Bodies of 8 killed during July Uprising identified at Rayerbazar

Efforts to confirm the identity of one more person are ongoing, says Housing Advisor Adilur Rahman Khan

The bodies of eight people killed during the July Uprising have been identified at Dhaka's Rayerbazar graveyard.

The eight were among more than a hundred people who were buried as unclaimed bodies at the graveyard during the unrest.

The government announced their names on Monday at Rayerbazar, where Housing Advisor Adilur Rahman Khan outlined the identification process and its results.

Adilur said forensic teams had exhumed and examined the remains of 114 people in line with the internationally recognised Minnesota Protocol. Eight of those bodies have now been identified as victims of the July Uprising, he said, adding that efforts to confirm the identity of one more person were continuing.

"Never before in Bangladesh have so many bodies been exhumed from graves at the same time,” he said.

The eight individuals are:

Md Mahin Mia, 30, a native of Mymensingh's Phulpur Upazila, who died on Jul 18, 2024.

Asadullah, 31, a native of Sherpur's Sreebordi Upazila, who died on Jul 19, 2024.

Parvez Bepari, 22, a native of Chandpur's Matlab Upazila, who died on Jul 19, 2024.

Rafiqul Islam, 51, a native of Pirojpur's Nazirpur Upazila who died on Jul 19, 2024.

Sohel Rana, 37, a native of Munshiganj's Louhajang Upazila, who died on Jul 18, 2024.

Rafiqul Islam, 28, a native of Feni who died on Jul 19, 2024.

Faisal Sarkar, 25, a native of Cumilla's Debidwar Upazila, who died on Jul 22, 2024.

Kabil Hasan, 58, a resident of Dhaka's Mugda, who died on Aug 2, 2024.

Adilur said the interim government regarded restoring the identity and dignity of those buried as unclaimed victims as a moral and humanitarian duty. A planned, science-based process had been carried out by forensic teams from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), he added.

Liberation War Affairs Advisor Faruk-e-Azam said the identifications had allowed families to learn what had happened to their loved ones and where they were buried, bringing some measure of closure.

CID chief Sibgat Ullah said the eight were identified after exhuming 114 bodies that had been buried by the charity Anjuman Mufidul Islam. He added the remains included people who had died in road accidents and from other causes.

Investigators found bullet pellets in a number of the bodies, and a detailed report on the findings will be published, according to Sibgat.

A makeshift morgue was set up at Rayerbazar graveyard, where 114 bodies were exhumed and DNA samples collected between Dec 7 and 27 under the supervision of CID forensic teams.

Officials said the exhumation, DNA profiling and reburial were carried out in line with the Minnesota Protocol.

Senior government and police officials attended the event, after which the graves of those identified were formally handed over to their families.