On the morning of 5 August 2024, Kawsar Ahmed joined fellow demonstrators at Chasara Intersection in Narayanganj for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
By 1:45pm, a violent attack erupted outside the residence of former lawmaker Shamim Osman as a gang of 20 to 25 men brandishing domestic and foreign weapons opened fire on protesters.
A bullet struck Kawsar in his left leg, sending him collapsing onto the street. Yet, for the now gazetted Category “C” injured July fighter and joint convener of the Narayanganj City Mahanagar Shramik Dal, the ordeal had only just begun.
When bystanders rushed him to Narayanganj’s Khanpur Hospital, doctors refused to treat him – allegedly on direct instructions from Shamim Osman himself.
Taking the witness stand at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday, 10 September, Kawsar delivered a deposition detailing the cruelty he endured during the July Mass Uprising.
His testimony came during the ongoing trial of 12 absconding accused, led by Shamim Osman, who face charges of crimes against humanity committed in Narayanganj.
In his sworn statement, Kawsar named Shamim Osman alongside Ayan Osman, Ajmeri Osman, Titu, Shah Nizam, Faizul, Niyajul, Tipu, Dipu, and Sayed as key members of the armed contingent that attacked the crowds.
Denied medical attention at Khanpur Hospital following Shamim Osman’s explicit command to the attending doctors, Kawsar was later moved to Mitford Hospital in Dhaka, where surgeons extracted the bullet from his leg on 8 August.
Kawsar also recounted the broader terror that gripped Narayanganj on 5 August, noting that gunfire from the accused injured numerous demonstrators and claimed the life of a man named Sujon in the Bandar area.
Describing Shamim Osman as the ‘Godfather’ of Narayanganj, Kawsar accused him of leading the group to kill and injure peaceful movement participants, and demanded exemplary punishment for all the perpetrators involved.
Formal trial proceedings against the 12 absconding individuals officially commenced on 13 May following the framing of charges by the tribunal.
The prosecution asserts that Shamim Osman personally bore arms, opened fire, and actively directed the strategy to crush the student-public uprising.
According to prosecutors, Shamim Osman secured permission from Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader to carry out killings across Narayanganj with his 11 co-accused – a syndicate comprising his son Ayan Osman, nephew Ajmeri Osman, and leaders and activists from the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League.
The tribunal has brought three counts of crimes against humanity against the group concerning the murders of 10 individuals across Fatullah, Chasara, and Signboard on 19 July, 21 July, and 5 August 2024.
