, Sohel Rana stepped out of his home in Dhaka's Jatrabari around 6:00pm to join the quota reform movement. He told his mother he would be back soon, but he never did.

Around an hour after he joined the protest in Jatrabari area, police detained Sohel, 28, tortured him, and then shot him several times, four fellow protesters and a person who admitted him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital told The Daily Star. His inquest report, prepared by Shahbagh police, confirms he had multiple pellet wounds on both sides of his chest and bruises on different parts of his body.

Faisal Sarker, 18, a college student who also worked as a supervisor of a bus company, left home for work at Abdullahpur bus stand in Uttara on July 19. By the time he got out, the crackdown on the streets was getting worse.

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find his grave."— Rasheda Begum Sohel Rana's mother.

He called his mother to tell her that he was coming home, in Cumilla, to stay with her until the situation stabilised. His family last heard of him when he was crossing Uttara to get a bus. He then vanished.

The same day in Uttara, Md Assadullah, a driver and a father of two, was shot by Awami League-affiliated helmeted assailants, according to CCTV camera footage and multiple still images verified by The Daily Star.

View attachment 15361


Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah never knew each other in life. But their fates converged in death.

Their bodies, along with many others, ended up at Dhaka Medical College morgue. Unidentified, unclaimed.

A nationwide curfew, intended to quash the movement, kept their families from finding them, and the six were hurriedly buried in unmarked graves at Rayerbazar before their relatives could collect their bodies, an investigation by The Daily Star has found.

Meanwhile, at least 19 more families we spoke to continue searching for their fathers, sons, brothers or husbands whom they lost during the July uprising. But they don't know if they will ever find them as there are hardly any efforts from the government to resolve the mystery of these missing men.

Sohel Rana’s mother Rasheda Begum weeps as she touches the photo of her son at an exhibition. Photo: Collected
At least 12 of these 19 people went missing on August 4 and 5 from Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Sirajganj, Panchagarh and Bogura amid clashes and police firing.

The fact-finding report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cited senior security officials' testimony, saying deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina herself ordered security forces to "arrest the ringleaders of the protests, the troublemakers, kill them and hide their bodies."

However, there is no official account yet of how many bodies were actually hidden by the state apparatus.

The Daily Star investigated 31 cases of unclaimed or missing bodies, but evidence suggests that the actual number is higher.

Over the last two months, we have pieced together hospital records and police inquest reports as well as records from Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a charity for burial service, and Rayerbazar graveyard, and found evidence of deliberate attempts by state forces to kill protesters and hide their bodies.

View attachment 15362
Burial of eight unidentified bodies related to the July massacre is underway at Rayerbazar graveyard on July 24, 2024. Photo: Collected

THE UNMARKED GRAVES

Anjuman Mufidul Islam is the only burial service in the country that handles unclaimed bodies. We reviewed its register and found that the charity buried 515 bodies from January to November 2024, an average of 47 bodies per month.

"We last heard of him when he said he was crossing Uttara to board a bus. There were sounds of gunfire. Since then, his phone has been switched off."— Abdur Rahim Brother-in-law of Faisal Sarker.

However, the body count jumped after the middle of July. Only in the last 10 days of that month, when police, Rab, BGB, Ansar and armed forces members were called in to tackle the protesters, Anjuman sent 45 bodies for burial in the Rayerbazar graveyard, just two less than its monthly average.

Anjuman's register shows it did not send a single body for burial from August 1 to 11, despite an intensified crackdown between August 2 and 5. But in the remaining 20 days, it buried 34 bodies.

We went to see the burial sites at Rayerbazar on January 29. Block 4 of the cemetery contained 114 graves without names or any other identifiable markings. Grave staffers said many were victims of the July uprising, but could not give a figure.

Analysing Rayerbazar's register, we found that 27 bodies buried in July and 13 in August had dates of death between July 17 and August 5, the final and the deadliest three weeks of Sheikh Hasina's 15-year authoritarian rule, when hundreds were killed and thousands injured by state forces.

In addition to Sohel, Faisal and Assadullah, at least three more protesters – Rafiqul Islam, Mahin Mia, and Ahmed Jilani – now lie in Rayerbazar as unidentified bodies, The Daily Star can confirm.

Photos of their bodies are still on display on a wall of Anjuman among the 114 buried in July-August.

Of the 114, at least 40 died between July 17 and August 5 and the rest 74 before and after that period. Based on the dates of death of the 40, it is likely that many of them were victims of the July massacre.

All the six July uprising victims that we have been able to identify went missing between July 18 and 20 in and around the protest hotspots—Jatrabari, Shonir Akhra, Uttara, and Mohammadpur, witnesses and family members said.

Except Jilani, who was killed on August 3 and laid to rest on August 31, the rest were buried in July, within days of their deaths. Apart from Mahin, who went missing from Mohammadpur and taken to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, the other five were brought to DMCH.

When we met Sohel Rana's mother Rasheda Begum at her Jatrabari house in January, she clutched a picture of her son to her chest and wept.

"The night he disappeared, we kept our front door open, thinking he would come home at any moment. My son never came home. Now I cannot even find where among the 114 graves lies my son."

Read Part 2 tomorrow on the systematic efforts by state agencies to hide the true extent of the July massacre.​

Very sad and heartbreaking. Bewarish burials - when they had families and relatives, who could not bury them and draw closure.

Zalim Hasina and Modi will pay...

 

[Saif]

Zalim Hasina and Modi will pay...

Hasina is Modi's kept and as long as Modi is alive he will not hand Hasina over to Bangladesh for a trial.

 

[Saif]

AL govt sought to hide true extent of massacre

They all had families, desperately searching for them amid a nationwide curfew and internet shutdown at the height of the July uprising. Yet, they were buried as "unclaimed" bodies within one to six days after being shot dead, before their loved ones could find them. Seven months after the July

www.thedailystar.net

The disappeared of the July Uprising: Part 2
AL govt sought to hide true extent of massacre

The ‘Wall of the Dead” at Anjuman Mufidul Islam. Among these 114 buried in unmarked graves in Rayerbazar in July-August 2024 are many victims of the July massacre. Photo: Collected

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.

They all had families, desperately searching for them amid a nationwide curfew and internet shutdown at the height of the July uprising. Yet, they were buried as "unclaimed" bodies within one to six days after being shot dead, before their loved ones could find them. Seven months after the July killings, these families do not know where their kin rest.

An investigation by The Daily Star indicates that the hasty burials of the victims were part of a systematic effort by the fallen Awami League government to conceal the true extent of the massacre.

In some cases, medical records were tampered with and standard protocols for handling unclaimed bodies were bypassed. In other cases, the police quickly disposed of the bodies even though hospital morgues had the capacity to keep them longer, according to documents and morgue sources.

For example, Dhaka Medical College Hospital has two morgues with a combined capacity to hold around 100 bodies.

Before July 15, when killings of the protesters had not yet begun, there were 28 bodies in its mortuaries, said Ramu Chandra Das, a morgue assistant.

Yet, general diaries from Shahbagh police and registers at DMCH morgue and Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a burial service, show that eight protesters were buried on July 24 as "unclaimed" bodies in Rayerbazar graveyard within one to six days of their deaths.

These eight bodies include Sohel Rana, Md Assadullah, Faisal Sarker and Rafiqul Islam, who were killed by gunshots (Read their story in Part 1 of this series). The identities of the rest four remain unknown.

Asked why they got rid of these bodies so fast, Ramu said, "It was done on police instructions. We could have kept the bodies longer."

(Left) Documents show six of the seven bodies buried by Anjuman on July 8 remained at the DMCH morgue for more than 10.

(Right) In contrast, all eight bodies sent from Shahbagh Police Station on July 24 were kept for less than two days.

Typically, DMCH reports about unclaimed bodies to police about a week after the bodies are brought to the hospital. Upon completion of various official processes, including autopsies, burial of such corpses takes about a month or even more.

"We could've kept the body longer; there were ample empty freezers. But the police took away the body."— Jatan Kumar, a morgue assistant at Suhrawardy hospital, about the hurried burial of a protester.

"We usually keep unclaimed bodies for at least a week in the morgue. Many bodies are also kept for months or even years," Ramu said.

Documentary evidence also suggests that DMCH does keep unclaimed bodies longer.

For instance, on July 8, 2024, a week before state forces began to kill protesters, Anjuman Mufidul sent seven bodies, all from DMCH, to Rayerbazar for burial. Records show they died between June 12 and July 4. This means, before these bodies were sent to Anjuman, six of the bodies were kept at mortuaries for about three weeks or more.

In contrast, Anjuman received eight bodies on July 24, by which time the number of corpses at hospitals was rising every day. Records show that four of these eight died just the previous day, and the four others the day before.

This suggests a systematic effort to erase evidence and prevent families from finding their loved ones.

According to the eight general diaries filed by Sub-inspector Jabbar from Shahbagh Police Station in relation to these bodies, six were from Jatrabari, and two from Uttara. All died from gunshot wounds, the GDs show.

Usually, Anjuman receives unclaimed bodies from hospitals after autopsies in the presence of police officers who facilitate the process. Before the handover of the bodies, representatives from Anjuman and a police officer are required to sign the morgue register.

"I just followed orders from Shahbagh's then officer-in-charge Mostajizur Rahman."— Constable Salauddin on why he rushed the burial of eight unidentified bodies.

However, this protocol was not followed in the case of at least nine bodies connected to the uprising.

Sub-inspector Salahuddin of Shahbagh police collected eight of these bodies from Dhaka Medical, and Sub-inspector Shakil Joarder of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police collected another body from Suhrawardy Medical.

In both instances, Anjuman received the bodies from the respective police stations rather than directly from the hospitals, documents show.

Asked why he rushed the burial of these individuals, Shahbagh police Constable Salauddin said he just followed orders from Shahbagh's then officer-in-charge Mostajizur Rahman. Two other police officers gave a similar version. Mostajizur could not be reached for comments.

Both the DMCH authorities and Salauddin claimed that no other bodies related to the protests were sent to Anjuman.

Medical Records Tampered

Apart from DMCH, two other hospitals in Dhaka store unclaimed bodies—Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Sir Salimullah Medical College (Mitford Hospital).

Both hospitals claim they haven't dealt with any protest-related unclaimed bodies.

Our findings about Suhrawardy Medical contradict this. (We did not investigate Mitford hospital's claim.)

Mahin Mia, one of the six confirmed by The Daily Star to have been buried at Rayerbazar as unclaimed bodies, protested on July 19 at Mohammadpur's Town Hall with his brother, Abdul Jabbar. Jabbar returned home, but Mahin did not.

Jabbar later found Mahin's picture among the deceased on Anjuman's "wall of the dead".

Mahin's wife gave birth to their first child 15 days after he disappeared.

The Daily Star found Mahin's autopsy report (autopsy # 679/24) from Suhrawardy Medical College. The report describes him as "unidentified" and says he was found on July 19, the day he went missing, with bullet wounds on both sides of his head.

His family later confirmed his identity from the photo on the autopsy report.

Suhrawardy Medical's morgue records show that Mahin's autopsy was done on July 20, and his body was handed over to Sher-e-Bangla police Sub-inspector Shakil Joarder two days later.

"We could've kept the body longer; there were ample empty freezers. But the police took away the body," says Jatan Kumar, a morgue assistant at the hospital.

SI Shakil told The Daily Star that he only handed over the body to Suhrawardy morgue, but did not collect it from there to send it for burial. However, the morgue register bears his name on two dates in relation to Mahin's body: on July 19, the day he handed over the body to Suhrawardy morgue for an autopsy, and on July 22, the day he collected it for burial. The Daily Star contacted him on the very mobile number recorded in the morgue register.

Despite such hard evidence, the Suhrawardy morgue authorities claim they did not deal with any unnamed bodies.

Apart from Mahin, eight other unclaimed bodies from Suhrawardy, with dates of death from July 17-23, were buried at Rayerbazar from July 22-27. Of them, five were aged between 23 and 35, according to the cemetery register.

At least some of these bodies are likely connected to the uprising, although we could not verify it as we could not collect their autopsy reports and other relevant documents.

Dhaka Medical's claim that only eight uprising victims were sent to Anjuman is also questionable.

For example, Ahmed Jilani was killed on August 3. His autopsy was conducted on August 13 at DMCH, and he was buried at Rayerbazar on August 31. The autopsy report shows he had gunshot and stab wounds on the back of his head.

Based on the autopsy numbers of the other eight bodies and Jilani, The Daily Star can confirm that Jilani is not on the DMCH list of the eight unnamed bodies buried at Rayerbazar.

Our suspicion that medical and burial records were tampered with to conceal the true extent of the massacre aligns with the UN fact-finding report.

The report, published last month, mentions that state agencies confiscated medical records and CCTV footage in many hospitals, without due process, and medical staff were pressured to withhold proper medical documentation.

In some hospitals, deaths from gunshot wounds were recorded as "accidental" under threat of legal action. From July 18 onwards, autopsies were often delayed or not conducted at all, violating national and international standards, the report adds.

[Read Part 3 tomorrow on how state agencies sought to cover up bodies, and how families were denied time to find their loved ones.]​

 

[Saif]

Families want closure, however painful

When we first started visiting Dhaka Medical College Hospital in January for this story, there were seven protest-related unclaimed bodies freezing in its mortuaries.

www.thedailystar.net

The disappeared of the July Uprising: Part 4
Families want closure, however painful

Rasheda Begum wants to know where her son was buried. Photo: Star

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones. This is the fourth and the last part of the series.

When we first started visiting Dhaka Medical College Hospital in January for this story, there were seven protest-related unclaimed bodies freezing in its mortuaries. One of them, Md Hasan, a teenage trader from Gulistan, was handed over to his family on February 14 after DNA tests. The remaining six are still stored at DMCH morgue, growing colder.

Hasan's father, Md Monir Hossain, had searched for his son everywhere -- hospitals, clinics, cemeteries, and even Anjuman Mufidul Islam since his son went missing on August 5, 2024, the day Sheikh Hasina fell and fled the country.

"To exhume bodies from graves, the request needs to come from the relevant police stations based on cases filed in connection to the incidents. We did not receive any such request from the police stations either."— Tanvir Ahmed, DC, Dhaka.

"After four months, student leaders told me about the seven bodies at Dhaka Medical. I identified my son from his clothing. He always wore white."

Md Sogir from Sylhet believes his son, Md Waliullah, 25, a trader from Elephant Road in the capital, is also among the bullet-ridden bodies in the DMCH mortuary.

"My son went missing in July. I looked for him for five months. The bodies are barely recognisable, but I identified my son through an old surgery mark on his right leg."

Sogir has given his DNA sample to the Criminal Investigation Department of police and is awaiting confirmation.

"Even if the identities of the unclaimed bodies are found, detection of the graves is challenging because they were buried collectively. There's no way of knowing who was buried where."— Kamrul Ahmed, head of Anjuman Mufidul Islam's burial service.

A SYSTEM FAILING THE VICTIMS

If the sample does not match and if no one comes looking for the rest of the bodies still freezing at DMCH, these men, who were once someone's family, will likely be buried as "nobodies" in unmarked graves like many others (read more in Part 1).

On January 25, 2025, former information adviser Nahid Islam visited the Rayerbazar graveyard to pay tribute to the unidentified martyrs of the July uprising. There, Nahid, currently the leader of National Citizen Party, assured the families of these victims that efforts to identify those buried in unmarked graves had begun.

Sohel Rana’s mother Rasheda Begum at Rayerbazar graveyard with July uprising leader Nahid Islam. A banner, top, placed in the cemetery demands that all unnamed victims buried there be identified. Photo: Star

Nahid along with other student leaders visited the graveyard again on March 4 after the launch of the new party, and reiterated their commitment to identifying the graves of the unclaimed bodies.

In reality, however, the process remains stuck in red tape.

In November last year, the July Uprising Cell under the health ministry gave families only a 12-day window to report missing persons, posting an obscure notice on a barely visible website. The Cell claims it did not receive any missing reports yet.

However, not a single of the 31 families we spoke to knew about this notice or the newspaper advertisements published by the cell. They don't even know where the office is.

Mahbub Ullah Mazumder, senior assistant secretary of July Foundation, has made a list of the six that this investigation confirmed to have been buried in Rayerbazar and one missing protester from Anjuman documents. After Mahbub shared the list with the cell, it only sent a letter to relevant ministries for actions.

Three government officials working on the July Uprising Cell said the health ministry is working to identify the missing bodies "very seriously" and asked The Daily Star to call health Secretary Md Saidur Rahman, who in turn advised us to contact Joint Secretary Dr SM Mustafizur Rahman.

The joint secretary said the ministry sent a letter to the deputy commissioner's office to take action. Dhaka DC Tanvir Ahmed said they did not receive the letter yet.

"To exhume bodies from graves, the request needs to come from the relevant police stations based on cases filed in connection with the incidents. We did not receive any such request from the police stations either," Tanvir added.

As the process remains stuck in the labyrinth of paper works involving a complex network of multiple government agencies, families of Sohel Rana, Faisal Sarker, Md Assadullah, Rafiqul Islam, Mahin Mia, Ahmed Jilani, and many other victims of the July massacre who remain missing, continue to look for answers.

They want to know where exactly their loved ones lie among the 114 buried in Block 4 of Rayerbazar. These graves, each marked solely by a bamboo pole, leave the families with no way of knowing that. Meanwhile, rain has flattened the graves, and the bamboo markers are rotting.

If a GD number, a photo, a birthmark, age, clothing or any previous injury marks had been placed on the bamboo pole before burying the unclaimed bodies, identifying them would have been easier. Now, if any relative claims a body, all the corpses would need to be exhumed for DNA profiling.

"Even if the identities of the unclaimed bodies are found, detection of the graves is challenging because they were buried collectively. There's no way of knowing who was buried where," said Kamrul Ahmed, head of Anjuman Mufidul Islam's burial service, who oversaw the burial of many July massacre victims.

Prof Kamrul Islam Sardar, who served as a forensic head at some of the top hospitals, said even if DNA samples were collected from every unclaimed body, they are now useless since the graves are unmarked.

"All the bodies would need to be exhumed for new DNA samples, and this would then need to be matched with relatives. This is a very complicated process which might take years if effective steps are not taken by the government to expedite the process," he added.

Only six families among the many families know that their kin have been buried in Rayerbazar.

One reason behind this is that many of the families we spoke to do not even know that places like Anjuman Mufidul or Rayerbazar exist. They tried to rely on the police, who, in many cases, offered little help.

Ahmad Ferdous, head of CID's Forensic DNA Laboratory, said they completed 11 DNA profiling of as many victims related to the uprising. Of them, five bodies have been handed over to family members after the samples matched. The rest six remain unidentified as there are no claims for these bodies.

DNA profiling for 10 more bodies connected to the uprising is currently underway, Ferdous added.

Meanwhile, many families continue to gather at Dhaka Medical College morgue every day to find their fathers, sons, brothers or husbands among the six uprising-linked bodies still lying unclaimed there.

Rasheda Begum, mother of Sohel Rana who was killed in police shooting and buried at Rayerbazar as an unclaimed body, keeps visiting Block 4 of the cemetery with teary eyes.

"Which one is my son's grave?" she asks anyone who would listen.

The families of Ridoy, Miraj, Maruf and many others want to know if they are dead or alive.

For these families, uncertainty overshadows the agony of their loss. They now want closure, however painful.

Assadullah's widow Farjana Akter is tormented every day as she cannot console her two children, aged ten and four.

"My children keep asking where their father's grave is. Since I cannot bring their father back alive, I at least want to show them where he rests, so they can have a place to grieve and remember him."

[Our correspondents from Gazipur, Bogura, Pabna and Thakurgaon contributed to this story.]

WHERE ARE THEY?

Sohel Sheikh a vegetable trader from Tongi

Sohel Sheikh joined a victory procession on August 5 after Hasina fled the country. He headed for Gono Bhaban, the official residence of the deposed prime minister, like tens of thousands of others.

By 6:00pm, his wife, Ayesha Akhter, got a call—Sohel had been shot in front of Uttara East Police Station. Over a dozen died there as police opened fire on protesters trying to storm in. The caller told Ayesha that Sohel Sheikh was being taken to Crescent Hospital in Uttara.

Defying the curfew, she came to Dhaka from Pirojpur, rented a house for two months and looked for her husband at Crescent and Dhaka Medical, but did not find him.

Her initial attempt to file a case was also stalled by officers. Uttara East police eventually recorded a missing diary instead of a case and told her to omit that her husband was shot. Ayesha has no updates about the investigation.

"I abandoned all hopes. I took out loans to stay in Dhaka and find him. No one helped me. I now live in Pirojpur with my in-laws," Ayesha said.

The Daily Star spoke to the person who called Ayesha on August 5. He and multiple witnesses said Sohel Sheikh was shot. No one knows what happened next.

Shahidul Islam Miraj a trader from Kaptan Bazar

Shahidul Islam Miraj was enraged after watching the video of the police shooting of Abu Sayed on July 16. He shared the video and wrote several Facebook posts, and joined the protest the next day. His social media shows he was active in Jatrabari-Shonir Akhra area since July 17.

His elder brother, Saiful Islam Mithil, warned him and asked him to stay home until normalcy returns. On July 27, Miraj left without telling his brother, and never came back.

At least five protesters said they saw him at Jatrabari Police Station on August 5, but we could not independently verify this. That day, Jatrabari police killed protesters one after another like targets in a video game.

For six months, Mithil looked for his brother in morgues, police stations, Anjuman Mufidul Islam and Rayerbazar graveyard. He just wants to know whether his brother is dead or alive.

Md Maruf a student from Mirpur

HSC examinee Md Maruf, 17, went missing from Dhaka's Mirpur on July 20. That was the first full day of the curfew.

After August 5, family filed a case with Rupnagar police station. But, there are no updates.

When his mother demanded an update, officers told her that her son committed suicide. But there is no corpse.

When we asked Investigating Officer Md. Ibrahim of Rupnagar police station on what basis he claims that Maruf died by suicide, he shrugged. "I don't even know who Maruf is."​

 

[Saif]

A systematic cover up of bodies

On the afternoon of August 5, 2024, word spread across the country that Sheikh Hasina fled to India. In Gazipur, like elsewhere in the country, thousands poured into the streets in celebration. But there was also anger.

images.thedailystar.net

The disappeared of the July Uprising: Part 3
A systematic cover up of bodies

Md Ridoy lies on the street after being shot at point-blank range by police on August 5.

Seven months after the July uprising in Bangladesh, many protesters still remain missing. We investigated 31 cases: six were buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar graveyard; four were identified by families from among the charred bodies in Ashulia; two were handed over to families after DNA testing; and 19 are still unaccounted for. We found evidence of systematic government efforts to cover up medical records and bodies of the victims so they can never be found again. This four-part series also documents how families were denied time to collect the corpses from hospital morgues, and how they are now waiting for the bodies of their loved ones.

On the afternoon of August 5, 2024, word spread across the country that Sheikh Hasina fled to India. In Gazipur, like elsewhere in the country, thousands poured into the streets in celebration. But there was also anger.

A group of protesters started chanting slogans outside Konabari Police Station, and the police opened fire. The protesters dispersed, but the cops kept hunting them down in nearby alleys.

Md Ridoy, 20, a student and an autorickshaw driver, found himself trapped in one such alley. The cops cornered him, dragged him onto the main road, right in front of Shareef General Hospital, according to authenticated video footage seen by The Daily Star.

Six officers closed in–one raised a stick, another held onto his shirt so he could not escape. Meanwhile, a third, later identified as Constable Akram, slowly stepped behind him with a gun in hand, like a predator marking its prey. Another cop slapped him. Simultaneously, Akram put the gun in his back and then pulled the trigger!

Ridoy collapsed, but the 20-year old was still breathing. The cops walked away as Ridoy bled profusely.

Minutes later, three officers returned, and carried him behind the police lines from where they were still firing at protesters. From there, three others, one in uniform and another in civilian clothing, dragged him towards an alley which leads straight to the Konabari Police Station. Ridoy is never seen again.

The International Truth and Justice Project, an organisation documenting crimes against humanity, has also investigated this incident.

"We went to the Konabari Police Station the next day. All we could find was the lungi Ridoy was wearing underneath a desk," said Md Ibrahim, Ridoy's brother-in-law.

This newspaper found another video from the night of August 5, 2024, which shows the inside of the Konabari Police Station. Some policemen were seen making preparations to leave. In the video was a man wearing a white sleeveless undershirt and a lungi. Ridoy's relatives and locals identified him as Abed Ali, a trader.

Police drag Ridoy through the streets towards Konabari Police Station after shooting him.

According to Ibrahim and five locals, Abed helped the cops in disposing of Ridoy's body. Abed Ali could not be reached for comment.

Seven months on, Ridoy's family does not know where his body is. His name is not on the list of July martyrs prepared by the government, and his family is yet to receive any compensation from the government, his sister Jesmin Akhter said.

Five policemen, including Constable Akram and former Gazipur Detective Branch inspector Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, have since been arrested over Ridoy's killing. The case now sits before the International Crimes Tribunal.

A MASSACRE

As Ridoy bled out in Gazipur, a massacre unfolded in Savar's Ashulia.

Since the morning of August 5, Sheikh Hasina's final day in power, police were shooting relentlessly, blocking protesters from marching to Dhaka. Bodies were dropping one after another, blood soaking the streets.

A video that later emerged shows six bodies, bloodstained and barely covered, lying stacked on a van in front of Ashulia Police Station. One man was still moving and breathing, his fingers twitching.

In the video, later authenticated by fact checkers, Dhaka District Detective Branch Inspector Arafat Hossain is seen walking past. Beside him stands Masudur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station.

Then—flames. The bodies burn.

Several bodies are piled up on a pickup in Ashulia moments before police set them of fire.

At least one of these victims, the one who was still seen moving and breathing, was certainly burned alive. Their remains were subsequently dumped in Ambagan graveyard, next to the police station.

The next day, the graves were opened, and six charred bodies were pulled from the earth. Families identified four of them–Ash-Sabur, Sazzad Hossen Sajal, Tanjil Ahmed Sujoy, and Baygid Bostame. Their faces barely recognisable, some were identified only by their clothes and identity cards.

The remaining two bodies are completely unrecognisable and have been sent for DNA profiling after families contacted police, said Kamal Hossen, inspector (investigation) of Ashulia Police Station.

The International Crimes Tribunal is now investigating this case. DB Inspector Arafat Hossain and ex-additional SP of Dhaka Abdullahil Kafi have been arrested over this incident.

The attempted cover-up in Gazipur and Savar is only the tip of the iceberg.

The UN report on the July uprising says that there are cases where "police collected bodies of unidentified victims, and it is unclear to what extent the bodies were later handed over to morgues and duly reported to health authorities."

About the burning of bodies, the report says that police did so to "create the false impression that the victims had been killed by protesters."

Meanwhile, at least 5 protesters from Savar still remain missing. Tamim Sikder, Moniruzzaman Milon, Omor Faruk and Abul Hossen went missing on August 5 from near Ashulia police station. Shahadat Hossain, a day labourer, remains missing since August 4, fellow protesters and family members said.

FAMILIES DENIED TIME TO FIND BODIES

Sohel Rana, 28, went missing on July 18 near Jatrabari. His younger brother, Md Nabil, stepped out the next morning to look for him but could not go far. Jatrabari was a warzone.

The government enforced a countrywide curfew that night, and the internet had been shut down.

Nabil still went out the next morning again to search for his brother, but got assaulted by the cops. He finally found his way inside Dhaka Medical College Hospital on July 21, risking his life amid curfew.

"There were bodies stacked on top of each other. Each freezer had two bodies in it," he said.

But he could not find his brother among so many bodies. Nabil returned to DMCH and visited Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a burial service, multiple times before August 5, but found no luck.

"We went to the Konabari Police Station the next day. All we could find was the lungi Ridoy was wearing underneath a desk,"— Md Ibrahim Ridoy's brother-in-law.

Sixteen days after Sheikh Hasina's fall and 34 days after Sohel disappeared, Nabil found his brother's photograph at DMCH on August 21. Later, he rushed to Anjuman only to find that his brother, along with eight others, was buried at an unmarked grave in Rayerbazar [Read more in Part 1] on July 24.

The Daily Star has tracked down the unnamed General Diary that Shahbagh police filed for Sohel. It states that Sohel was shot during protests in Jatrabari's Kajla area and died while receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical's emergency ward on July 18.

We also obtained Sohel Rana's inquest report. It says he died from multiple pellet wounds near the chest. Bruises on his back and other parts suggested possible torture before death.

Meanwhile, Md Assadullah, a 30-year-old private car driver, left his Uttara home after lunch on July 19. He was shot on Road 2 of Uttara's Sector 7.

Video footage verified by this newspaper shows Turag Thana Chhatra League Vice-President Murtafa Bin Omar, alias Sathil, wielding a shotgun, firing indiscriminately at protesters in Uttara that day.

With him were Jubo League leader Sohel Rana, councillors Yuvraj and Naim, and Yuvraj's son Leon, according to protesters, locals and the July Revolutionary Alliance, a student platform documenting the massacre.

Several shots, fired by Sathil, hit Assadullah, according to three protesters and the CCTV footage seen by The Daily Star.

Assadullah's family received a call from a protester that night saying he had been shot.

The curfew had already been announced. The next morning, his wife Farjana Akter went to Uttara Crescent Hospital and then DMCH to find him.

When she was looking for her husband in the morgue, emergency section, and other wards of DMCH, Assadullah was still alive. He was receiving treatment at the hospital's burn unit, according to CCTV footage seen by this newspaper.

There, lying in a bed, he took his last breath on July 22. Two days later, he was buried at Rayerbazar in an unmarked grave. Meanwhile, Farjana kept looking.

Sathil faces at least 11 cases over murder during the July uprising, locals and police sources said. Sathil and the rest of the AL activists seen in the video are now on the run, and could not be contacted for comment.

On July 19, the same day Assadullah was shot, Faisal vanished from Uttara, and Rafiqul from Gopibagh. They too, were buried in Rayerbazar on July 24 as unclaimed bodies.

A request for burial sent to Anjuman from Shahbagh police station, along with pictures of the bodies, writes, "As no one claimed these individuals, we are handing over the bodies to Anjuman Mufidul Islam for burial."

But the fact is, families were still looking for their loved ones–they only did not know where to find them.

[Our Savar Correspondent Aklakur Rahman Akash and Tangail Correspondent Mirza Shakil Contributed to this report]

Read part 4 tomorrow on the agonising wait of the families for the bodies of their relatives.​