Witness Testimony Links Former Barisal Police Officials to 2015 Extrajudicial Killings

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A police inspector testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Thursday, providing a chilling account of the 2015 extrajudicial killings of two political activists in Barisal. Inspector Nazrul Islam Majumder, who was serving at the Agailjhara Police Station at the time, identified his superiors and fellow officers at the scene where the bodies of Jatiyatabadi Chhatradal leader Tipu Howlader and JASAS organizational secretary Kabir Hossain Molla were discovered.

The witness detailed the circumstances leading to the deaths of the two men, who were apprehended in Dhaka on February 19, 2015, following accusations related to the arson of a fruit-laden pickup truck. According to Majumder’s testimony, the operation was orchestrated under intense pressure from then-Barisal Superintendent of Police (SP) A.K.M. Ehsanullah. The inspector recalled that the SP had humiliated him in front of colleagues days earlier, labeling him incompetent and threatening his career unless he secured the arrests of the suspects.

Following orders, Majumder and a team of detectives apprehended the two men and subsequently handed them over to a Detective Branch team in Madaripur, acting under the direct instructions of SP Ehsanullah. In the early hours of February 21, 2015, Majumder stated that his station’s officer-in-charge, Monirul Islam, ordered all available personnel to the Budhar bypass road. Shortly after the SP’s vehicle passed the location, the officers heard a series of gunshots.

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Upon reaching the site, Majumder found the two activists dead on the road. He testified that he saw SP Ehsanullah standing at the scene alongside two assistant sub-inspectors from the Wazirpur Police Station, Mahabul Islam and Jassim Uddin. According to the witness, the SP reacted with hostility to the arrival of the Agailjhara police team, remarking that they had failed to handle the operation themselves and praising the Wazirpur officers for their role, promising them rewards for the outcome.

The trial involves four primary suspects. Former Awami League lawmaker Abul Hasanat Abdullah and former SP Ehsanullah remain fugitives, while the two accused assistant sub-inspectors, Mahabul Islam and Jassim Uddin, are currently in custody. The case remains a focal point in the tribunal’s investigation into human rights abuses during the period.