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Published : 29 Jun 2026, 02:25 AM
Muddy Waters: Panic, Police and the Turag
The ‘fatal chase’: Witnesses detail panic as activists leapt into the Turag River to escape a sudden, aggressive police raid
Bodies recovered: Three highly decomposed bodies were pulled from the river days later, sparking immense public suspicion
Official denial: Police firmly dismiss all claims, stating the recovered victims died in entirely unrelated drownings
Inquiry demanded: Legal experts demand an independent judicial inquiry to uncover the truth behind the missing boatmen
For nearly a week, rumours spread across social media that several activists of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League had disappeared after allegedly jumping into the Turag River while fleeing police in Ashulia.
Police dismissed the claims as “baseless”, saying officers arrested only seven people from a procession linked to the banned organisation on Jun 22 and that no such incident occurred.
Yet interviews with witnesses present beside the river paint a more complicated picture.
While none could confirm whether anyone drowned, several told bdnews24.com they saw people leap into the Turag after police chased a trawler attempting to dock beside Ashulia cattle market that afternoon.
The accounts have gained renewed attention after three bodies were recovered from the Turag over the following days.
Police maintain none of the deaths was connected to the procession.
One of those recovered was 18-year-old Mohammad Sumon of Ranabhola in Turag. Ashulia Police said he had gone on a picnic with friends and accidentally drowned while getting off a trawler.
Sumon's uncle Jewel Babu disputes that account.
He said the family searched desperately for the teenager after he disappeared on Jun 22 but was never told by police that he had allegedly fallen into the river. They identified his body only after it was recovered days later.
Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Asgar Hossain of Ashulia Police said police were simply repeating the information contained in the unnatural death case filed by the complainant.
"We have stated what appears in the [first information report]. I cannot say anything beyond that," he said.
Asked about witness claims that police chased people into the river, he replied: "I have no knowledge of that. According to the officers who were on the spot, no such incident happened."
The controversy began after reports circulated that seven Awami League and Chhatra League activists had gone missing following the Jun 22 procession. By last Friday, social media posts claimed three of them had been found dead in the Turag.
Police Headquarters rejected those claims on Saturday, describing reports that seven people had died as misinformation.
A day later, Dhaka Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen said two bodies recovered from the Turag near Savar and Ashulia had no political connection, warning that legal action would be taken against those spreading false claims.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) also said no series of suspicious deaths had been reported within Turag Police Station's jurisdiction.
Witnesses Tell a Different Story
The alleged incident unfolded beside Ashulia cattle market, where a pontoon serves trawlers travelling along the Turag.
A bamboo trader working nearby pointed towards the landing point.
"A trawler was trying to dock when police ran from the market towards it," he said. "I heard several people fell into the river."
Two men who said they witnessed the incident gave a more detailed account.
Jewel, who works near the pontoon, said police had arrived earlier that morning carrying a photograph on a mobile phone and asking local people whether they had seen the individual.
Later, he said, officers waited near the market until a trawler carrying around 30 to 40 mostly young passengers approached the pontoon.
"As soon as it came close, around 10 or 12 police officers ran towards it," he said.
He said several others in civilian clothes accompanied them, although they did not appear to be police officers.
Another witness, who requested anonymity, said panic broke out before anyone could disembark.
"They tried to pull up the anchor but couldn't," he said. "Some jumped onto the riverbank and ran, while many others jumped straight into the water."
He said local people managed to pull six or seven people from the river before police reached them.
The witness recalled hearing some of those struggling in the current cry out: "Brother, we're going to die. Please save us."
He said police later detained several people from the water, while others managed to swim ashore.
Three Bodies, Conflicting Accounts
As rumours gathered pace, three bodies were recovered from the Turag over two days, further fuelling speculation.
The first was Sumon, whose decomposed body was recovered near Ashulia cattle market on Jun 26 after fishermen alerted police.
Police said a mobile phone found with the body helped identify him through the SIM card. Officers later handed the body to his family after a postmortem.
Investigators said Sumon had drowned while on a picnic with friends, a claim his relatives reject.
His uncle Jewel said the family spent days searching police stations and the river after Sumon disappeared on Jun 22.
“My niece called around midnight saying Sumon had gone to a Chhatra League procession and might have been arrested because no one could find him,” he said.
The following day, family members went to Ashulia Police Station, where officers told them Sumon had not been arrested.
"They never told us he might have fallen into the river. We searched the river ourselves, hired a trawler and even found a floating body, but it wasn't Sumon."
The family repeated the search the next day before eventually identifying Sumon's body after police contacted them.
Jewel said neither he nor other relatives had told police that Sumon had gone on a picnic.
"No, we never said that. His brother mentioned it to a few people out of fear, thinking saying he had joined a procession might create more problems."
Police also recovered the body of 35-year-old Rony Molla from the Turag near Aminbazar on Jun 24. Savar police said he drowned while bathing, and an unnatural death case was filed by his father.
The same day, river police recovered the body of Arif Hasan Rakib, a resident of Ranabhola. His family said he had left home on Jun 22 and never returned.
"My brother keeps losing consciousness," Arif's uncle, Arshadul Islam, said. "Police told us they found a body after removing the SIM card from his phone. We don't know how he died."
The Missing Boatman
The incident has also drawn attention to the trawler involved that afternoon.
According to an intelligence report reviewed during the reporting of this story, around 25 to 30 Awami League activists travelled by boat from Rustampur Ghat intending to hold a procession near Ashulia Market.
The report says police chased the group as the trawler approached the landing point, prompting several passengers to jump into the river in panic after failing to lift the anchor.
At Rustampur Ghat, local people identified the trawler used that day.
Boatman Bijoy Rajbanshi initially denied having a brother named Ajay -- a single name mentioned in the intelligence report -- but later acknowledged that his younger brother had operated the vessel.
"After the incident everyone started asking questions," he said. "We've kept him away because of fear."
According to Bijoy, his brother told him police rushed towards the trawler as soon as it docked.
"He also jumped into the river. Later we heard police caught several people."
Attempts to contact the trawler's owner, Ambar Ali, were unsuccessful.
No Search, Unanswered Questions
Despite witnesses saying several people jumped into the river, neither police nor the Fire Service and Civil Defence launched a search operation that day.
Tongi Fire Station duty officer Sabuj said station records contained no report of anyone falling into the Turag on Jun 22.
Ashulia Police Outpost chief SI Mahbub Ullah Sarkar said officers only reported arresting seven people linked to a prohibited procession.
"That's what I was informed, and that's what I can say," he said.
When asked about witness accounts that police chased a trawler before anyone could disembark, he replied that he had no knowledge of such an incident.
Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jahangir Alam gave a similar response.
"I heard nothing about police chasing anyone into the river," he said. "I can only speak based on the information provided by my officers."
Witnesses also claimed several men in civilian clothes accompanied police during the operation. Police said they had no information about their presence.
Calls for Independent Inquiry
Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the competing accounts raise questions that cannot be resolved without an independent investigation.
"If police moved before confirming who was on the boat, they will have to justify the legal basis for that action," he said.
"Whether those on board were political activists or ordinary citizens, once people entered the water, ensuring their safety became the responsibility of the authorities."
He questioned why there was no apparent effort to determine whether anyone had gone missing after the alleged chase.
"These allegations require an independent investigation. In my view, there should be a judicial inquiry," he said.
"Only then can it be established who went missing, what responsibilities existed and whether anyone has been too frightened to come forward."
For now, the official account and witness testimony remain sharply at odds.
Police insist no one jumped into the Turag while fleeing officers and say the bodies recovered from the river were unrelated incidents.
Those who say they stood on the riverbank that afternoon tell a different story -- of panic, people leaping into fast-moving water, desperate cries for help, and questions that remain unanswered.
