‘Everyone’s child came home. Why not my Miraj?’: Jatrabari families cry for justice

Families of people killed in Jatrabari during Bangladesh’s July 2024 uprising called for swift prosecution of those responsible as they recounted the deaths of their loved ones at a public hearing in Dhaka on Sunday.

The hearing, organised by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), brought together relatives of those killed and people injured during some of the fiercest violence of the uprising.

Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said 85 people were killed in the Jatrabari area and that cases stemming from the violence there would receive the tribunal’s highest priority.

A total of 107 family members and injured survivors attended the hearing at Nabi Tower in Jatrabari, offering testimony about the violence they witnessed and the relatives they lost.

Among them was Babul Sarker, the Sudan-based father of Abdul Rahman Jisan, who was killed in Rayerbagh on July 20, 2024.

Sarker said his only son, who worked at a water treatment plant, had taken shelter behind an electricity pole as gunfire erupted in the area. Several bullets struck a nearby wall. When Jisan believed the shooting had stopped and raised his head to look, he was fatally shot.

The family suffered another devastating loss a week later when Jisan’s wife died by suicide following her husband’s death.

“My son became a martyr after taking part in the movement. Today, we are living in insecurity,” Sarker told the hearing, demanding prosecution of those responsible.

Abdur Rob, father of 29-year-old Miraj Hossain, described searching for his son amid the violence in Jatrabari on August 5.

Miraj had left Dhaka Medical College Hospital with friends that morning and headed towards Jatrabari, his father said.

“The entire Jatrabari police station area was trembling with tear-gas shells, rubber bullets and the sound of gunfire falling like rain,” Rob said. “I carried many bodies with my own hands. Everyone else’s child returned to their mother’s arms. Why didn’t my Miraj return to mine?”

He demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for his son’s death.

Other families offered similarly painful accounts.

Kaniz Fatema, whose son Parvez was killed on August 5, said the grief of losing a child was impossible to put into words.

“We are living with the agony of losing the treasure of our hearts,” she said. “All I want is justice for those who killed my son.”

Md Basir Alam, father of Shahadat Hossain Shawon, said: “There can be no greater punishment in this world than for a father to carry the body of his own child on his shoulders.”

Rasheda Begum, mother of Sohel Rana, said she wanted to ensure that no other mother would have to endure such a loss, while Helena Begum demanded accountability for the killing of her son, Md Shakib, who was shot dead on July 18.

She called for justice not only for her son but for all those killed during the uprising.

Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam told the families that the tribunal regarded the Jatrabari violence as one of the most significant cases arising from the July uprising.

“Like you, we too are deeply saddened,” he said. “The incidents in Jatrabari are being treated as one of the most important cases related to the July movement.”

Islam said the tribunal would seek to complete investigations into alleged crimes against humanity in Jatrabari as quickly as possible and move ahead with the judicial process on a priority basis.

He also directed police officials to promptly transfer investigation reports held at local police stations to the ICT’s investigation agency.

The chief prosecutor urged families and witnesses to hand over photographs, videos and other evidence that could assist investigators. He cited media footage used in the Abu Sayeed killing case as an example of how visual evidence could help establish what happened.

Islam also sought cooperation from journalists and local representatives who may possess footage or other evidence relating to the violence.

Prosecutors Shahidul Islam and Moinul Karim were among those attending the hearing. Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP Senior Joint Convener Nabi Ullah Nabi, Jatrabari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Raju and BNP leader Ferdous Hossain Rony were also present.

For the families gathered in Jatrabari, the message was consistent: nearly two years after the uprising, they wanted the investigations completed, those responsible prosecuted and the cases brought to trial without further delay.

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