Former Police Official Testifies About Discovery of Mutilated Body Linked to Major General Ziaul Ahsan Case
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Nizam Uddin Howlader, the former officer-in-charge (OC) of Sharankhola Police Station in Bagerhat, testified before International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday regarding the recovery of the body of Nazrul Islam, a former medical assistant at the BDR Hospital. The testimony was provided in the ongoing case against retired Major General Ziaul Ahsan, who is accused of crimes against humanity, including the enforced disappearance and murder of over 100 individuals during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.
The accused, Ziaul Ahsan, who is currently in custody, was produced before the tribunal during the proceedings.
In his testimony, Howlader, who later retired as an Additional Superintendent of Police, recounted that on May 17, 2010, he received a phone call from a local village watchman reporting that a decomposed body had been discovered on the western bank of the Baleshwar River. According to the watchman, the body was found with a cement bag tied to it, the hands and feet were bound, and the abdomen had been cut open.
Howlader stated that he instructed Sub-Inspector Iqbal to investigate the scene. Iqbal prepared an inquest report, and after a case was filed by the watchman, the sub-inspector took charge of the investigation. Howlader noted that upon the body’s arrival at the police station, the advanced state of decomposition limited his ability to perform an inspection beyond external observation. Following an autopsy, the body was buried through Anjuman Mufidul Islam as an unidentified person.
During his testimony, the former officer detailed two subsequent inquiries regarding the deceased. Four or five days after the discovery, a colonel from the BDR sector in Khulna contacted him, requesting information and stating that a BDR representative would visit the station to collect documentation.
Additionally, two days after the discovery, a man contacted Howlader claiming the victim was his brother, who had been abducted from Kotalipara in Gopalganj two to three months prior. When the victim’s family—including two brothers, his wife, and an uncle—later arrived at the police station, they identified the body based on the shirt and trousers recovered from the scene. Howlader testified that he informed the family they could claim the body through the District Commissioner after confirming identity via DNA testing. The family agreed to the process; however, Howlader was transferred to Rampal Police Station two weeks later.
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