Witness testimony links former Barishal police chief to 2015 extrajudicial killings

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A former police official has testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-2, alleging that a high-ranking officer ordered the extrajudicial killing of two political activists in Barishal in 2015. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Md. Raju Ahmed, the seventh witness in the trial, testified that the then-Superintendent of Police (SP) A.K.M. Ehsanullah directed subordinates to execute a “crossfire” operation against two detainees.

According to the testimony, the incident traces back to February 2015, when two local political figures—Tipu Howlader, a leader of the Chhatradal, and Kabir Molla, an organizer for Jashas—were taken into custody. The witness stated that on February 20, he observed SP Ehsanullah at the Agailjhara Police Station instructing Sub-Inspector Mostafizur Rahman to prepare for an operation. The SP allegedly told the officers that two suspects had been apprehended in Dhaka and that they needed to be “minused,” a colloquial term for extrajudicial killing, during a staged shootout.

ASI Ahmed testified that when the officers expressed reluctance to carry out the killings, SP Ehsanullah responded with intimidation, questioning their competence and threatening their careers. The witness recounted that the following morning, he learned the two detainees had been killed in a crossfire incident involving officers brought in from the Wazirpur Police Station.

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Another witness, Inspector Manoranjan Mistri, corroborated the climate of coercion within the police force during that period. Testifying as the sixth witness, Mistri stated that SP Ehsanullah had summoned him to the station office and explicitly demanded he assist in a “crossfire” mission on behalf of former Awami League lawmaker Abul Hasanat Abdullah. Mistri alleged that when he refused the order, the SP threatened to sabotage his professional advancement and future performance ratings.

The trial concerns a human rights case involving four accused individuals. While two officers—former Assistant Sub-Inspectors Md. Mahabul Islam and Md. Josim Uddin—are currently in custody, former lawmaker Abul Hasanat Abdullah and former SP A.K.M. Ehsanullah remain at large. The proceedings continue as the tribunal examines the testimonies regarding the systemic use of extrajudicial violence in the region during the 2015 period.