515 cops among 626 given shelter at cantonments after July Uprising; Savar alone sheltered 435
As per first-hand accounts, Savar turned into a hotspot of state killing at the eleventh hour of the student-public-led uprising last year
Of the 626 individuals who took refuge at military cantonments across the country after the 5 August ouster of the Hasina-led government, 515 were policemen, according to an ISPR list published on Thursday.
The then inspector general of police, Chowdhury Abdullah AL-Mamun, and 514 personnel of various ranks of the force took temporary shelter at cantonments to avoid public wrath.
An analysis of the ISPR list suggests that, of the 515 police personnel, 435 took refuge at Savar Cantonment alone, reports our Savar Correspondent.
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However, it still remains unclear whether the 435 policemen had postings under Dhaka district police or at Savar, Ashulia and Dhamrai police stations.
Of the 435, one was a National Security Intelligence (NSI) officer, three were inspectors, 11 sub-inspectors, 23 assistant sub-inspectors, two assistant town sub-inspectors (ATSIs) of the traffic division, three sergeants, six nayek and 387 constables.
One of the police personnel who is on the ISPR list told TBS that after the fall of the government on 5 August, they took refuge in the cantonment after leaving the police station, as they had no alternative way to avoid the outrage of students and mass people against the police.
The policeman, however, could not ascertain the total number of police from the police stations in Savar who took shelter in the cantonment.
As per first-hand accounts, Savar turned into a hotspot of state killing at the eleventh hour of the student-public-led uprising last year.
As per data provided by various hospitals in Savar after the uprising, at least 36 protesters lost their lives in Savar on 5 August alone – the day the Hasina-led government was toppled.
Many were reportedly killed by police firing even after Hasina's resignation as PM was announced, when the protesting students and public cordoned off the police stations in the vicinity.
After the evening that day, the police stations were set on fire, leading to a vacuum of police in the area.
