One of six Ashulia fire victims identified

One of the six people burned to death in Ashulia during the July mass uprising has been identified through DNA testing. International Crimes Tribunal 2 has ordered the exhumed body to be handed over to his family.

The identified man is Abul Hossain. His body had been buried at Ambagan graveyard in Ashulia. The tribunal has also ordered that his name be included in the list of July martyrs.

A three-member panel of Tribunal 2, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, gave the order today, Sunday, based on a petition by the prosecution. The other members of the tribunal are Judge Md Manjurul Basid and Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.

The wife of martyr Abul Hossain is Laki Akter. She was a resident of Fulghor village under Muradnagar Police Station in Cumilla.

On August 5, 2023, when protesters in favour of ending discrimination came under gunfire in Ashulia’s Baipail area, several people were killed and many injured. That night, locals saw at least two charred bodies in a pickup truck marked “police” near Ashulia Police Station along the Nabinagar–Chandra highway. Another burned body was found in front of the police station. Meanwhile, the mutilated bodies of two police members were seen hanging upside down from a pedestrian bridge.

Locals had suspected there might have been more burnt bodies inside the pickup truck. That night, incidents of arson, vandalism and looting also took place at Ashulia Police Station. Videos of the entire incident were widely circulated at the time.