Testimony of Md. Golam Kibria Khan

Prosecution: Your designation? What is your present address?
Witness: Sub-Inspector (mentioned as ‘SI’ later) (Unarmed). My present address is Badda,
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Station, Dhaka.

Prosecution: What is current posting? And what was your posting during July uprising?
Witness: I am currently posted at Badda Police Station. During the July 2024 mass uprising, I
was posted as an SI at Rampura Police Station.

Prosecution: State what you witnessed during the July uprising.
Witness: On July 18, 2024, while I was at the police station, I came to know through the
wireless operator of the station that DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman Sir had given orders to open fire with CR [that is Chinese Rifle] from a kneeling position to suppress the movement.

On Friday, July 19, 2024, after the Jummah prayers at 2:00 PM, although I was scheduled for
duty at gate number 3 of the BTV Bhaban in Rampura, the Officer-in-Charge sir instructed me and all other police members to remain at the police station. We all remained at the police
station.

Prosecution: What happened next?
Witness: On that day, after the Jummah prayer, protesting students and the public started gathering in the areas around the police station. In that situation, the wireless operator of the station, Constable Abdur Rahman, informed the Officer-in-Charge about the situation through a wireless message. At that time, he was located in the BTV Bhaban area.

Prosecutor: What happened next?
Witness: After receiving the message, Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman Sir, along with the then ADC of Khilgaon Zone, Mohammad Rashedul Islam, and BGB’s APC, came to Rampura
Police Station at around 2:15 or 2:30 PM. In that situation, firearms were used on the protesting students and the public under the direction
of ADC Rashedul Islam Sir.

Prosecutor: What was the result of that?
Witness: As a result of the use of firearms, a person named Nadim was killed next to the Banasree Jame Mosque, beside the Rampura Police Station building.

Prosecutor: What else happened?
Witness: I came to know that a person named Maya Islam was killed and a child named Musa Khan was injured by bullets in a lane adjacent to the police station, meaning on the road.

Prosecutor: Any other day’s incident?
Witness: Later, on July 21 or 22, 2024, the then Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman came to Rampura Police Station and awarded a cash prize of one lakh Taka to the Officer-in-Charge for his role in suppressing the student-public movement.

Prosecutor: Do you know anything else?
Witness: The internet connection was down at that time. After the internet connection was restored, a video went viral of shooting at a person hanging from the cornice of the roof of a building under construction adjacent to the Rampura Police Station building.

Tribunal: How many people fired? And how many people were shot?
Witness: More than one person fired, and one person was shot.

Regarding that video, a meeting was held at Rampura Police Station on July 29, 2024, under the leadership of ADC Khilgaon Zone, Mr. Rashedul Islam Sir. The video was shown to everyone present. Everyone present identified SI Torikul Islam Bhuiyan and ASI Chanchal Chandra Sarkar as the ones who had shot the hanging person in the video.

Prosecution: You were there in the police station. See if you find anyone involved in the
incident present here?
Witness: Yes. Chanchal Chandra Sarkar.

 

(The witness identifies Chanchal Chandra Sarkar as present)

Prosecution: Did the Investigation Officer interrogate you?
Witness: Yes, the Investigating Officer interrogated me.

Cross-examination of witness Md. Golam Kibria, in favour of Chanchal Chandra Sarkar.

Defense: SI Golam Kibria, we are going back to July 19, 2024, which is Friday. First of all, on July 19, 2024, you were on duty at gate number 3 of the BTV Bhaban in Rampura.
Witness: Not true. (It is not true that on July 19, 2024, I was on duty at gate number 3 of the BTV Bhaban in Rampura.) The duty was distributed the day before. We did not go. On that day, instead of going to gate number 3 of the BTV Bhaban, we remained at the police station as per the instructions of the OC (Officer-in-Charge).

Defense: On that day, protesting students and the public had besieged the police station.
Witness: Not true.

[Defense: At one point, did you flee from the police station?
Witness: That is not true. It is not true that we fled from the police station.]

Tribunal disallowed this cross-examination question on objection by the Prosecution, since the witness did not make such statement in his examination. But the defense claimed that such statement was made before the Investigating Officer.

Defense: When the OC and ADC Sir came to the police station after receiving the wireless
message, where were you? Were you present at the police station the entire time, even when the police were firing?
Witness: When the OC and ADC sir came to the police station, I was at the station. I was at the station even when the police were firing.
Defense: The Chinese Rifle has a butt number. You used a Chinese Rifle with butt number 3705 and fired 30 rounds at the students and the public.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: Regarding the viral video you mentioned, was the firing in that video done from above or from below?
Witness: The shots were fired from above. (In the video, it was seen that the shots were being fired from above.)

Defense: It is also seen that not a single bullet hit the body of the person hanging from the
cornice. Rather, it hit the roof of the same building.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: When did you file the GD (General Diary) regarding the attack?
Witness: I did not file any GD.

Defense: On July 19, 2024, students and the public had gathered around the police station, and they were fired upon. In the viral video you mentioned, you had merely speculated the presence of my client.
Witness: Not true. (It is not true that Chanchal Chandra Sarkar was not among the two people I saw in the firing video)

Defense: On the day the police station was attacked, you took shelter at Hatirjheel Police
Station. Did you take shelter at Hatirjheel Police Station that day?
Witness: Not true.

Defense: You have given this testimony implicating Chanchal Chandra Sarkar out of personal
animosity.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: You have given a tutored testimony.
Witness: Not true.

Cross-examination by the State Defense Counsel Md. Amir Hossain in favour of fugitive accused Habibur Rahman, Md. Rashedul Islam, Torikul Islam Bhuiyan

Defense: You stated that on July 18, 2024, while you were at the police station, you came to know through the wireless operator of the station that DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman Sir had given orders to open fire with Chinese Rifles (CR) from a kneeling position to suppress the movement. Did you make any GD to that effect?
Witness: I do not remember. I cannot remember whether I made a GD to the effect of the
statement that ‘On July 18, 2024, while I was at the police station, I came to know through the wireless operator of the station that DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman Sir had given orders to open fire with Chinese Rifles (CR) from a kneeling position to suppress the movement.’

Defense: What is meant by kneeling position?
Witness: It means to pose with kneel down.

Defense: You said ‘On Friday July 19, 2024, after the Jummah prayers at 2:00 PM, although I
was scheduled for duty at gate number 3 of the BTV Bhaban in Rampura, the Officer-in-Charge sir instructed me and all other police members to remain at the police station.’ Do you remember any written instructions to the effect?
Witness: Cannot remember.

Defense: You said ‘On that day, after the Jummah prayer, protesting students and the public started gathering in the areas around the police station. In that situation, the wireless operator of the station, Constable Abdur Rahman, informed the Officer-in-Charge about the situation through a wireless message.’ Do you remember any written instructions to the effect?
Witness: I do not remember

Defense: You said, ‘After receiving the message, Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman Sir, along with the then ADC of Khilgaon Zone, Mohammad Rashedul Islam, and BGB’s APC, came to Rampura Police Station at around 2:15 or 2:30 PM.’ What was the number of that APC?
Witness: I do not remember the number of that APC.

Defense: On that day, no APC came to the police station.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: You lied in saying that the DMP Commissioner directed firing with CR (Chinese Rifle).
Witness: Not true.

Defense: On that day, you did not stay in the police station under the instructions of the OC.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: On 19 July 2024, after Jumma prayer, you fled from the police station from the back window.
Witness: Not true.

Defense: ‘As a result of the use of firearms, a person named Nadim was killed next to the Banasree Jame Mosque, beside the Rampura Police Station building, and a person named Maya Islam was killed and a child named Musa Khan was injured by bullets in a lane adjacent to the police station, meaning on the road.’ From whom did you hear this?
Witness: From the police station.

Defense: I asked in the question from which person did you heard this?
Witness: I cannot remember.

Defense: You made this testimony to save yourself from your crimes.
Witness: Not true. (It is not true that I made this testimony to save myself from my crimes.)

Defense: You made a tutored testimony.
Witness: Not true. (It is not true that I made a tutored testimony.)