Two years after losing her son during the July uprising, Bithy Begum’s long wait for justice has turned her grief into anguish.
“Nothing hurts more than burying a child… My son did not die in vain, yet justice still has not been delivered,” she said, recalling the day her 16-year-old son, Badhon, was shot dead near Shanir Akhra in the capital’s Jatrabari area on July 19, 2024.
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A similar sense of grief and frustration is shared by Kohinur Akter.
Her 19-year-old son Imran Hasan was killed during a protest in front of the Jatrabari Police Station on August 5.
“My son’s soul will find peace only when justice is served. We are still holding on to the hope that those responsible will be held accountable. While those in power live in peace and comfort, we continue to carry our grief,” she said, adding that Imran, the elder of her two sons, was killed before his HSC exam results were published.
The grief of the two mothers reflects the frustration of hundreds of families across the country who are still waiting for justice, with investigations either stalled or making little progress in most cases filed over the uprising that toppled the Awami League government.
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Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during the 2024 July uprising.
At least 1,862 cases -- 799 on murder charges and 1,063 on other charges including attempted murder -- have been filed so far with police stations nationwide over killings and atrocities committed during the uprising. However, investigations were completed in only 254 cases as of June 30, meaning over 86 percent of the cases were still under probe.
Police stations in Dhaka, the epicentre of the uprising, have the largest backlog. Of the 920 cases filed in the capital, only 68 have seen completion of probe, with police submitting charge sheets in 37 and final reports in 31.
Of the murder cases in which charge sheets have been submitted, only two have advanced to the charge-framing stage at Dhaka courts.
When asked, AHM Sahadat Hossaine, assistant inspector general (media and public relations) at the police headquarters, said, “These cases are highly sensitive. Most involve a large number of accused, numerous witnesses, digital and forensic evidence and collection of information and evidence from multiple locations.
“Each investigation requires considerable time to ensure it is conducted impartially, based on evidence, and in accordance with the law. Our priority is not merely to complete probes quickly, but to ensure they are thorough, credible, and of high quality.”
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ICT sentenced six people, including a former lawmaker, to death for the killing of seven people during the July 2024 uprising in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital, where the victims were loaded into a vehicle and set on fire, with at least one still alive. Those sentenced to death former Ashulia police station officer-in-charge AFM Sayed Rony; sub-inspector Abdul Malek; assistant sub-inspector Bishwajit Saha; constable Mukul Chokdar; and local Jubo League leader Rony Bhuiyan.
Under existing legal procedures, investigators will file charge sheets against those found to have been involved in the killings and atrocities, while recommending the discharge of individuals found innocent. Courts will then determine the criminal liability of the accused through the trial process.
Meanwhile, the prolonged investigations have left many who say they were falsely accused -- either out of personal vendetta or for extortion -- stuck in a state of legal uncertainty.
“I could hardly believe it when I found out that I had been accused in a murder case over the killing of a man in Mirpur on August 5 [2024],” said a physician from Mirpur’s Pallabi area, seeking anonymity.
“Following the filing of the case, I lived in constant fear that I could be arrested at any moment for a crime I knew nothing about,” said the physician, adding that he believed his name was included in the First Information Report (FIR) because of professional rivalry.
He further said that the hospital where he worked at that time informed investigators in writing that he had been on duty at the time of the killing.
Police later assured him that he would not be implicated in the case.
While police investigations have progressed sluggishly, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has moved forward with 50 cases over killings and atrocities during the uprising at a comparatively faster pace.
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Three former senior police officials, including ex-DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, were sentenced to death for the killing of six people in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area during the July uprising. The other two condemned are former DMP joint commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty and former additional deputy commissioner Shah Alam Mohammad Akhtarul Islam.
The two tribunals -- ICT-1 and ICT-2 -- have so far delivered six judgments, convicting 61 people, including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, two former ministers, an AL lawmaker and former senior police officials. Of them, 21 are in custody while the rest are absconding.
Of the convicts, 16 were sentenced to death and 11 to life imprisonment, while 34 others were given prison terms ranging from three to 20 years.
However, victims’ families will have to wait longer to see justice served as appeals against the verdicts have either been filed or are expected to be lodged with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
When contacted, Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim said 17 cases over crimes against humanity committed during the uprising are now under trial while 27 others are under investigation.
Arrest warrants have so far been issued against at least 399 accused in 50 cases linked to the uprising. Of them, 149 have been arrested and 250 are absconding.
