A video showing police personnel piling bodies onto a rickshaw van has gone viral on social media.
The footage, which surfaced on Facebook on Friday (August 30), has been confirmed to feature brutality near the Ashulia police station on the outskirts of Dhaka.
Initially, the video's context was unclear, but further investigation revealed that the incident occurred on August 5.
The video shows police loading bodies onto a rickshaw van and covering them with old banner and bedsheet, while other officers are seen at the scene.
Habibur Rahman, a witness to the violence on August 5, told Jago News, “There was a clash between protesters and the police. At one point, the police opened fire, resulting in several deaths. I saw the police load six bodies onto a rickshaw van.”
Habibur said he learned that the bodies were reportedly set on fire by the police.
Local allegations suggest that the police burned the bodies in a police vehicle and then blamed protesters.
Hospital sources and local reports confirm that six bodies were in the rickshaw van, with four identified as Sajjad Hossain Sajal, Tanzil Ahmed Sujoy, Baijid, and Sabru Humayun. The identities of the other two bodies remain unknown.
Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Ahammad Mueen said, “I saw the video this morning, and it is currently under analysis. If you have any additional information or sources, please assist us in this matter.”