The most severe account in Monirul’s testimony centered on a May 2010 operation in Patharghata upazila, Barguna. Monirul testified that RAB Headquarters instructed him to provide “administrative support” for an operation led directly by Ziaul Ahsan.
Transport & Abduction: After midnight, three or four blindfolded individuals with tied hands were moved from microbuses onto a vessel anchored at Charduania Ghat.
The Method of Execution: Monirul witnessed a blindfolded man covered with a heavy sack, shot at close range, and stabbed in the stomach before being thrown overboard into the estuary.
Erasing Evidence: He explained that slitting the stomach was a deliberate tactic to ensure bodies sank and decomposed at sea without surfacing.
Despite these measures, a mutilated body surfaced days later in Sarankhola, Bagerhat, and was subsequently identified as Nazrul, a member of the former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
Monirul informed the tribunal that during monthly coordination meetings at RAB Headquarters, then Director General Mokhlesur Rahman used the Arabic term “Wajib-ul-Qatl” (deserving of death) when discussing high-profile suspects.
“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.”
Monirul further alleged that:
Staged Encounters: Multiple operations in Bhola and the Sundarbans officially recorded as “gunfights with bandits” were staged events where targets were brought to specific locations explicitly to be executed.
Forced Disappearances: When a civilian boatman named Alkas was suspected of leaking information, Ziaul ordered RAB-8 personnel to “eliminate” him. After an officer refused, Alkas went missing without any official battalion record.
Uncontrolled Authority: The Intelligence Wing routinely bypassed the formal chain of command, issuing direct orders to battalion personnel to execute covert operations.
Concluding his testimony, Monirul categorized the operations directed by Ziaul Ahsan as “unwarranted, uncontrolled, and illegal.”
Maj Gen (relieved) Ziaul Ahsan is currently facing trial at the International Crimes Tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity, specifically accused of orchestrating the enforced disappearance and murder of at least 104 individuals between 2010 and 2013.
