Witness 1: Mohammad Sakib Ahmed Tulon

Evidence given by Mohammad Sakib Ahmed Tulon

My name is Mohammad Sakib Ahmed Tulon. My father’s name is [redacted]. I am 26 years old. My permanent address is [redacated] District: Munshiganj. At present, I reside at [redacteed] Badda.

I am a student. I am a second-year student of the Department of English at UITS University.

On 16 July 2024, I came to know through various media reports that Abu Sayeed of Rangpur and Wasim Akram of Chattogram had been martyred by police gunfire. After the deaths of these two individuals, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spread across the country. I joined the movement on 18 July 2024. I participated in the movement on Badda Post Office Road and in front of BRAC University. During the movement, we faced numerous obstructions from the police. The police extensively fired tear shells and pellet rounds at the students and the public. Our movement was peaceful. As we were unable to remain on the streets, I returned home. Many people were injured by police pellet fire on that day. I saw in the media that a student had been shot dead by the police in front of BRAC University. I returned home in the afternoon.

On Friday, 19 July 2024, after Jumu’ah prayers, I, Maruf, Maruf’s uncle Faisal, Rajib, and others participated in the movement in front of BRAC University. I joined the procession there. While I was in front of BRAC University, I saw that the police and BGB were shooting and killing those who were heading towards Rampura Bridge. There was a barricade in front of Rampura Bridge. I saw 5 to 6 people lying dead after being shot there.

At one stage, after Asr prayer and before Maghrib, I heard a loud sound of gunfire coming from the direction of Rampura Bridge. I saw Maruf fall onto the footpath beside the road. There is a sawmill there. At first, I thought Maruf had fallen due to pushing and shoving. Later, I saw that he had been shot on the right side of his lower abdomen. Maruf told me, “Mama, I have been shot, please save me.” He then lost consciousness.

With great difficulty, we managed to arrange an ambulance and took him to ANZ Hospital. By then, he was suffering from severe bleeding. To stop the bleeding, I pressed my hand against the gunshot wound. I was wearing a watch on my left hand. My hand and watch became soaked with blood. Three of my fingers went inside the wound. He was given primary treatment at the hospital. However, the bleeding from the wound could not be stopped, and we were advised to take him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

I, Faisal, and several others started taking Maruf to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. On the way, we faced an obstruction near Rampura Bridge. The police and BGB stopped us. We lost approximately half an hour there. By then, Maruf’s condition had become critical. Eventually, they allowed the ambulance to proceed.

After crossing Abul Hotel and proceeding through Shantinagar towards Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Maruf died just before we reached the Shantinagar Bridge. At that time, Maruf was lying on my left arm. Nevertheless, we took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Upon arriving at the emergency department, I saw the bodies of gunshot victims lying there, and many injured people were being brought in. After some time, a doctor examined Maruf and informed us that he had died. Even then, the doctor instructed that an ECG be performed. After the ECG was conducted, we became certain that he had died. The hospital authorities then took the body to the morgue.

We wanted to take the body after the post-mortem examination. However, the hospital authorities told us that they had orders from higher authorities and that they would not allow a single body to be released from the hospital. Maruf’s father was present there. We had informed him while we were on our way to the hospital. At around 12:30 a.m., we left Maruf’s father at the hospital and headed home. We learned that a nationwide curfew had been imposed.

As we were passing in front of the Shilpakala Academy and reached the area in front of Ramna Police Station, we saw police and BGB personnel there. They stopped our rickshaw. One person said, “Sir, let us shoot them.” We became very frightened. Another person said, “No, Sir, let them go.”

While we were at the Malibagh Rail Crossing, we heard gunfire coming from the direction of Rampura. We then travelled through Khilgaon and got down in front of Banasree Farazi Hospital. From there, we crossed a bridge, passed through Aftabnagar, and returned home.

On 20 July 2024, at around 11:00 a.m., I went towards BRAC University. There, I heard the sound of gunfire. People were saying that one person had been shot in front of ANZ Hospital in North Badda. Another person had been shot at the Badda Post Office intersection, and another person had been shot in Merul Badda.

Note: Judge Shofiul Alam Mahmud then said that he had a meeting  and the tribunal was therefore adjourned.