Testimony of witness Abzalul sparks controversy, intervene court

At the International Crimes Tribunal-2, testimony of witness SI Sheikh Abzalul Haque in the Ashulia case, involving the burning of six bodies and the killing of seven people, sparked a heated exchange between prosecution and defense lawyers.

Asked whether any police died at the Ashulia police station on August 5 last year, Abzalul replied, “No police died, but one person did—he belonged to another unit.” The prosecution objected to the question, leading to nearly an hour of argument before the tribunal, led by Chief Judge Md. Manjurul Bashid, intervened.

Earlier, as the 23rd witness, Abzalul stated he did not witness the burning firsthand but learned about it on August 15 when weapons were being surrendered.