Staff Reporter :
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun told the International Crimes Tribunal that the decision to deploy lethal weapons, fire from helicopters, and conduct block raids during the July Uprising was made under the direction of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mamun, testifying Tuesday as a state witness in a crimes against humanity case against Sheikh Hasina and two others, said the order to use deadly force came directly from her. He added that the directives were executed under the leadership of former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, while former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman Habib and DB chief Harun-or-Rashid were particularly eager to employ lethal weapons.
According to his deposition, two factions had emerged within the police force-one led by DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman and the other by former Special Branch chief Monirul Islam. Mamun noted that political
influence on the police was intensified after the 2018 elections, with some officers becoming powerful figures who maintained direct links to senior political leaders.
He said these officers frequently met at the residence of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, often holding nightly discussions. Participants included Habibur Rahman, Harunur Rashid, Monirul Islam, Dhaka DIG Nurul Islam, Additional DIG Biplob Kumar, ASP Kafi, OC Majhar, Forqan Apurbo, and others. Some, he claimed, maintained direct access to Sheikh Hasina herself. Because of this privileged communication, many ignored the official chain of command. “I wanted them to act professionally,” Mamun testified, “but the two factions within the police pursued their own interests, pushing for key postings and positions in Dhaka.”
The testimony was recorded today between 11:50am and 1:30pm by the judicial panel of International Crimes Tribunal-01, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumder. The case concerns crimes against humanity committed during the July-August period. The accused include Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun himself-though Mamun, initially an accused, is now a state witness. At the time of the uprising, he was serving as Chief of Police.
RAB ran secret detention centres: Mamun further testified that RAB operated covert detention facilities, including one known as “TIF” under RAB-1, with similar centres across other units. Individuals with opposing political views or deemed threats to the government were confined there.
He claimed such instructions originated from the Prime Minister’s Office, sometimes directly from Tarique Siddiqui, Sheikh Hasina’s former defence and security adviser. He alleged that detentions at “Aynaghar” and extrajudicial killings staged as “crossfire” were carried out by RAB’s ADC (Operations) and its director of intelligence.
Mamun also said that on the eve of the 2018 national elections, then-IGP Javed Patwari advised Sheikh Hasina to pre-fill half of the ballot boxes. He additionally said a so-called “Gopalganj syndicate” was operating within the police.
So far, 35 witnesses-including survivors of the July movement, families of victims, and doctors-have testified against Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. The prosecution expects to complete witness hearings in the case later this month.
Core committee’s decision to detain SAD coordinators: Former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun testified that the arrest of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) coordinators was carried out in line with a decision taken at a core committee meeting.
Giving his statement on Tuesday as a state witness in a crimes against humanity case against Sheikh Hasina and two others, Al Mamun described the background of the crackdown.
He said that after the July 2024 movement broke out, the army was deployed nationwide. “From 19 July, almost every night, core committee meetings took place at the residence of then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan in Dhanmondi. These meetings issued directives for suppressing the movement along with other instructions from the government,” Mamun stated.
According to him, the core committee included himself, then home secretary Jahangir Alam, additional secretaries Tipu Sultan and Reza Mostofa, Special Branch chief Monirul Islam, DMP DB chief Mohammad Harun Rashid, RAB Director General Harun or Rashid, DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashraful Jaman Siddiqui, then Ansar and VDP Director General Major General AKM Aminul Haque, NTMC Director General Major General Ziaul Ahsan, as well as the heads of DGFI and NSI.
“At one of those meetings, the decision was taken to detain the student coordinators,” Mamun testified.
