Most deaths occurred in 5 areas of Dhaka

During the July mass uprising last year, the highest number of deaths from police gunfire took place in Dhaka. In just five areas of the capital—Jatrabari, Uttara, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, and Rampura—at least 324 people were killed.

This death toll alone shows how horrific the situation was in the capital during the uprising. According to Prothom Alo’s estimates, at least 426 people were killed across different parts of Dhaka in just 21 days, between 16 July and 5 August last year.

Throughout the uprising, law enforcement agencies acted aggressively in various areas of Dhaka. In indiscriminate firing, 117 people were killed in Jatrabari, 70 in Uttara, 62 in Mirpur, 43 in Mohammadpur, and 32 in Rampura. Additionally, at least 102 more people were killed by gunfire in 22 other areas of the city, including Badda, Bhatara, New Market, and Bangshal.

Outside the capital, the student-led movement faced brutal crackdowns in Savar, Chattogram, Narsingdi, Feni, and Rangpur. Prothom Alo’s investigation found that the highest number of deaths occurred on 18, 19, 20 July and 4 and 5 August during the 36-day movement (from 1 July to 5 August). On these five days alone, 747 people were killed—53 on 18 July, 177 on 19 July, 65 on 20 July, 108 on 4 August, and 344 on 5 August.

According to the official gazette, 844 people have been declared martyrs of the July uprising so far. Prothom Alo has verified detailed information on 802 of them. Among these, 706 died from gunshot wounds which is 88 per cent of the total. Most were shot in the chest, back, or head. Even homes were not safe; 10 people, including women and children, were shot dead inside their residences.

In July and August of last year, police, RAB, and BGB used lethal force to suppress the movement, as documented in a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Alongside law enforcement, members of various affiliate and like-minded organisations of the then-ruling Awami League (now banned) were seen opening fire in different areas.

The OHCHR published its fact-finding report in February. The report stated that Sheikh Hasina’s government systematically used brutal force to suppress the protests. It estimated that more than 1,400 people may have been killed between 15 July and 5 August. Among the victims, 66 per cent were shot with military rifles, 12 per cent with shotguns, and 2 per cent with pistols.

According to Prothom Alo’s findings, Jatrabari saw the highest number of fatalities during the July uprising. Between 18 July and 5 August (the day the Awami League government fell), at least 117 people were killed in Jatrabari—56 of them on 5 August alone, with 19 more on 19 July and 15 on 20 July.

From 18 July, protesters brought daily life in Jatrabari to a standstill. For four consecutive days (through 21 July), and again on 4 and 5 August, the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway—from in front of Jatrabari police station to Kazla, Shanir Akhra, and Signboard in Narayanganj—was under their control.

To remove the protestors, both law enforcement and pro-government forces armed with firearms took to the streets. Among the protestors were Tanvir Ahmed, a college student at the time, and his father Abdur Hannan, a furniture shop worker. On 5 August, Abdur Hannan was shot dead by police.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Sunday, Tanvir recalled, “The entire Jatrabari area turned into a terrifying hotspot. It had become a death zone. Police fired indiscriminately. We would lie next to road dividers or hide behind pillars to avoid bullets. Many died right in front of us. Still, we kept protesting.”

He continued, “Around 3:30 pm on 5 August, we were celebrating victory in Kazla. Then someone called from my father’s phone and said he had been shot in the head behind the Jatrabari police station. I ran there and found his body lying on the ground. No one was around. With help from relatives and friends, we loaded the body onto a van and took it to Dhaka Medical College. I never imagined I’d return home with my father’s dead body even after achieving final victory.”

In Jatrabari and Narayanganj, along with students from schools, colleges, and universities, a large number of madrasah students also took part in the protests. Data shows that many madrasah students were among the dead in these areas.

Videos of indiscriminate shooting in Jatrabari went viral during the protests. In one video dated 5 August, a group of police officers is seen firing continuously at anyone in sight.

In another video from 20 July, a young man is shot at point-blank range by police. Another man tries to pull the injured protestor to safety but flees when police continue firing. Later, the victim was identified as Imam Hasan, a college student. His father, Moynal Islam Bhuiyan, was a police sub-inspector.

That evening, Moynal identified his son’s body at the Dhaka Medical College morgue, where this reporter was also present. Upon seeing his son’s body, the grieving father called a senior officer and asked, “Sir, how many bullets does it take to kill just one person?”

Between 18 July and 5 August, 70 people were killed in Uttara—including 16 on 19 July and 32 on 5 August. Protestors included students from private universities and people from various walks of life.

On 18 July, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho was shot in the forehead in Azampur, Uttara, while distributing water to protestors. Holding a crate, he was saying “Water, anyone need water?”—a moment captured in a video that later went viral.

That video deeply moved school student Jubayer Ahmed, who then decided to join the movement. On his first day of protest (2 August), he was hit by rubber bullets. On 4 August, a live bullet pierced his lower ribs and grazed his stomach. The bullet is still stuck in his body.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday, Jubayer said, “I saw many people get shot before my eyes. I lost consciousness soon after being hit. I woke up at a hospital—surrounded by wounded, crying in pain.”

Rimi Ahmed, a private university student, also described the horror in Uttara.

She said, “During the protests, police would shoot anyone they saw who looked like a student. On 20 July, I was walking down an alley with four other students. A group of officers pointed their guns and said, ‘You joined the protests? Then die.’”

In Mirpur, Mohammadpur, and Rampura, armed activists of the now-banned Awami League joined police in suppressing protestors. Many were killed or injured by their gunfire.

In Mirpur, even homes were not safe. On 19 July, 11-year-old Safkat Samir was shot and killed inside his house. Afterward, Ismail Hossain, a Dhaka City AL member, obstructed the post-mortem process. The family buried the boy without an autopsy.

Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Nikhil and his associates (now in hiding) were most active with weapons in Mirpur. His aide Ripon Ahmed (aka Rinku) was arrested in February. Police said Ripon’s group regularly brandished and fired weapons to intimidate protestors. A total of 62 people were killed in Mirpur alone by police and AL gunmen.

In Mohammadpur, armed figures included Asif Ahmed (then Ward-33 Councillor and nephew of ex-Army Chief Aziz Ahmed), former councillor Tarequzzaman Rajib, and Masudur Rahman Bipul, assistant to AL Presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak. Prothom Alo has verified two videos showing them firing at protestors on 4 August, just a day before the government fell. As many as 43 people were killed in Mohammadpur.

In Rampura, student protestors mounted fierce resistance. But law enforcers and Awami League activists again used lethal force killing 32 people.

Elsewhere in Dhaka—Badda, Bhatara, New Market, Chankharpul, Chawkbazar, Gulistan, Agargaon, Mohakhali, Hatirjheel, Kalabagan, Tejgaon, Farmgate, Lakshmibazar, Golapbagh, Dhanmondi, Hazaribagh, Adabor, Banglamotor, Shahbagh, Paltan, Bangshal, and Mugda—police opened fire on protestors. Among them, 50 people were killed in Badda and Bhatara, and 11 each in Bangshal and New Market.

Many victims of the uprising were buried as “unclaimed bodies.” At Rayerbazar Cemetery, 114 bodies were buried this way—their identities remain unknown.

Under the banner of an anti-discrimination student movement, the quota reform protests began on 1 July. On 16 July, the then-Awami League government launched a massive crackdown. That day alone, six people were killed—including Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur. A video of his killing circulated widely on social media, igniting national outrage.

Between 18 and 21 July, law enforcement fired indiscriminately to crush the uprising. Failing to stop the protests, the government imposed a nationwide curfew from midnight on 19 July. During the announcement, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said a “shoot-at-sight” order had been issued.

The list of those killed during the uprising includes victims as young as four years old and as old as seventy. Prothom Alo’s investigation confirms that 131 children under 18 were killed—most by gunfire. The government’s list of martyrs includes students, workers, and professionals.

Mohammad Mainul Islam, Professor of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, told Prothom Alo, “The government chose a path of brutality to suppress the student-citizen movement. Even children were not spared. What happened was utter barbarism—a national human catastrophe. It was the worst kind of human rights violation.”

[Prothom Alo correspondents Md Mamun, Md Jannatul Nayeem, Abriti Ahmed, and district correspondents helped filing this report]