Witness testimony links Barishal police officials to 2015 extrajudicial killings under alleged orders from former SP

A witness testified at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Monday, alleging that two police officers were rewarded with 25,000 taka each for their involvement in the extrajudicial killings of two political activists in 2015.

Ali Ahmed, currently an inspector with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Barishal, provided his statement regarding the deaths of Tipu Howlader, then-joint general secretary of the Agailjhara Upazila unit of Chhatra Dal, and Kabir Molla, the organizing secretary of Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS). The victims were killed in what police described as a “gunfight” in Agailjhara on February 21, 2015.

Ahmed, who served as the second officer at Wazirpur Police Station between 2013 and 2015, testified that he witnessed the orchestration of the operation. According to his statement, then-Barishal Superintendent of Police (SP) A.K.M. Ehsanullah visited Wazirpur Police Station on the night of February 20, 2015, and held a closed-door meeting with the then-officer-in-charge (OC), Nurul Islam.

Following the meeting, OC Islam allegedly instructed Ahmed to issue command certificates to two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), Mahabul Islam and Jasim Uddin, to facilitate a “special operation” under the direct supervision and instruction of the SP. Ahmed complied with the directive and later learned through news reports that the two activists had been killed in an encounter the following morning.

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Ahmed further testified that upon his return to the station, the OC ordered him to keep ASIs Mahabul and Jasim off duty for ten days. He claimed that internal rumors among police personnel quickly identified the two ASIs as the primary perpetrators of the killings, acting under the SP’s orders. Upon their return to the station, Ahmed noted that the officers appeared anxious and behaved unusually, subsequently requesting an additional 10 to 15 days of leave, which the OC granted.

Describing the conduct of the two ASIs, Ahmed testified that they were reckless and frequently invoked the influence of then-Member of Parliament Abul Hasnat Abdullah and the SP to evade their official duties. He asserted that their behavior intimidated other officers and force members. Ahmed also alleged that these killings were part of a broader pattern of extrajudicial activity that occurred in Barishal and across the country during the tenure of the previous government.

The case involves four accused individuals. Former Awami League lawmaker Abul Hasnat Abdullah and former SP A.K.M. Ehsanullah remain at large, while former ASIs Mahabul Islam and Jasim Uddin are currently in custody.