Disturbing August 5 footage reveals police piling bodies onto van in Savar
A chilling video showing multiple blood-sustained dead bodies piled on a van, with two individuals wearing police jackets throwing another body onto the pile, has been circulating on social media since Friday.
The 1-minute-50-second video, believed to have been taken after clashes led to 31 deaths in Savar on August 5, also shows several uniformed police officers present at the scene.
Another 15 people injured in the August 5 clashes later succumbed to their injuries.
Upon investigation, it was found that the location in the video is near Ashulia police station in Baipail, Savar.
On Saturday morning, upon visiting the area adjacent to Ashulia Police Station, the video’s location was confirmed to be in front of the station.
Locals verified that the scene in the video was filmed on the road in front of the police station, possibly from a nearby building.
What does the video show?
In the widely circulated disturbing video, the first 20 seconds show a lifeless body lying on the road.
Around the 20-second mark, several more bodies are seen piled on a nearby van, with one of the bodies visibly bloodied on the face and two others with arms outstretched.
The bodies are covered in shrouds. Two armed police officers are seen standing by.
At around the 35-second mark, two men wearing police jackets lift the body from the road and place it on the van.
At the 56-second mark, two more individuals are seen walking away.
After 1 minute, two more individuals appear, one holding a gun and the other a helmet.
At 1 minute and 13 seconds, the two men cover the bodies with a PVC banner.
The video ends with the bodies still piled on the van, and around 6-7 police officers standing nearby.
Behind them is a bunker made of sandbags and a yellow wall with a black lower portion.
A poster is visible on the wall, about three feet above the ground, and numerous shoes are scattered nearby. One officer is seen talking on the phone.
The wall and the poster in the video led to the identification of the location on Saturday as the boundary wall of the “Islam Polymers and Plasticizers Ltd Officers' Family Quarter,” adjacent to Ashulia police station.
The poster seen in the video belongs to Mohammad Abul Hossain Bhuiyan, a candidate for the member position of Ward no 7 member.
The sandbag bunker has since been removed, but the poster remains on the wall.
Local journalists visited the area in front of Ashulia police station on Saturday morning to verify the location.
The road behind Ashulia Press Club, leading towards the SB office and passing the station road, has matched with the scene shown in the video, with the poster still visible on the wall.
Location confirmed by locals
Several local shopkeepers confirmed that the wall, police bunker, and the area shown in the video are indeed adjacent to the station.
Fahima Begum, a shopkeeper at Sadia Rajshahi Confectionery and Sweet Shop located across from the bunker, confirmed that the location in the video is in front of her shop.
Billal Hossain, a vegetable vendor nearby, also confirmed the location.
What happened that day?
Locals revealed that on the morning of August 5, protesters gathered at Baipail intersection on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway in Ashulia. Clashes occurred throughout the day.
In the afternoon, rumors spread that prime minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned and fled the country, prompting the protesters to march towards the police station.
As the protesters approached, police officers announced their surrender over mosque loudspeakers and hand-held microphones.
However, when the protesters continued advancing towards the station, the police began firing indiscriminately, causing the protesters to disperse.
It is believed that several people were killed by police gunfire during this time, and these are likely the bodies seen on the van in the video.
One policeman identified
One of the police officers seen in the video has been identified as Inspector Arafat from the Dhaka North Detective Branch (DB) police.
The officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhaka North DB, Md Riaz Uddin Ahmed Biplob, confirmed the identification.
However, he claimed that no DB officer fired any shots.
Dhaka District Superintendent of Police (SP) Ahmed Muyeed said that the video has been sent to the Cyber Crime Unit for verification.
They are currently investigating the matter, and appropriate legal action will be taken once the facts are confirmed.
45 deaths reported in Savar
At least 31 people were reported dead during the clashes in Savar on August 5, 2024.
Additionally, at least 15 more died from severe injuries while undergoing treatment.
Information has been confirmed on the deaths of at least 45 people on that day, with many others being treated for gunshot wounds in hospitals.
Three police officers were also killed, with two being hanged upside down on an overbridge at Bypile on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway after being murdered. Another officer's charred body was recovered.
In addition, around four charred bodies were found in a police van near the station.
Over 20 cases have been filed at Savar and Ashulia police stations in connection with these incidents.
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