A man, whose mother was killed and six-year-old son severely injured in police firing, today testified as the second prosecution witness in a crimes against humanity case. 

The incident took place during the July Mass Uprising, when police opened fire on residents, including a student hanging from the cornice of a building in the Rampura area of the capital.

Md. Mostafizur Rahman narrated before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 how his son Md. Basit Khan Musa was shot in the head while waiting at their house gate to buy ice cream.

"Me, my son, and my mother came down from our house at around 3:30 pm on July 19, 2024. I was supposed to buy ice cream for my son, and his grandmother was to take him back to our flat. As soon as we reached the main gate, a bullet fired by police nearby hit my son on the head and exited from the back. I saw the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rampura Police Station, Moshiur Rahman, along with other policemen, firing indiscriminately," he said.

The witness said that as he managed to take his son to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) later that day, he learned that the same bullet had struck his mother in the abdomen.

Mostafizur said his son was in ICU when they finally brought his critically injured mother from Forayeji Hospital to DMCH on the morning of July 20.

"My mother's condition deteriorated drastically on the way to the hospital, and she was declared dead there. The hospital authorities initially refused to hand over her body without police consent. On my call, two plain-clothed policemen came and only agreed to release my mother's body when we assured 
them that we would not take it to Rampura but instead to our Tangail village for burial," he added.

The witness said that his son, Md. Basit Khan Musa, had received treatment both at home and abroad at the government's expense but remains paralyzed on his right side. "He takes food through a nasogastric (NG) tube. He cannot speak or move," he said.

At that moment, Musa was brought to the tribunal as the prosecution displayed his gunshot wounds and medical equipment attached to his body.

Breaking down in tears, Md. Mostafizur Rahman demanded justice for the killing of his mother and the critical condition of his son.

The prosecution had submitted the formal charges in the case on August 7, alleging police firing on a student hanging from a building cornice in Rampura and the killing of two others in the area.

On September 18, ICT-1 framed charges against former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Khilgaon Zone Md. Rashedul Islam, former OC of Rampura Thana Md. Moshiur Rahman, former Sub-Inspector (SI) Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan, and former Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Chanchal Chandra Sarkar. 

Of the five accused, Chanchal has been arrested and is now facing the trial in person.