Dhaka Addl SP Detained Over Ashulia Student Killings and Burnings

Dhaka District Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdullahhil Kafi was detained at Dhaka Airport on Monday night in connection with the killings and burning of students in Ashulia during the unrest on August 5. The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) apprehended him at around 10 pm, acting on a tip-off that Kafi was attempting to flee the country.

Joint Commissioner of DB, Rabiul Islam, clarified that Kafi had not been formally arrested yet but was taken in for questioning to determine his involvement in the Ashulia incident. "A police officer cannot be arrested just like that; due process must be followed," he explained.

According to DB sources, Kafi allegedly ordered the police on the ground to use excessive force to suppress the student protests on August 5. The violence erupted following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's departure from the country and the ousting of the Awami League government.

A video circulating on social media, which shows police officers loading the bodies of gunshot victims onto a rickshaw van and covering them with a discarded banner and bedsheet, was reportedly taken near Ashulia Police Station in Dhaka on the day of the incident. The footage has been analyzed using Google geolocation data, confirming the time and place.

Qadaruddin Shishir, head of fact-checking at AFP's Bangladesh bureau, pinpointed the exact location as an alley near the Baipail Kendriya Jame Masjid, close to the police station. The video depicts two police officers stacking bodies, with one identified as an inspector from the Dhaka North DB police. The other officers, in plainclothes but wearing police helmets and bulletproof vests, were also linked to the same police unit.

The Business Standard's Savar correspondent visited the area on the day of the incident but could not capture photos due to the volatile situation. The following day, the correspondent witnessed two burned bodies in a police pickup van parked in front of Ashulia Police Station. However, the circumstances leading to the bodies being burned and placed in the van remain unclear. The identities of the victims have not been confirmed.

Dhaka District Superintendent of Police (SP) Ahmad Muyeed stated, "We are aware of the video and our expert team is thoroughly investigating it. Some individuals seen in the footage have been identified, and they are cooperating with us. We are also verifying additional details."

Eyewitnesses recounted that after Prime Minister Hasina's fall on August 5, a victory procession in the Baipail area led to a large crowd surrounding Ashulia Police Station. Panic-stricken officers retreated into the station and locked the gates at around 4:30 pm. Within minutes, more protesters gathered outside, throwing bricks and attempting to break through the gates.

As tensions escalated, Officer-in-Charge AFM Sayeed Ahmed attempted to pacify the protesters, who were demanding the police surrender. "We have lost. You have won. Please go home," the OC pleaded, according to witnesses. Despite the appeal, the police opened fire, hitting several people in the alley, causing the crowd to disperse.

Roni Ahmed, an eyewitness from a nearby building, said the police fired at a crowd near the station's gate, hitting 10 to 12 people who fell nearby. The shooting continued for several minutes, and while some survivors were dragged away by other students, 6 to 7 bodies remained at the scene. Locals then surrounded the area and advanced towards the police station.

Fahima Akhtar, another eyewitness hiding in a tea stall at the nearby Polymer and Plastics Limited officers' family quarters, said she saw police loading the bodies onto a van and covering them with a banner and bedsheet. Another witness, Roki Ahmed, a garment worker, corroborated this account, adding that the bodies were burned afterward and that police resumed firing upon exiting the station.

“One of the victims, still handcuffed, was visible in the flames,” Roki recounted from across the road.

While The Business Standard could not independently verify these claims, a local resident, Rezwanul Islam, identified one of the burned bodies as his brother, Asshabur, a 10th-grade student at Shaheen School in Jamgora, Ashulia. Asshabur had been shot and left lying on the road near the police station. According to Rezwanul, police later moved his lifeless body and set it on fire. Rezwanul said he recognized Asshabur by the blue jersey he had been wearing, which was visible among the burned bodies.