A July uprising protester on Wednesday recounted how he was shot in the right ankle during a crackdown on protesters in Rampura on July 19, 2024, telling the International Crimes Tribunal that police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel opened indiscriminate fire on demonstrators.

“People were being shot and falling to the ground on both sides right before my eyes. Then, a bullet pierced my right ankle,” Md Marzukur Rahman, 25, a government-gazetted “July warrior” under category B and a fourth-year BBA student at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, testified before ICT-1.

“The horror of that day has not ended even today. I continue to struggle every day with severe pain in my waist,” he added.

According to his testimony, Marzukur held ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, and police and BGB personnel on duty responsible for the violence.

Citing various media reports and social media posts, he alleged that BGB personnel Redwan and Rifat, police officer Mashiur and ADC Rashed were directly involved in firing at protesters and issuing firing instructions.

Marzukur said he had been at the forefront of the quota reform movement from the beginning of July 2024 and later joined the one-point movement. He took part in rallies at the Tejgaon University campus, Kakrail, Rampura and Bailey Road.

On July 19, after Jumma prayer, he joined protesters in front of Better Life Hospital in Rampura. He said reports of deaths had been coming in since morning, including the death of Ramzan in the morning and Mamun, whom he said was killed by BGB and police firing at night.

He told the tribunal that police and BGB personnel opened indiscriminate fire and fired tear gas from a helicopter near the footbridge beside Rampura TV Bhaban, turning the area into a battlefield.

Marzukur said his friend Mehedi Hasan Jummon was shot in the leg and taken to a temporary Red Crescent camp before being referred to another hospital.

While helping injured protesters reach Better Life Hospital, Marzukur said he saw rows of wounded people lying on the hospital floor, with no room for more patients and blood covering the surrounding area.

“I was taking the injured to Better Life Hospital – some by dragging them, some carrying them on my shoulder and others by rickshaw. There was no room to stand on the hospital floor; everything around us was covered in blood,” he said.

He said he later learned that police and BGB personnel who had allegedly been firing at protesters were outside the hospital eating while the injured were being treated.

When the situation appeared to have calmed, Marzukur said he left the hospital and headed towards the main road. He alleged that law enforcement personnel launched another attack on protesters.

As he tried to flee, a bullet allegedly fired by police pierced his right ankle, causing him to fall. His friends Morshed and Rafi, along with other protesters, carried him back to Better Life Hospital.

He was later admitted to Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital because of his association with the Red Crescent, while avoiding Dhaka Medical College Hospital, which he said was overcrowded with injured protesters.

After reports emerged of attacks by Chhatra League and Jubo League activists, Marzukur said he was forced to leave the hospital after two days and take shelter at a friend's house. He subsequently received treatment at several hospitals, including Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

Recalling the casualties, Marzukur said many protesters, including Samudra, Rezwan and Babu Molla, were killed during the movement.