The investigation officer of the crimes against humanity case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Al Mamun testified on Monday that the police fired more than three lakh rounds of bullets across the country to suppress protesters during the July mass uprising.
Testifying as the 54th prosecution witness for the second day, the investigation officer, Md Alomgir, also told the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 that the police used a range of lethal weapons, including light machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, revolvers, and pistols, to suppress the protests.
He submitted that the police used 3,05,312 rounds of bullets across the country during the July protests, while 95,313 bullets were fired in Dhaka alone.
The investigation officer disclosed this information, referring to a 215-page report from the Police Headquarters dated May 8, 2025.
The tribunal adjourned the hearing until Tuesday morning.
He submitted that he, on May 7, 2025, collected inquest and postmortem reports related to the burial of 81 unidentified protesters by Anjuman Mufidul Islam, and the findings were later submitted to the tribunal.
He testified that the crackdown left over 1,500 protesters killed and hundreds of thousands injured.
Alomgir submitted that he, on January 14, 2025, received a report from the Rapid Action Battalion confirming the elite force鈥檚 use of helicopters to contain the protesters.
He said that Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun were responsible for orchestrating a systematic and widespread attack on unarmed student-led protests during the 36-day uprising.
Alomgir, also an additional superintendent of police, further submitted that these acts鈥攌illings, torture, illegal detentions, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, and obstruction of basic rights鈥攃onstituted crimes against humanity under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.
Based on a wide range of evidence, including seized documents, video and audio recordings, newspaper reports, expert analyses, statements from victims鈥� families and witnesses, and a confessional statement from former IGP Mamun, the investigation officer concluded that crimes against humanity were committed between July 1 and August 5, 2024.
According to the IO鈥檚 findings, the top officials were involved in identifying protesters鈥� locations, giving orders, instigating violence, and conspiring to kill the protesters by using lethal force to suppress the movement.
This crime also included the deployment of firearms, abductions, torture, and live burnings.
Many were illegally detained, tortured in custody, or falsely charged in fabricated cases. Female protesters faced sexual violence.
The IO further testified that injured protesters were denied treatment, bodies were buried without notifying families, and causes of death were deliberately falsified.
He submitted that confessions were forcibly extracted, and some protesters were attacked even while under medical care.