As part of efforts to identify the unknown martyrs of the July uprising, authorities have exhumed 114 bodies, confirming the identities of eight so far.
The exhumation of the 114 martyrs concluded at the cemetery adjacent to the Rayerbazar graveyard in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on 25 December last year.
The victims were identified as Faisal Sarkar, Parvez Bepari, Rafiqul Islam, Mahim Mia, Sohel Rana, Asanullah, Kabil Hossain, and Rafiqul Islam.
According to a press release of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the process has confirmed the identities of eight individuals, based on applications from nine victims’ families, through DNA tests.
The CID, under the supervision of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, carried out the process. CID Chief and Additional IGP Md Shibgat Ullah led the initiative.
During the 2024 July uprising, some unidentified bodies of those martyred at various locations across Dhaka city were buried at the Rayerbazar cemetery under the Mohammadpur Police Station. In response to demands from the families of the martyrs and in the interest of justice, the court ordered the exhumation and identification of these bodies.
With the cooperation of the United Nations Human Rights Commission and under the direct guidance of internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and consultant Dr Luis Fondebrider, the exhumation process began on 7 December 2025.
