Ex-Ashulia OC, ASI burned bodies of 6 people shot dead on 5 August: State witness SI tells tribunal
He said he learned about this on 15 August when he went to return his service weapon.
A former sub-inspector (SI) of Ashulia Police Station has testified that the station's then officer-in-charge (OC) AFM Sayed and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Bishwajit burned the bodies of six protesters shot dead in the afternoon of 5 August last year, hours after a mass uprising toppled the previous government and Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
Sheikh Abzalul Haque, an accused in the case and now a state witness, told the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) today (19 November) that although he was not present at the site, he learned from colleagues that Sayed and Bishwajit loaded the bodies into a van and set them on fire with petrol.
He said he learned about this on 15 August when he went to return his service weapon.
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Testifying as the 23rd prosecution witness, Abzalul described the 5 August events and apologised before the tribunal, saying he deeply regretted being unable to help the victims or their families.
The two-member bench, led by retired district and sessions judge Md Manjurul Bashid, recorded his statement in the case involving seven murders and the burning of six bodies in Ashulia on 5 August.
The tribunal on 21 August framed charges against 16 accused, including former MP Saiful Islam, in the case filed over crimes against humanity. Eight accused are in custody, and eight are still on the run.
Seven pleaded not guilty, while Abzalul pleaded guilty and sought permission to testify for the state -- which the tribunal has granted.
The testimony follows earlier delays in witness examination. On 5 November, eyewitness Shahriar Hossain Sajib recounted seeing one person shot dead and his friend Sazzad Hossain Sajal burned alive by police during the same crackdown on 5 August.
Apart from Abjalul, the other seven currently in custody are former Dhaka District additional superintendent of police (crime and ops) Abdullahil Kafi, Savar circle former additional SP Md Shahidul Islam, former Detective Branch inspector Md Arafat Hossain, and former SIs Abdul Malek and Arafat Uddin, former ASI Kamrul Hasan, and former constable Mukul Chokdar.
What happened that day
In his statement, Abzalul told the tribunal that during the July Uprising, OC Sayed used to receive instructions from MP Saiful over the phone to suppress protests and arrest the demonstrators, which he then implemented with junior officers.
On 5 August, Abzalul said he reported to the station in the morning, collected his service weapon and bullets, and took position on the west side of the station for duty.
He said Sayed called all officers downstairs around 10:30am and instructed them to act firmly during the movement. He then went towards the Baipail Central Mosque with most officers from other units. Abzalul and several others were assigned to the station gate and inside. Around 2:30pm, after the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country, Sayed returned to the station.
According to Abzalul, Sayed, along with the station's Inspector (Investigation) Masudur Rahman, Inspector (Operations) Nirmal Kumar, Inspector (DB) Arafat Hossain, SIs Malek and Arafat, ASIs Biswajit and Kamrul, constable Mukul Chokdar, and police members from other units, remained at the station gate.
At 4pm, a group of students and locals approached the station with a victory procession. On OC Sayed's direct orders, ASI Biswajit and several police personnel fired on the procession, leaving several people shot and bleeding. Sayed was seen pacing and talking to some "sir" on the phone at the time. On his orders, officers loaded the bodies onto a three-wheeler rickshaw van and then a police pickup, said Abzalul.
He said Sayed was consulting Malek and Biswajit afterwards, but stopped their conversation when he approached. Sensing they were planning something regarding the bodies, Abzalul said he became nervous. He removed his bulletproof vest inside the station, hid his pistol under civilian clothes, and left the area.
From there, he went to the home of a fruit seller named Kamal and stayed there until the next dawn before returning to his own home. On 15 August, when he returned to the station, he learned that the bodies had been burned with petrol by OC Sayed and Biswajit, before they left for Savar Cantonment with the army around 5:30pm.
Abzalul, who was arrested in May this year, said no action was taken over the incident by the then Dhaka Range deputy inspector general Nurul Islam, then Dhaka District SP Asaduzzaman Ripon, then Dhaka district additional SP Kafi, or then Savar circle additional SP Shahidul.
He said he became a state witness out of conscience and respect for the victims, hoping to assist the tribunal with true information. He also apologised to the families of the martyrs and to the tribunal for not being able to do anything for them.
After his statement, the defence partially cross-examined Abzalul before the tribunal adjourned until tomorrow (20 November).
