ASK reports ‘grave human rights violations’ during Gopalganj clashes

ASK Alleges Grave Rights Violations During Gopalganj Clashes

The human rights group Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has alleged that serious human rights violations occurred in connection with the violence surrounding the National Citizen Party (NCP) rally in Gopalganj.

In a statement issued Friday, ASK said the attacks on the rally represented a direct assault on citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

According to the group, tensions escalated after provocative remarks were made at the July 16 rally, criticising Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the ruling Awami League. These comments, ASK noted, acted as a trigger for the violence that followed.

ASK dispatched a four-member fact-finding team to Gopalganj on July 21–22 to investigate the incident.

The team’s findings allege that Awami League activists launched attacks on NCP supporters, leading to violent clashes. Law enforcement responded with force, reportedly killing five and injuring many others.

Witnesses said a group of 50–60 individuals began chanting "Joy Bangla" and vandalising the rally venue around 10:30 am, prompting NCP activists to flee toward the deputy commissioner’s office. Law enforcement forces, including the police and Army, were deployed to restore order.

NCP leaders eventually reached the venue under tight security and addressed supporters. However, as they were leaving around 1 pm, Awami League supporters allegedly began throwing stones at security personnel across the city, setting off wider clashes.

Police reportedly used sound grenades, tear gas, and live bullets. Four individuals were pronounced dead at the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.

While ASK confirmed that crude bombs and sticks were used by some attackers, it said there was no evidence of firearms on their part. The group accused security forces of firing “indiscriminately.”

“This violence constitutes a serious breach of human rights. An attack on a political rally strikes at the heart of the right to peaceful assembly,” the statement read, urging an impartial investigation.

Citing witnesses, ASK said the speeches at the rally were critical of Bangabandhu and the Awami League, sparking a three-hour period of intense violence.

The report also raised concerns over mass arrests, alleging that people were detained arbitrarily—including in areas untouched by violence—and some were extorted under threats of arrest. Several residents reportedly fled their homes in fear.

Businesses near the rally venue were forced to close ahead of the event, with some shopkeepers claiming they were locked inside by authorities.

On the morning of the rally, local Awami League activists reportedly positioned themselves across the city, armed with sticks and homemade weapons.

Those killed by gunfire were identified as Dipto Saha (25), Ramzan Kazi (18), Imon Talukder (17), and Sohel Molla (32). Another victim, Ramzan Munshi, succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on July 18.

ASK said hospital authorities pressured Imon’s family to bury him without a post-mortem. The family identified him in a viral video that appeared to show army personnel stepping on his face. They claimed he had no political links and worked at a crockery shop.

Similar claims were made by the families of Ramzan, Dipto, and Sohel, who said they too were coerced into quick burials without autopsies. Following media pressure, police exhumed three bodies for post-mortems on July 21, with ASK representatives present—an act the families described as “further harassment.”

Among the injured was a man shot in the stomach and hand who lost a finger. He told ASK he was merely commuting by rickshaw and had no political ties.

By July 21, police had arrested 18 minors, many of whom were later charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Families insisted these children had no involvement in the clashes.

According to ASK, eight cases were filed in relation to the incident—four in Gopalganj Sadar, and one each in Kotalipara and Kashiani. A staggering 5,400 people were accused, including 358 named individuals. Among the named were three women and 32 members of the Hindu minority.

The superintendent of Gopalganj General Hospital told ASK that 24 people received emergency care after the violence, including two police officers and the Upazila executive officer’s driver. Three critically injured individuals—Ramzan Munshi, Abbas Ali, and Sumon Biswas—were sent to Dhaka Medical College, where Ramzan later died.

ASK said two individuals who brought Dipto to the hospital claimed he was conscious and speaking to family before being taken into surgery. He was later declared dead, contradicting official claims that he was “brought dead.”

When ASK inquired about gunshot injuries, the hospital superintendent said it could not be confirmed without examinations but added that neither the police nor the executive officer’s driver sustained gunshot wounds.

At Gopalganj District Jail, officials said 18 minors were transferred to the Jashore Child Development Centre. Due to overcrowding, 100 inmates were relocated to Pirojpur Jail and 50 to Bagerhat.

Prison authorities said “unruly elements” attacked the jail on July 16 around 3 pm, damaging several facilities and attempting to breach the armoury. Guards reportedly fired 80 warning shots before the army restored control. Anticipating unrest, authorities had confined all inmates by 12:30 pm that day.

ASK representatives reported being treated rudely by the Gopalganj Sadar Police Station chief during their visit.

The Gopalganj superintendent of police described the rally violence as “severe” but denied the use of lethal force, claiming officers showed restraint. He confirmed 177 arrests by July 20, some under Section 54 of the CrPC. No case had yet been filed over the jail attack, but officials said one was being prepared.