On August 5th, following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by a student uprising and her subsequent flight from the country, protesters in Ashulia were subjected to indiscriminate gunfire in the afternoon, leading to multiple fatalities.

The deceased were later stacked into a van by the police.

Local media, after analyzing secretly recorded video footage, assert that the individual seen on the poster in the video is Abul Hossain Bhuiyan, a candidate for the Ward No. 7 member position in the Dhamsona Union of Ashulia.

Journalist Sabbir Ahmed from Ashulia reported that the footage was captured in front of the Ashulia Police Station.

To eliminate evidence of the massacre, the paint on the front wall adjacent to the police station was inexplicably removed and replaced overnight.

Additionally, it has been reported that the bodies were subsequently loaded into a van and set on fire.

Did DIG Syed Nurul Islam give the orders for the massacre?

During the July revolution, the infamous DIG Syed Nurul Islam was responsible for ordering the mass killings across the Dhaka Range, which encompasses Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, and 13 other districts.

The shocking video footage was recorded in the area under Ashulia Police Station.

Syed Nurul Islam, a former president of the Awami League's student wing at Dhaka University's (DU) AF Rahman Hall and a former central assistant library secretary, was awarded the prestigious PPM (President's Police Medal) for his role in the massacre during Hefazat's program at Shapla Square on May 5th and for overseeing the 2018 night elections. (Syed Nurul Islam's statement on his involvement in Shapla Square)

Previously, while serving as an SP, he gained notoriety for publicly establishing and controlling a faction of the Awami League in Chapainawabganj, known as the 'SP League'. In October 2022, he was promoted to DIG and assigned to oversee the Dhaka Range (excluding the metropolitan area).

Following the government's fall on August 6, DIG Nurul Islam was dismissed but has recently been reappointed as DIG at the Rajshahi Police Academy.

Led by SP Kafi

When asked whose orders the DB team was following in Ashulia that day, Md. Riaz Uddin Ahmed Bipul, Acting Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Dhaka North DB Police, responded, “We were in Ashulia under the direction of Abdullahil Kafi, who had recently been promoted to SP of Dhaka District Police.”

Md. Abdullahil Kafi, PPM (Bar), B.P.-8511142521, entered the police force through the 29th BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) exam affiliated with the Awami League.

During his time at Dhaka University, Kafi was a prominent leader in the student wing of the Awami League at the hall level.

He was known for using the influence of Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the Home Minister in Sheikh Hasina's government. Kafi’s friend, Shafi Modasser Khan Jyoti, the son of the former Home Minister, frequently visited Savar to spend time with Kafi.

Executor of the massacre

Kafi received support from Shahidul Islam, Additional Police Superintendent (Savar Circle) of Dhaka District. Shahidul Islam is accused of orchestrating the brutal murder of the talented student Shaheed Shaikh Asabul Yamin at MIT.

In the viral video, following the indiscriminate shooting, police are seen walking near a pile of bodies that had been loaded into a van.

One of the individuals has been identified as Arafat Hossain, an Inspector (Investigation) with the Dhaka District (North) Detective Police (DB). Since the video's release, Arafat and other police officers depicted have gone into hiding (Identified: Arafat Hossain).

When questioned about the subordinate officer in the photo, Md. Riaz Uddin Ahmed Bipul, Acting Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Dhaka North DB Police, confirmed that the photo is indeed of Arafat. Arafat, who is originally from Barishal, joined the Dhaka District Detective Division about two years ago.

Riaz Uddin Ahmed Bipul remarked, “Since the photo went viral on social media, Arafat has been deeply affected. Despite their initial lack of remorse in participating in the massacre, they have now gone into hiding following the video's release.”

Concerned citizens are calling for immediate legal action to ensure severe penalties for those involved in planning, instigating, and executing the massacre.

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