Political Leaders Ordered Excessive Force in July Uprising: HRW

"Multiple police officers confirmed that the orders to use excessive force during the unrest came from political leadership," the report states.

HRW’s delegation, led by Asia Director Elaine Pearson, presented the 50-page report, titled After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh, to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on January 28.

In interviews with HRW, police officers revealed disturbing details about their role during the protests. One officer stated, "The role of the police was more influenced by political leaders than by officers on the ground."

The report describes how officers were ordered to target civilians with lethal force, including by shooting at bystanders who were watching from their homes. One police officer noted, "We were told to create fear and send a message: people should not be watching what was happening."

Throughout the protests, both explicit and implicit orders were given to officers to use deadly force, according to the report.

One officer recalled, "Senior officers instructed us to be strict, to not spare any criminals spreading anarchy." While the word "fire" wasn’t used explicitly, the orders were clear: use overwhelming force, do whatever you think is necessary, and take a hardline approach, the officer said.

The report also recounts officers receiving real-time instructions from Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters. According to one officer, senior officers observed live CCTV footage and gave direct commands to shoot, comparing it to "ordering someone to shoot in a video game."

The report traces the chain of command, noting that the home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, and Inspector General of Police, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, issued directions to Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman, who then relayed orders to his deputies.

This hierarchical chain aligns with Bangladesh's police structure, HRW confirmed.

A video surfaced in August where a police officer defended the actions of the force, telling the home minister: "We shoot one dead, or we wound one, and that is the only one that falls. The rest don’t budge, sir."

The report also highlights the abduction and torture of student movement leaders. On July 26, six coordinators of the protest movement were abducted by plainclothes police after seeking medical treatment for injuries sustained from police violence and attacks by Awami League supporters. The students were held incommunicado for a week, allegedly forced to record a video announcing the end of their protest before being released on August 1.

Amid the escalating violence, on August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. HRW claims that in the aftermath, some police officers played an active role in fueling the chaos.

"For example, on August 5 in Ashulia, police set fire to vehicles carrying injured and deceased protesters," the report states. "At least one person, according to an eyewitness, was burned alive while handcuffed."

Razia Begum, 55, an eyewitness, described the horrific scene: "This was the first time in my life that I saw innocent people burned alive this way." She recalled how neighbors rushed to extinguish the flames, only to be met with police gunfire. "The roads were covered with blood," she said. "People were fatally shot directly in their bodies, not in their legs."

The report paints a grim picture of state-sanctioned violence and the alarming role of political leadership in orchestrating brutality against peaceful protesters.