DB’s Harun was assigned the task of detaining the coordinators

Former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on Tuesday testified that the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) had proposed the arrest of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement during the July mass uprising.

He gave this testimony today, Tuesday, at International Crimes Tribunal-1.

He said that Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, then chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), was assigned the task of detaining the coordinators.

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan are accused alongside Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who has confessed to his involvement in the case and turned state witness, in a case filed over crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising.

He gave testimony today, Tuesday as the 36th witness in the case over crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising.

In his testimony, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said that after the July 2024 movement began, the army was deployed across the country. From 19 July, core committee meetings were held almost every night at the Dhanmondi residence of then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan. In those meetings, various directives were given by the government, including instructions to suppress the movement.

Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said that at these core committee meetings he (Mamun), then home secretary Jahangir Alam, additional secretaries Tipu Sultan and Reza Mostafa, Special Branch (SB) chief Monirul Islam, Detective Branch (DB) chief of DMP Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, RAB director general Harun-or-Rashid, DMP commissioner Habibur Rahman, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) director general Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, then director general of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party Major General AKM Aminul Haque, National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) director general Major General Ziaul Ahsan, along with the heads of DGFI and NSI, used to attend the core committee meeting.

The decision to detain the coordinators of Student Movement Against Discrimination was taken in a core committee meeting, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said in his testimony.

He said, “DGFI made the proposal. I opposed it, but later agreed on home minister’s instructions. DB chief Harun was assigned the task of carrying out the arrests. Following the home minister’s decision, DGFI and DB detained the coordinators, and they were taken to DB custody.

In his testimony, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun said, the coordinators were brought to DB custody and pressured to compromise with the government over the movement. Their relatives were also brought to DB and pressured. The coordinators were forced to withdraw the movement and give statements on television. In this matter, DB chief Harun played a leading role.

The former IGP mentioned that then-DB chief Harun was called ‘Jinn’ by former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan. He said that Harun was skilled at implementing any government decision.