Staff Reporter :
Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Muhammad Tajul Islam has described the testimony of former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as “irrefutable evidence” of Sheikh Hasina’s misrule.
Mamun, who turned approver in the case against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal over atrocities committed during the July 2024 Mass Uprising, testified before ICT-1 on September 2. Pleading guilty, he sought forgiveness for his involvement in the violence.
In his statement, Mamun said the killings and brutal crackdowns during the uprising were carried out on direct orders from Sheikh Hasina and Kamal.
“On July 18, 2024, the then Home Minister Kamal informed me that Sheikh Hasina had instructed the use of lethal weapons to suppress the uprising,” he told the tribunal.
Mamun testified that he was at Police Headquarters when the order was issued, with then Additional DIG Proloy Kumar Joarder present.
Proloy Kumar later conveyed the order nationwide, including to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman. From that point, deadly weapons had started deploying against protesters.
According to Mamun, DMP Commissioner Habibur and Additional Commissioner Mohammad Harun or Rashid were “eager” to execute the orders.
He further alleged that Sheikh Hasina was encouraged to use lethal force by senior Awami League figures and others, including Obaidul Quader, Anisul Huq, Salman F Rahman, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haq Inu, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam, Fazle Noor Taposh, and Mohammad Ali Arafat.
Mamun also detailed a series of “core committee meetings” led by Kamal at his Dhanmondi residence from July 19, 2024, where government strategies to crush the student-led uprising were discussed.
One such decision, proposed by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), was to arrest coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Despite his initial opposition, Mamun said he ultimately complied under Kamal’s directive, with the operation carried out jointly by DGFI and the Detective Branch (DB) led by Harun.
He revealed that student leaders were held in DB custody, pressured to compromise with the government, and their families were also brought in to intensify the pressure.
Ultimately, the coordinators were forced to withdraw the movement and issue televised statements in support of the government.
On the events of August 5, 2024, Mamun recounted how he learned that Hasina would resign amid mass demonstrations in Dhaka.
Later that day, he was flown by army helicopter to the Tejgaon Airport helipad and then to the Officers’ Mess in the cantonment, along with senior police officials including SB Chief Monirul Islam, DMP Commissioner Habibur, DIG Amena, Additional DIG Proloy, and Additional IGP Lutful Kabir.
Mamun’s tenure as IGP was cancelled the following day, August 6, and he was arrested on September 3.
Seeking forgiveness, Mamun told the tribunal: “If my complete testimony can help reveal the truth, and if Allah grants me more life, I will spend my remaining days with some relief from the burden of guilt.”
The former police chief, who served 36 and a half years in the force, said he had carried out his duties with humanity and integrity, claiming no personal allegations were ever brought against him.
“Yet, at the end of my career, such a grave mass killing occurred during my tenure. I accept responsibility for that,” he concluded.
