In a chilling account of the violence unleashed during the July mass uprising, a witness described to the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Monday, how one demonstrator’s chest was pierced through by a bullet while another had blood-stained rice spilling from his abdomen after being shot at point-blank range.
Testifying in a case filed against 28 individuals, including former Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, witness Mamun Faraji detailed the relentless assault on protesters in the capital’s Mohammadpur area.
Faraji revealed that he recorded a mobile video while administering primary medical aid to a severely injured demonstrator whose fingers were severed by gunfire.
Describing the events of 19 July 2024, Faraji stated that after offering Jummah prayers at the Allah Karim Mosque, he joined the demonstration in the Bashbari area.
At around 2:30pm, forces comprising police, Ansar, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Chhatra League, Awami League, and Jubo League opened indiscriminate fire on the crowd.
As demonstrators fled into the alley of Janani Courier Services for safety, several sought refuge at the gate of a residential building named Oriental Covenant.
Faraji testified that a policeman and an Ansar member dragged a protester out from the building gate and shot him.
When the victim was brought in front of Janani Courier Services, Faraji observed gunshot wounds to his leg and abdomen, with blood-stained rice spilling from his stomach.
The injured man was rushed to hospital on a motorcycle, where Faraji later learnt his name was Raju and that he had died the same day. Faraji identified the Ansar member who shot Raju as Omar Farooq.
Faraji also detailed the chaotic scene near the Bosila three-way intersection close to the Allah Karim Mosque following Asr prayers that afternoon.
He stated that armed cadres from the police, RAB, Ansar, Chhatra League, Jubo League, and Awami League fired at protesters from the ground, whilst RAB personnel fired from helicopters above.
As heavy gunfire intensified, demonstrators scattered into various alleys, with Faraji taking shelter behind an electric pole in front of Mehzabin Beauty Parlour.
From his vantage point, Faraji witnessed a protester collapse after being hit. Upon reaching him, Faraji discovered that one bullet had severed two of the man’s fingers, whilst another had struck his chest and exited through his back, drenching Faraji’s clothes in blood.
Faraji carried the victim to Roni Pharmacy inside the alley, administered primary treatment, and filmed a video of the incident on his mobile phone, which he later delivered to the victim’s wife before the man was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital by rickshaw.
Faraji further recounted his own injury during the protests, stating that he was struck by a tear gas shell beneath the Mohammadpur foot-over bridge at around 4pm on 22 July. The hit caused him to vomit blood, preventing him from participating further in the movement.
Concluding his testimony, Faraji held loyalists of Jubo League, Chhatra League, and Awami League responsible, stating they acted on the orders of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Fazle Noor Taposh, and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, with the assistance of police officers Habibur Rahman, Proloy Kumar Joarder, Biplob Kumar Sarkar, and Raushanul Haq.
He demanded the maximum punishment for all the accused.
Of the 28 accused in the Mohammadpur murder case, four are currently in custody: former Ansar member Mohammad Omar Farooq, Mohammadpur Thana Chhatra League President Naimul Hasan Russel, former Thana Chhatra League Vice-President Md Sazzad Hossain, and Jubo League worker KM Fazle Rabby.
The remaining accused remain absconding, including former Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former Additional DIG of Police Headquarters Proloy Kumar Joarder, former Joint Commissioner of DMP Biplob Kumar Sarkar, and former ADC of Mohammadpur Zone Raushanul Haq Saikat.
According to the case allegations, violent attacks and killings occurred in Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur on 18 July 2024, involving the deaths of Farhan Faiyaz, Md Mahin Miah, and Md Roni.
The charges also encompass the killings of Al Shahriar Hossain, Md Raju Ahmed, Mahamudur Rahman Saikat, Md Ismail, Md Jasim Uddin, and Zobayed Hossain Emon on 19 July.
