Authorities in Gopalganj have exhumed the bodies of three individuals who were killed during violent clashes surrounding a National Citizens Party (NCP) rally. The exhumations were carried out on Monday for post-mortem examinations after the initial burials had taken place without autopsies.
The bodies of Imon Talukder and Ramzan Kazi were exhumed from the Gopalganj municipal cemetery, while Sohel Rana Molla’s body was retrieved from the Patgati Mollabari cemetery in Tungipara upazila.
Earlier, on Wednesday, four people including Dipto Saha had been buried or cremated without autopsies. Another victim, Ramzan Munshi, who was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, died on Thursday night. His autopsy was conducted the following day at the hospital morgue.
The exhumations began around 12:45pm on Monday under the supervision of local executive magistrates. Magistrate Russell Munshi oversaw the exhumation of Imon Talukder, while Magistrate Ronty Poddar was present during the retrieval of Ramzan Kazi’s body.
Following preliminary investigations, both bodies were sent to Gopalganj 250-bed General Hospital for autopsy. Sub-Inspector Murad Hossain, the investigating officer in the Ramzan Kazi murder case, noted a gunshot wound on the victim’s right shoulder in his inquest report. Similarly, Sub-Inspector Shahidul Islam, investigating Imon Talukder’s case, reported a gunshot injury to the left thigh.
Gopalganj Sadar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Mir Sajedur Rahman, confirmed that the police had sought court approval for the exhumations on Sunday. The Chief Judicial Magistrate granted permission, leading to Monday’s operation.
Meanwhile, Sohel Rana Molla’s body was exhumed in the presence of Tungipara Assistant Commissioner (Land) Maruf Dastagir and later sent to the general hospital morgue for post-mortem. SI Shafiqul Islam, the investigating officer, noted a visible mark on Sohel’s chest in the inquest report.
These developments follow the filing of four separate cases on Saturday night in connection with the clashes. Police have named 5,400 unidentified individuals as accused across the four cases.
