Testimony of Md. Mostafizur Rahman

My name is Md. Mostafizur Rahman. I run an electrical equipment business. I have a shop.

On Friday, 19-07-2024, at approximately 3:00/3:30 PM, as I was leaving home to deliver food to my father, my son, Md. Basit Khan Musa (6), wanted to eat ice cream. So, I went downstairs with my mother and my son. I told my mother that after buying the Ice Cream, she should take my son back home. As soon as we got downstairs, a bullet fired by the police from outside the gate hit my son’s head, pierced his head, and exited through the back. I immediately carried my son in my arms and took him to the nearby Famous Hospital. The Rampura Police Station building is located approximately 70 feet away from my residence. I could see the OC of that station, Moshiur Rahman, along with several other police members, firing directly from my house gate. The doctor at Famous Hospital gave first aid and asked me to quickly take my son to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, so I took him there by ambulance. We reached the hospital around 7:00 PM. After I called, my father and wife came to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The doctors performed an operation on my son’s head.

At that time, I could not find my mother. I kept calling her but did not get through. Later, I called a neighbour and asked him to go to my flat and look for my mother. He informed me that the bullet that hit my son’s head had pierced it and struck my mother’s stomach. I did not know that my mother was shot because I had immediately left the house with my son. He further informed me that they had immediately admitted my mother to Farazi Hospital. She was undergoing treatment there, and I should send a relative to my mother at Farazi Hospital. Since the neighbours had taken my mother to the hospital before my wife left the house, my wife did not know about my mother being shot.

Due to a lot of firing outside, none of us could leave Dhaka Medical to go to Farazi Hospital. I called a relative and asked him to go to Farazi Hospital quickly, and he went there accordingly. The relative’s name is Sarwar Hossain. He saw that my mother was lying in Farazi Hospital. The doctors asked him to quickly take her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Since he could not find a vehicle, he could not bring my mother to Dhaka Medical. There was a lot of firing outside at that time.

At 11:00 PM that night, I sent my father to Farazi Hospital. As he could not find an ambulance at night, my father also could not bring my mother to Dhaka Medical. The next day, at around 5:00 AM, I rented an ambulance from Dhaka Medical and sent it to Farazi Hospital. My father brought my mother to Dhaka Medical in that ambulance. On the way, my mother’s condition deteriorated. After being brought into the hospital, the doctors performed an ECG on my mother and declared her dead.

(At this point, the witness breaks down crying).

My mother’s body was taken to the morgue. My son was in the ICU at that time. When I requested to take my mother’s body, the medical authorities informed me that since she was shot in the Rampura Police Station area, permission from the Rampura police would be required to take the body. I collected the mobile number of the OC of Rampura Police Station and called him, requesting him to send a police member from the station to Dhaka Medical College.

On 20-07-2024, at noon, I sent someone with a motorbike from Dhaka Medical to Rampura Police Station, and two Sub-Inspectors came to Dhaka Medical in plain clothes. They said that since the body had bullet wounds, the body could not be handed over now. Even after much requesting, they did not agree to release the body. Subsequently, they agreed on the condition that the body could not be taken to Rampura. According to their instructions, my father took the body to our village home in Mirzapur Thana, Tangail, and buried her. Since my son was in the ICU, I could not go with my mother’s body.

My son was admitted to the ICU until 26-08-2024. Afterwards, he was taken to CMH. He remained admitted to the ICU there until 22-10-2024. As his condition worsened, doctors advised sending him to Singapore for treatment. Subsequently, Channel I arranged an air ambulance. My son received treatment in Singapore from 23-10-2024 until 03-04-2025. The government bore all the costs of his treatment. From Singapore, he was again kept under observation at CMH until 09-07-2025. On July 9th, he was taken to Singapore again. This time, he received treatment in Singapore until July 26, 2025.

My son takes food brought from Singapore through an NG Tube via his nose. The right side of my son’s body is now paralyzed. He cannot speak or move around. When he was brought to the Tribunal bench, the bullet wound scar on his head and his medical equipment were visible.

I saw the OC of Rampura Police Station personally holding a weapon and firing directly. There were many other police officers there. Later, I heard there was a police officer named Chanchal.

I seek justice for those responsible for my mother’s murder and my son’s condition.

(At this point, the witness breaks down crying again).

Cross-Examination

The Defense Counsel first expressed sympathy to the witness, stating that he was extremely sorry for the death of his (the witness’s) mother and the illness of his son, and that despite this, he would have to ask him some questions purely for professional duty.

Cross-Examination on behalf of the present accused, Chanchal Chandra Sarkar:

It is not true that the gate of my house was closed at the time of the incident on 19-7-2024. The gate of my house was not closed at the time of the incident.

I met the Investigating Officer during my son’s treatment at CMH after arriving in the country from Singapore.

My son ran downstairs behind me, and my mother also went downstairs behind him.

I took my mother to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 6:00 AM on 20-07-2024.

It is not true that my mother was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 8:15 AM on 20/7/2024.

I do not know what is written in the medical certificate about the cause of my mother’s death.

Before taking her to Dhaka Medical, my mother was taken to Farazi Hospital for treatment and was undergoing treatment there.

I did not know what treatment was given to my mother because I was with my son at the hospital.

No discharge certificate was given from Farazi Hospital, only a prescription was provided.

My mother’s body was bandaged.

It is not true that there was no bullet mark on my mother’s body.

It is not true that my son’s head was not hit, and that same bullet did not hit my mother’s abdomen.

My mother was over 50 years old.

My mother had no pre-existing physical illness.

It is not true that my mother was not killed by a bullet wound at all.

It is not true that I said something false to the effect that when I wanted to take my mother’s body, the medical authorities said that since she was shot in the Ramna Thana area, police permission from Rampura Police Station would be required to take her body.

Yes, there was no post-mortem of my mother, only a Sorotohal (inquest) was conducted.

My mother was taken to the morgue at 8:30 AM on 20/7/2024.

It is not true that my mother was not taken to the morgue at 8:30 AM.

I heard from social media and local people that Chanchal Chandra Sarkar was present there at the time of the shooting on that day.

It is not true that Chanchal Chandra Sarkar was not present at the scene at the time of the incident.

I do not remember the names of those from whom I heard that Chanchal Chandra Sarkar was present at the scene.

It is not true that I testified as instructed/coached.

Cross-Examination on behalf of the absconding accused, Habibur Rahman, Md. Rashedul Islam, Mohammad Mashiur Rahman, and Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan, by the Learned Defense Counsel

It is not true that I falsely stated that a bullet fired by the police from outside the gate, after I went downstairs, went through my son’s head and exited from the back.

I did not tell the Investigating Officer that my house is 70 feet away from Rampura Police Station. However, I did say that my house is opposite the Rampura Police Station.

It is not true that I falsely stated that I could see from my house gate that the OC of Rampura Police Station, Mashiur Rahman, along with several other police members, was directly firing the bullets.

It is not true that I later asked a neighbor to check on my mother, and he/she said that the bullet that exited my son’s head hit my mother’s abdomen, and I did not tell this to the Investigating Officer.

It is not true that the bullets that hit my son and my mother were fired by the protestors.

It is not true that I falsely stated that I directly saw the OC of Rampura Police Station firing a weapon.

I do not remember the names of others who were present and witnessed the shooting.

I did not see the OC firing on social media. However, I personally saw him firing a weapon.

I cannot say whether my son was injured and my mother was shot by the bullet fired by OC Mashiur, but the bullet came from that direction.

It is not true that I testified as instructed/coached.

Next Date: 03-11-2024.