A doctor on Wednesday testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that plainclothes police, identifying themselves as Detective Branch officers, asked the doctors and medical staff not to treat injured student protesters during the July 2024 uprising.
Dr Mahfuzur Rahman of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital told the tribunal that DB officers warned him not to admit or release bullet-hit protesters.
He said that the DB officers, referring to orders from higher authorities, told them that treating such patients would invite legal troubles.
He said that the DB officials told him that doctors showing 鈥榚nthusiasm鈥� in treating the protesters would 鈥榝ace consequences.鈥�
In fear of harassment, doctors began to record the injuries of students as that due to road accident or general trauma instead of bullet wounds, Mahfuzur testified.
He demanded exemplary punishment for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whom he identified as the main offender responsible for alleged crimes against humanity during the uprising.
He also called for accountability of former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, and former state minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad A Arafat.
According to the doctor, these AL leaders carried out orders that led to police opening fire on unarmed protesters.
Mahfuz alleged that Arafat instructed police to shoot at students during the AL tenure to contain protesters.
The tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder recorded testimonies of four prosecution witnesses on Wednesday. They are Dr Mahfuz, senior nurse Shahnaz Parvin of the Neuroscience Hospital, Dr Hassanul Banna of Ibne-Sina Hospital at Kalyanpur and Sonia Jamal, the mother of July uprising victim Mehedi Hasan Junaid.
Mehedi, 14, was among six students shot dead on August 5, 2024, at Chankharpool. He was struck in the left eye and head. His mother said that the bullets left deep exit wounds.
The tribunal is hearing the second case relating to the July uprising. The accused include Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who are being tried for their alleged superior responsibility for crimes across the country.
Hasina and Asaduzzaman are still in hiding in India and both of them are represented by state-appointed lawyer Amir Hossain.
Detained accused Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who was on the dock, has become state evidence.
So far, the tribunal has recorded statements from 16 prosecution witnesses in this case.
Dr Mahfuzur said that protesters suffered bullet injuries to the head, face, throat, back, hands, and legs. Many arrived on August 4, 2024 and August 5, 2024 with serious injuries to the head, chest, and throat.
In several cases, students had lost parts of their skulls due to the gunshots, he said.
Due to the pressure of incoming patients after July 28, 2024 the hospital provided primary treatment and discharged 575 bullet-hit students.
However, 167 others had to be admitted with critical injuries. Among them, four were declared dead on arrival, 29 died during treatment, and seven were recently sent to Thailand for advanced care.
The doctor, who led the surgical team, said that they operated on 33 students and recovered bullets and metal plates from their bodies. He submitted a large bullet and two plates as evidence to the tribunal.
Senior nurse Shahnaz Parvin also testified, confirming that she had stored the bullet and plates handed over from the operation theatre team.
Dr Mahfuz also submitted a pen drive containing a video broadcast by private TV channel Ekattor.
The footage showed him treating severely injured patients, some of whom had lost their skulls and were in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.
Another physician, Dr Hasanul Banna of Ibne Sina Hospital, testified that on July 18, 2024, police, along with local armed activists from the Awami League and its affiliated groups, shut down their hospital in Kalyanpur.
The hospital had begun receiving injured protesters, but was forced to suspend treatment that day.
He said one staff member, Mostakin Billah, who was shot at Mirpur-10, had to be taken to the Neuroscience Hospital through an alternative route as Awami League men had blocked the entrance to Ibne Sina Hospital. Mostakin was later declared dead.
