Witness testimony details police and Ansar personnel role in July uprising killing
Photo Collected
A witness provided harrowing testimony at International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Thursday, detailing the killing of protester Raju Ahmed during the July mass uprising in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area. Testifying as the third witness in a case involving crimes against humanity, Rakibul Islam recounted how his cousin was surrounded and executed by security personnel on July 19, 2024.
According to Rakibul’s statement, he and Raju had joined the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement that morning when police and Ansar members encircled the protesters. Rakibul testified that an Ansar member, identified as Omar Farooq, forcibly separated Raju from him and fired a shot into the victim’s left leg. Moments later, a police officer approached and shot Raju in the upper left side of his back, causing him to collapse.
Rakibul stated that the police retreated only after being pushed back by a surge of protesters. He subsequently rushed Raju to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared the victim dead on arrival. Rakibul further informed the tribunal that he had obtained CCTV footage of the incident and demanded justice for those who fired the shots and issued the orders.
The proceedings took a tense turn during cross-examination by defense counsel Abul Hasan, when the witness admitted that he was not a local resident of the Mohammadpur area. Following the testimony, the tribunal remarked to prosecutor Tareq Abdullah that the strength of the case relies heavily on the quality and reliability of the witnesses presented.
The tribunal also heard testimony from the fourth witness, Motiar Rahman, a cousin of the deceased. Motiar stated that he arrived at the hospital after receiving a phone call about the shooting and observed bullet wounds on Raju’s left leg and the left side of his abdomen.
The case involves 28 high-profile defendants, including former minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak and former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, most of whom remain at large. Four individuals are currently in custody: former Ansar member Mohammad Omar Farooq, Jubo League activist K.M. Fazle Rabbi, and local Chhatra League leaders Naimul Hasan Rasel and Sajjad Hossain.
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