The Category-B July protest fighter said the injury left his left leg permanently disabled.
Hasan Gazi, a Category-B July protest fighter, testified against 12 people before International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday, October 4. The case concerns alleged crimes against humanity in Narayanganj during the July-August mass uprising.
Gazi told the tribunal that he was shot in the left leg during a protest in Narayanganj on July 19, 2024. He said the injury required several operations and left him with a permanent disability.
According to the prosecution, former Narayanganj MP Shamim Osman carried out killings with firearms during the uprising. The prosecution also alleges that he was involved in a plan to kill students and members of the public.
The case includes three charges. The first concerns the deaths of six people on July 19 in Chashara, Signboard and nearby areas. The people named in the supplied case details include teenager Adil, Yasin, student Parvez, garment worker Russell and six-year-old Ria Gop.
The second charge concerns the deaths of Abdur Rahman and Mohammad Rakib on July 21. The prosecution says they were killed in front of Bhuigarh Bus Stand under Fatullah Police Station.
The third charge concerns the deaths of Badiuzzaman and Abul Hasan on August 5.
The prosecution alleges that Shamim Osman went on a killing spree in Narayanganj with an armed group. It says the group included the 11 other accused in the case and acted with permission from Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader.
Shamim Osman, his son Ayon Osman, nephew Azmeri Osman, and leaders and activists of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League are among those accused. The supplied information says all of the accused are absconding.
In his testimony, Gazi said he joined a protest at the No. 2 Railway Gate area of Ukil Para in Narayanganj city on July 19. He said he was walking with protesters towards Chashara when a group led by Shamim Osman came out of the Narayanganj Club.
Gazi said the group carried firearms and began throwing cocktails and firing shots at the procession. He said one bullet hit his left leg below the knee.
He told the tribunal that other protesters took him to Narayanganj Victoria Hospital. He said the wound was bandaged there before he was sent to Mondalpara Ekta Hospital for an X-ray.
Gazi said he was later taken back to Victoria Hospital and then sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He said he waited there for six hours without treatment and was told that an operation would be done after three days.
Because he has diabetes, Gazi said his relatives contacted Narayanganj Star Life Hospital. Doctors operated on his leg there but could not remove the bullet, he said.
He was later taken to Health Resort Hospital at Balur Math, where he said doctors operated again and removed one bullet. He said the hospital gave him medical documents and sent him home.
Gazi also told the tribunal that armed members of the Chhatra League, Jubo League and Awami League were patrolling outside. He said his relatives took him home after hospital authorities warned them to protect themselves.
He said a doctor from Khanpur Hospital later visited his home every day to dress the wound. According to his testimony, it took about three to four months for the wound to heal.
Gazi told the tribunal that he can no longer walk normally and now walks with a limp. He also showed the tribunal the area of the gunshot wound, where he said a large wound remains visible.
“Besides me, many others were injured and killed in Narayanganj during the July movement,” Gazi told the tribunal. He said he wanted justice for those allegedly shot, injured or killed in the case, including himself.
The testimony forms part of the tribunal proceedings against the 12 accused. The case will continue through the legal process.
