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Published : 23 Sep 2025, 08:04 PM
A policeman has testified that former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman ordered his force to open fire “with maximum power” during the July Uprising.
ASI Kamrul Hasan, who was on duty as a wireless operator at the DMP’s Crime Command and Control Centre, appeared as the 50th prosecution witness on Tuesday before the International Crimes Tribunal in a case against three suspects, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on charges of crimes against humanity.
He said Habibur gave the order in a wireless message on Jul 17, 2024. The message was played before the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder.
Kamrul told the court that he was on duty as a wireless operator from 9am to 2pm on the day of the protests. Between 11am and 11:30am, Habibur instructed police to suppress the protests with “maximum force”.
The wireless order was relayed to all relevant DMP units, he added.
In the audio, Habibur is heard saying: “Our officers on duty, wherever you are, you can use your maximum power to protect your lives and assets, the courts and offices, and the lives and assets of the people. I have said repeatedly, I have given instructions, I have given you the freedom to act according to the situation. You will take kneeling positions, kneel down and shoot below the waist to bring the situation under control. Over.”
After giving his statement, Kamrul was cross-examined by Md Amir Hossain, the state-appointed lawyer representing two fugitive defendants Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.
Another suspect in the case, former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, has turned state witness.
Of the three defendants, only Al-Mamun is in custody, while the other two are being tried in absentia.
On Jul 10, International Crimes Tribunal-1 ordered the start of the trial against the three on five charges, including “instigation, provocation, and instruction to kill 1,400 people during the crackdown”, “superior command responsibility”, and “joint criminal enterprise”.
The case lists 81 witnesses, including two advisors to the interim government and the editor of a national daily.
