‘Maj Gen Ziaul Ahsan left no trace while killing people’

In a harrowing deposition before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday, a former commanding officer of Rab-8 testified that he witnessed blindfolded detainees being executed, their stomachs slit, and their bodies dumped into the sea --  an execution practice known internally as “elimination” that intended to leave no trace of the victims.

Testifying against Maj Gen (relieved) Ziaul Ahsan, Monirul Haque who retired as a brigadier general, gave a rare insider account of how Rab’s Intelligence Wing allegedly operated outside the law to carry out extrajudicial killings during his tenure as the Rab-8 CO between 2008 and 2012.

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He told the tribunal that during monthly coordination meetings at Rab Headquarters, the Arabic term “Wajib-ul-Qatl” (deserving of death) was used by then director general Mokhlesur Rahman while discussing the fate of high-profile criminals.

“When battalion commanders sought guidance on dealing with notorious criminals who repeatedly secured bail, the use of the term ‘Wajib-ul-Qatl’ signalled they should be eliminated permanently.”

Noting that Rab‑8 (Barishal division) lacked its own intelligence equipment, Monirul said most operations in the region were overseen by the Intelligence Wing at headquarters, then headed by Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan.

Several operations in Bhola and the Sundarbans, officially described as gunfights with bandits, appeared to Monirul to have been “arranged”, with targets brought to the locations “specifically to be killed”.

The most sensational part of his testimony concerned a May 2010 operation in Patharghata upazila, Barguna. Monirul said Rab Headquarters ordered him to provide “administrative support” to a team led by Ziaul.

After midnight, he said, three or four blindfolded people with their hands tied were taken from microbuses onto a boat anchored at Charduania Ghat. Monirul, Maj Sabbir, Ziaul and other officers boarded the vessel before it sailed into the estuary.

“After less than an hour of sailing, I saw a blindfolded man with his hands tied being taken to the edge,” Monirul said, saying he was watching from the roof of the boat.

“He was first covered with a heavy sack and then shot. Immediately, his stomach was slit with a knife before he was thrown overboard,” he said. Seeing this, he said, had moved to the other side of the boat.

Monirul went on to say the victim’s stomach was slit to ensure the body would not float back to the surface. As the boat moved further into the estuary, he heard several more gunshots and bodies being dumped into the water.

However, a few days later a mutilated body surfaced in Sarankhola of Bagerhat and was identified as Nazrul, a member of the then BDR.

Monirul said Ziaul once ordered his second-in-command, Maj Sabbir, to “eliminate” a civilian boatman named Alkas, alleging he had leaked confidential information. When Sabbir refused, Ziaul became agitated.

Soon afterwards, Alkas went missing. Monirul said when the boatman’s family came to Rab-8 seeking information, the battalion had no record of his whereabouts, leading him to conclude that the Intelligence Wing had carried out the disappearance.

Concluding his testimony, Monirul described operations conducted by the Intelligence Wing under Ziaul as “unwarranted, uncontrolled, and illegal”.

He alleged the intelligence unit routinely bypassed the chain of command, issued direct orders to battalion personnel, and used them in operations he highly disliked.

Ziaul, now facing trial in the crimes against humanity case, is accused of orchestrating the enforced disappearance and murder of 104 people between 2010 and 2013.