Hospital discarded human corpses in river during July Uprising

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Md. Aminul Islam has said that a hospital in Dhaka floated bodies in a nearby river to conceal the bodies of martyrs killed during the July mass uprising. He said that if the bodies buried in mass graves and those that were disappeared are taken into account, the death toll could exceed the 1,400 deaths identified in the United Nations investigation.

He made the remarks on Wednesday morning after visiting the mass grave of the July martyrs at the Martyred Intellectuals Cemetery in Rayerbazar in the capital. Family members of the victims were present at the time.

The chief prosecutor said, “We have found in our investigation that a hospital near Dhaka floated many dead bodies into a river. We are trying to identify the then authorities of that hospital and those who were involved in this crime, and they will be brought to justice.”

He said efforts are also underway to identify the bodies that were thrown into the river.

Regarding the role of hospitals during the movement, he said that many hospitals had the bodies of July fighters but did not record them in their registers. Autopsies or inquest reports were not allowed. Many bodies were disposed of as unclaimed. He said, “We are trying to identify these hospitals, but we do not want to name them right now.”

Responding to a question from journalists about the discrepancy between the United Nations’ figure of 1,400 deaths and the government’s list of more than 800 deaths, the chief prosecutor said, “So far, nearly 865 bodies have been identified. We are investigating those that have not yet been identified. We are trying to identify the mass graves in Jatrabari, Narayanganj, Matuail and Munshiganj. We are also looking into how many bodies were floated in rivers.”

He added, “When you look at the total, the number could exceed 1,400. We believe the number of martyrs may rise further.”

Aminul Islam also reiterated a commitment to ensuring justice for the genocide.

“No matter how powerful the individuals or state actors involved in this genocide may be, no one will escape accountability. Those who think they have gotten away with it are living in a fool’s paradise. Our prosecution team will ensure justice for every killing on the soil of Bengal.”