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Published : 19 Nov 2025, 03:26 PM
A former policeman testifying for the state in the case over the burning of six bodies in Dhaka's Ashulia during the July Uprising has said the ex-chief (OC) and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the local police station doused the corpses in petrol before setting them on fire.
State witness Sheikh Afzalul Haque testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Wednesday.
A two-member bench of the tribunal, comprising retired district and sessions judges Manjurul Bashid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir, recorded his statement.
Afzalul later sought forgiveness from the families of those killed in the Uprising and the tribunal.
In his testimony, he detailed the events of Aug 5, 2024, saying that he was not present when the bodies were set on fire.
He, however, came to know about the bodies being burnt when he came to submit his issued weapon on Aug 15.
He said the then OC of Ashulia Police Station, AFM Sayed, and ASI Bishwajit Saha poured petrol on and burnt the six bodies.
On Jul 2, the prosecution submitted formal charges against 16 people to the tribunal in the much-discussed case. The tribunal accepted the charges and issued arrest warrants against eight absconding defendants.
Along with the formal charges, the prosecution submitted 313 pages of documents, a list of 62 witnesses, 168 pages of documentary evidence, and two pen drives.
The tribunal later accepted the charges brought against the 16 accused. The hearing on charge framing began on Aug 7. After completing the hearings on Aug 13, the court fixed Aug 21 for indictment.
The complaint alleges that on Aug 5, 2024, police opened fire in Savar's Ashulia area, killing five people and critically injuring another. The bodies of the dead and the injured person were then placed in a police van, doused in petrol, and set ablaze.
The victims were identified as Sajjad Hossain (Sajal), As Sabur, Tanzil Mahmud Sujoy, Bayezid Bustami, and Abul Hossain. One victim remains unidentified.
A case was initially filed with the ICT on Sept 11, 2024, alleging crimes against humanity. The original complaint listed 11 accused.
They included former MP Saiful, former additional superintendent of police (Savar Circle) Md Shahidul Islam, former additional superintendent of police (Dhaka) Abdullah Hill Kafi, former chief of Ashulia Police Station Sayed, former inspector of Dhaka District Detective Branch (North) Md Arafat Hossain, former sub-inspectors Abdul Malek, Arafat Uddin, Afzalul, Bishwajit, and Kamrul Hasan, and former constable Mukul Chokder.
Eight of the accused have been arrested so far. They were produced before the tribunal on Aug 21.
On that day, Afzalul admitted his guilt and applied to become a state witness.
ICT accepts charges over Ashulia police killings, burning of bodies
Warrants issued against 5 for burning bodies in Ashulia
Indictment hearing in Ashulia corpse burning case on Jul 2
