Autopsies may be conducted on those killed in Gopalganj 'if necessary': home advisor

Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has indicated that autopsies will be conducted on those killed in the Gopalganj violence if required.

Speaking after a visit to the third terminal of Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, he said: “Autopsies are being carried out on the bodies that are in Dhaka. But some of the bodies were taken away by their families. How can autopsies be done in those cases?"

“If needed, autopsies will be conducted. If necessary, bodies can even be exhumed for postmortem.”

On Wednesday, Gopalganj transformed into a battleground as a National Citizen Party (NCP) rally triggered a wave of clashes between Awami League supporters and law enforcement.

Eventually, violence spread across the town. Four people were killed, but their final rites were completed without autopsies. Another man who had suffered gunshot wounds died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Thursday.

Jahangir said that a postmortem had been conducted on that body.

Asked about the matter, the advisor said: “Those who covered the news live probably don’t have such questions. People who weren’t there tend to ask all sorts of things.

“The correct answers for many questions can be found in the live coverage. The rest is speculation, which entails sitting in air-conditioned rooms and speculating endlessly. People say all kinds of things.”

In response to a question about whether there was any failure on the part of intelligence agencies regarding the Gopalganj violence, the advisor said: “A high-powered committee has been formed regarding the matter. It will determine who is responsible.”

Explaining the reason behind his visit to the third terminal, Jahangir said: “I came to assess the preparations for immigration [operations] here and to determine how much manpower will be required.”

“About 400 personnel will be needed for immigration operations at the new third terminal.”