Hasina ordered lethal force, helicopter fire during July Uprising: Ex-IGP
Published: 03 September 2025, 1:40:11
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun has told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina personally authorized using of lethal weapons, helicopter gunfire, and block raids to suppress last year’s July Uprising.
Testifying as a state witness on Monday in a crimes against humanity case against Hasina and two others, Mamun said the instructions “came directly from Sheikh Hasina.”
He added that the orders were implemented under the supervision of then–home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, with former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Habibur Rahman and Detective Branch chief Harunur Rashid showing what he described as “over-enthusiasm” in deploying deadly force.
Mamun told the tribunal that two factions had emerged within the police, one led by Habibur Rahman and the other by then–Special Branch chief Monirul Islam.
He said political influence over the force deepened after the 2018 election, with senior officers cultivating direct ties with ruling party leaders and frequently gathering at the home of home minister Kamal.
The former IGP said such officers often bypassed the chain of command. “They had direct access to the top levels of government, but I wanted them to perform their duties professionally,” he testified.
He alleged that both factions within the police sought to secure prized postings in Dhaka for their loyalists.
Mamun also alleged that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) operated clandestine detention facilities, including one named “TIF” under RAB-1. He said individuals with opposing political views or considered security risks were secretly held there, often under direct instruction from the Prime Minister’s Office or Tarique Siddiqui, Hasina’s former defence and security adviser.
According to Mamun, extrajudicial killings in so-called “crossfire” incidents were carried out by senior RAB officials, including its operations wing and intelligence director. He further testified that on the eve of 2018 general election, then-IGP Javed Patwari advised Hasina to pre-fill half of the ballot boxes. Mamun also spoke of a “Gopalganj syndicate” within the police force.
The tribunal’s three-member panel, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumder, recorded Mamun’s deposition between 11:50 AM and 1:30 PM. The accused in the case are Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Mamun himself, who has since turned state witness. At the time of the July movement, he was serving as Bangladesh’s police chief.
The tribunal has already heard testimony from 35 witnesses, including injured protesters, relatives of those killed, and medical professionals. Prosecutors expect to complete witness hearings later this month.
