Painful memories of burning of six bodies still haunt relatives

Exactly a year ago on August 5, the sky over Ashulia in Savar was covered with dark clouds of agony and the air was heavy with the smell gunpowder. On one side, there was joy of victory and on the other side, grief of losing dear ones. That day was a dark chapter in the history of Ashulia, when the life of countless students and people was at stake due to the indiscriminate shooting of the police and the attack by "Awami League activists".

The ultimate example of the brutality of the then administration was the incident of burning of six bodies. Even after a long year, the people of the area still tremble from time to time when they remember that horrific incident. Even today, when they close their eyes, rows of bodies, the cries of the injured and the wails of their relatives appear before them.

Such brutality by the police led to a storm of strong protests across the country. The common people, various political parties and human rights organizations simultaneously demanded a fair investigation and trial of this murder. Although the heat of that protest has subsided with time, the fire in the hearts of the victim families still burns. They are still looking for a way out in the hope of respect, recognition and justice.

At least 77 people were killed and countless injured in various incidents of violence at that time. One such injured person is Mukul Hossain (pseudonym), a July fighter. He was injured in police firing. Recalling the memory of that day, he said: "We could not have imagined that such an incident would happen that day. Bullets were coming like rain from all around. Many people fell before our eyes. We ran and somehow managed to survive. Later, I saw that I was shot in the leg and neck. God knows how I survived."

On August 5, Sohag Hawlader was working as a field journalist. He was closely observing various moments in the Ashulia police station area. He shared his experience of that day. He said: "We were observing Bypail and the surrounding areas since the morning of August 5. That morning, no sides allowed us to take videos or photos. At first, some students came with a procession, but the local MP's men chased them away with local and foreign weapons. Later, they came back more organized and chased the MP's people away. In the meantime, people from various professions, including garment workers, joined the students, forcing the Awami League men retreat. However, several protesters were injured by bullets."

He further said: "In the meantime, when news came that Sheikh Hasina had fled, the students and the public took out a victory procession. Then they went to surround the police station with a procession, when law enforcement officers fired indiscriminately at them. I saw countless people being taken to the hospital with bullet wounds in front of my eyes. Later, news came that the bodies of the victims had been loaded into pickup vans after being shot. The situation was so bad that it was impossible to go forward at the scene."

Many people still tremble when talking about the events of that day. Another local of the Baipail area, Ms Banu, said: "I was standing in front of the mosque on the main road that day. The police and some kids locked horn several times. In the midst of all this chasing and counter-chasing, there was a lot of shooting at 12noon. At that time, many people fell before our eyes. How could they die before our eyes? I could not do anything."

She also said that she didn't see actually who fired that day. However, when the police were chasing the protesters, there was the sound of gunshots. Later, some people were seen lying with bullet wounds.

That day, the police burned Bayezid's body. He lived with his family in a rented house in Ashulia. His one-year-old son Rafi Abdullah and wife Rina Akhter were his inspiration. He left home on August 5 without informing them. He said that he had to fight not only for himself but also to save millions of families in the country. These memories were shared by Bayezid's wife Rina Akhtar.

She said: "My husband sacrificed his life for the people of the country. But how many people know my husband's name? His name is in the government papers but in exchange for his life we got negligence. Sometimes during some events, people look for us to deliver speeches. I have received some money but it is becoming difficult to run the family with this amount."

The body of As-Saboor, a tenth grade student, was also burned that day. Saboor's mother Rahima Jannat Ferdous said: "The way Abu Sayeed and Mughdho are remembered, my son's name is not spoken in that way. My son was killed very brutally. After his death, we had to leave Ashulia. We are not allowing the eldest son to go anywhere outside yet. But when August comes, my son's name comes up, but we want our son's name to be shown like Abu Sayeed or Mughdho."

Shahina Begum, mother of another martyr Sajal, who was killed in police firing, said: "My son went to the procession that day. Despite a lot of searching, I couldn't find him. Many people went missing that day. I heard that the police burned the bodies so that they would not be identified. My chest still bursts when I find out that my son is one of the victims. I have been crying for a year and have not received any justice. Who will do the justice?"

According to the information provided by the police, 80 cases were filed with Ashulia Police Station in connection with the murder, and 70 cases are currently under investigation. Of these, 43 are murder and 27 are attempted murder cases. In contrast, more than 580 accused have been arrested (as of July). However, many of the main accused are still at large.

In this regard, Ashulia Police Station Inspector (OC Operation) Saiful Islam Sumon said: "The investigation process of many of our cases is almost at its final stage. We will submit the reports in a shot time. Besides, about 600 accused have been arrested so far. The pace of work will increase further in the future."

A total of 16 people have been made accused in the case of crimes against humanity committed by burning of the bodies of these six protesters. Eight of the accused were produced before the tribunal on July 28. They are --former Additional Superintendent of Police of Savar Circle Md. Shahidul Islam, former Additional Superintendent of Police of Dhaka District Abdullahil Kafi, former Inspector of Dhaka District Detective Police (DB) North Md. Arafat Hossain, former Sub-Inspectors of Ashulia Police Station Abdul Malek, Arafat Uddin, Kamrul Hasan and Sheikh Abzalul Haque and former Constable Mukul Chokder.

International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to hear the framing of the charges in this case on August 7.