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Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, an associate professor at National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINH), today pleaded to bring ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her cohorts Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Obaidul Quader, Mohammad A Arafat and others to justice for the brutality they allegedly orchestrated during the July-August Mass Uprising and sought their execution in public.
The NINH physician made the plea while testifying as a prosecution witness (PW) at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 in the crimes against humanity case against Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
"Most of 167 seriously injured patients, who were admitted in our hospital after getting injured in the police firing in July and August, 2024, came with shattered sculls. Many of them had almost no scull left. Four were brought dead, 29 died during the treatment. Seven, who were put on ICU, were sent to Thailand for better treatment," Dr Mahfuzur Rahman said in his testimony.
The physician said a total 575 people, all with bullet and pellet injuries, received treatment from the hospital's outdoor service.
"Although, many of them were needed to be admitted at hospital, as there were shortage of beds and we were receiving more serious patients, we could not accommodate them. I led 33 surgeries and pulled out 15 bullets and pellets from the bodies of the patients. We also could not pull out some bullets," he added.
Narrating, how they provided treatment to the July protesters, despite the repeated pressure from the law enforcing agencies not to do so, Dr Mahfuzur said officials of detective branch (DB) of police came after July 19, when the flow of injured patients grew at their hospital and pressurized them not to admit any bullet-injured patients or not to release those, who had already been admitted.
"After that, we started admitting those patients, terming those as road accident victims" the witness further said.
The first tribunal on July 10 indicted the ousted prime minister and the other two for the role in crimes against humanity committed during July-August mass uprising.
The ICT-1 on June 17 published notice in two national dailies, asking ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to surrender on June 24.
"...as per rules 31 of the International Crimes (Tribunal-1) Rules of Procedure 2010 (Amendment), 2025, they are hereby ordered to surrender at this tribunal on June 24, 2025. Otherwise, trial will be held in their absence as per section 10A of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973," the notice said.
The tribunal on June 16 ordered the authorities concerned to publish notices on two national dailies, one in Bangla and another in English, asking the two fugitive convicts to give up before the court.
Earlier, the ICT-1 on June 1 took cognizance of the formal charge, filed by the prosecution in the case, and had set June 16 for passing further order in this connection.
In line with that order, Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam on June 16 said, of the three accused, Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal are yet to be arrested and police learned from different sources that they are in India right now.
The prosecution in the formal charge brought five charges against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
The investigation agency of the ICT on May 12 filed its probe report in the crimes against humanity and mass killing case.