Dhaka: The bodies of 114 unidentified martyrs from the July Uprising are set to be exhumed at Rayerbazar Graveyard in the capital starting Sunday, with the aim of identification through post-mortem and DNA testing.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Special Police Super of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Md Jasim Uddin Khan, announced that preparations are underway to exhume the bodies of the July Martyrs following a Dhaka court order. The exhumation process is scheduled to begin in the morning, with the bodies to be reburied respectfully after DNA samples and post-mortem examinations are conducted.
CID Chief Additional Inspector General Md. Sibgat Ullah will provide a briefing at approximately 9:30 a.m. at the graveyard, adjacent to the Rayerbazar Memorial, before the exhumation begins. Forensic expert Louis Fondebrider, along with a team of forensic anthropologists, will be present to assist in the process.
CID officials have arranged tents and necessary equipment at the cemetery, facilitated by the department's crime scene unit, to ensure a smooth exhumation procedure. This action follows a court directive by Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman on August 4, based on a police application submitted by Sub-Inspector Mahidul Islam of Mohammadpur Police Station.
The court mandated the exhumation of 114 bodies, victims of the July Uprising of 2024, to enable their identification. These individuals were interred without recognition during last year's anti-discrimination movement at the Rayerbazar cemetery in Mohammadpur.
The police application emphasized the necessity of exhuming the bodies through legal channels to facilitate future legal actions and identification. Post-mortem examinations and DNA sample collection are required to confirm their identities. Once legal proceedings and identity verification via DNA profiling are complete, the bodies will be returned to their respective families.