ASK report: Evidence of human rights violations found in Gopalganj

Staff Correspondent

The Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) has found evidence of serious human rights violations in the violence that erupted over a political rally in Gopalganj, the human rights organization said in a report.

The report details the attack on an NCP rally on July 16, the killing of five citizens in police firing, mass arrests, and torture of innocent citizens during the curfew.

The incident began after an NCP rally was marred by offensive remarks directed at the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The situation then turned violent as Awami League supporters clashed with them. There are allegations that the police and army used bullets, tear gas shells and sound grenades.

The deceased were identified as Deepta Saha (25), Ramzan Kazi (18), Emon Talukder (17), Sohel Mollah (32) and Ramzan Munshi, who was later admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. ASK’s investigation found that four of the five were buried without post-mortem. Later, following media protests, the bodies of three were exhumed and post-mortems were conducted.

The report also highlighted allegations of arbitrary arrests, detention of children and extortion during the curfew and Section 144. 18 children have been detained under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The families said they were not involved in politics. In addition, 5,400 people have been accused in 8 cases, of which 358 are unnamed. Of these, 3 are women and 32 are members of the minority Hindu community.

The ASK delegation spoke to the families of the dead and injured, as well as hospital and prison authorities, and said that most of the bullet-injured were civilians.

A rickshaw puller said he was injured in police firing after he went out to drive his rickshaw. Except for the policeman and one driver who are undergoing treatment in the hospital, all the injured are civilians.

The prison authorities have also claimed that there was an attack on the Gopalganj prison, vandalism of the boundary wall and an attempt to attack the weapons depot. It is reported that the prison police fired 80 rounds of fire during this time.

ASK demanded a fair and impartial investigation into the incident, saying that the attack on the rally and the subsequent violence undermined citizens’ rights to organize and express their opinions.

The statement by the Superintendent of Police, Gopalganj, claimed that the police had shown “maximum patience” and that the cases had been handled legally. However, the ASK report raised questions about the lack of transparency and accountability in various activities of the administration.

The report states that locals are fleeing their homes in fear of the incident. ASK calls for urgent human rights protection and a strict investigation into those responsible to resolve this crisis.