Court orders exhumation of 114 bodies of July Uprising victims
Published: 04 August 2025, 10:18:06
A Dhaka court has ordered the exhumation of 114 unidentified bodies buried following the recent anti-discrimination student movement, to facilitate identification and further legal procedures.
On Monday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman issued the order following a petition filed by Sub-Inspector Md. Mahidul Islam of Mohammadpur Police Station. The order was confirmed by Additional Public Prosecutor Mohammad Shamsuddoha Suman.
According to the petition, during various incidents across Dhaka amid the anti-discrimination student protests, 114 unidentified individuals, men and women of various agwere killed and buried as unclaimed bodies at Rayerbazar Graveyard under Mohammadpur Police Station.
Police requested the court’s permission to exhume the bodies for post-mortem examinations and DNA profiling, with the aim of identifying the deceased and facilitating any future legal actions. Once identities are confirmed, arrangements can be made to return the remains to the families, if requested.
After reviewing the petition and case documents, the court approved the exhumation and instructed the Dhaka District Magistrate to appoint an executive magistrate to oversee the process in accordance with Section 176(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
