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Published : 07 Jan 2026, 09:23 PM
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has handed over a DNA report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on bodies buried as unidentified during the July uprising in Dhaka’s Rayerbazar.
The report was presented at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday, according to the Chief Advisor’s Office. Receiving the report, Yunus thanked all involved in the effort.
“The then government committed an atrocity rare in world history. Killing one’s own citizens and burying them in mass graves is unimaginable in any civilized state,” Yunus said.
He described the identification of victims as a significant step toward justice and a reflection of the state’s moral responsibility.
“This DNA initiative proves that truth can never be suppressed. The names and identities of the martyrs will return, and their sacrifice will remain inscribed in the nation’s history,” he added.
Yunus stressed that the effort was not merely forensic but a humanitarian act to restore dignity and provide solace to families still searching for loved ones.
According to the CAO, CID collected DNA samples from 114 bodies buried as unidentified at Rayerbazar during the July uprising.
The programme was conducted under the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs with support from the home and health ministries between Dec 7 and Dec 27.
Nine families have so far provided DNA samples, leading to the identification of eight martyrs, all confirmed to have died from bullet wounds.
The identified victims are: Sohel Rana, 38, Rafiqul Islam, 52, Md Asadullah, 32, Mahin Mia, 32, Faisal Sarkar, 26, Parvez Bepari, 23, Kabil Hossain, 58, and Rafiqul Islam, 29.
CID chief Additional Inspector General of Police Md Shibgat Ullah said one mother regularly visited Rayerbazar and stood by a grave under a tree. Remarkably, her son’s body was later found buried beneath that very tree.
He noted that setting up a temporary lab at the site to conduct DNA tests had significantly enhanced police capacity.
To ensure transparency and international standards, CID engaged globally recognised forensic expert Dr Morris Tidball-Binz for consultation and training.
CID has urged families of those missing since the July–August uprising to contact its hotline at 01320019999.
