Why were the bodies of the victims in Gopalganj buried or cremated without autopsy and postmortem?

POBNEWS24,Dhaka, July 18,2025: The bodies of the four people killed in the Gopalganj murder case were buried or cremated without autopsy and postmortem, raising questions about whether it will complicate future cases.
A Supreme Court lawyer said that the lack of an autopsy has reduced the possibility of finding out who shot them dead.
On Wednesday, after repeated attacks on a National Citizens Party (NCP) program in Gopalganj, police and army leaders and activists clashed. At one point, the conflict spread throughout the city.
Four people were killed in the clashes, at least nine were shot and more than fifty were injured. No cases had been filed in these incidents till Thursday night.
The deceased are Deepto Saha (30), son of Santosh Saha of Udayan Road in the city, Ramzan Kazi (17), son of Kamrul Kazi of Harinahati village in Kotalipara, Sohel Rana (35) of Shanapara in the city, and Emon of Bherar Bazar area in Sadar upazila. However, there is fear of arrest among the residents of the city and its surroundings. Many of the leaders and activists of Awami League and Chhatra League have left the area. Law enforcement agencies are on a tight leash across the city, which is quiet. They are patrolling regularly at important places. The police have said that they will launch an operation to catch the attackers. Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sharaf Uddin Ahmed said that the overall law and order situation is under control.
Among those killed in the clashes the previous day, garment trader Deepto Saha was cremated at the municipal crematorium on Wednesday night.
In addition, tiler’s assistant Ramzan Kazi was buried after Isha prayers on Wednesday night, and mobile phone trader Sohel Rana and crockery shop employee Emon Talukder were buried at the municipal cemetery on Thursday morning.
Police say that an autopsy or post-mortem could not be conducted as the family had already taken the body from the hospital. However, none of the family members of the deceased are willing to comment on the matter.
The bodies of more than a hundred students and public figures who lost their lives due to gunshot wounds during the student movement in July 2024 were buried without an autopsy. There are allegations that some were forced to accept the bodies without an autopsy.
In some cases, when murder cases were filed, the bodies of some were exhumed and autopsies were performed a few months after the killings. The families of many did not want to allow the bodies to be exhumed from the graves. As a result, there is a fear that they will also get justice.
The police report shared on the Facebook page of the Chief Advisor’s Office on Wednesday regarding the Gopalganj incident states, “Around 7:30 pm, a mob forcibly took the bodies of the four deceased from the district hospital without allowing them to undergo a postmortem.”
When drawing attention to this, Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said, “The process of taking the bodies of the four deceased in this way is illegal. When any incident happens, if we think about it in terms of law, how can they bury their bodies without an autopsy?”
“Since this is a matter of criminal investigation. In such a criminal case, post mortem is vital evidence.”
On the other hand, after filing a case against the police, beating and burning of vehicles, 75 people have been named and 450 to 500 unknown people have been named as accused.
Late on Thursday night, Inspector Ahmed Ali of Gopinathpur police outpost in Gopalganj Sadar upazila filed the case, Gopalganj Sadar Police Station OC Mir Mohammad Sajedur Rahman said at around 3:15 pm on Friday.
OC Sajedur said that on Wednesday morning, the police were on security duty in Ulpur, Gopalganj Sadar upazila, on the Gopalganj-Tekerhat regional road, focusing on the march program of the unregistered party NCP.
At that time, a group of people led by Ataur Rahman Piyal, general secretary of the banned organization Chhatra League, suddenly attacked the police members on duty.
They beat the police members and vandalized and set fire to the vehicles. Five police members, including Inspector Ahmed Ali, were injured during this time.
The OC said that in the incident The case names 75 people including the district president of the banned organization Chhatra League, Newton Mollah, and general secretary Ataur Piyal, and cases have been filed against 450-500 people.
Meanwhile, the curfew imposed in Gopalganj district has been extended until Saturday morning.
In a message from the Gopalganj District Magistrate on Friday afternoon, it was said that the ongoing curfew will be in force until 6 am on Saturday.
As part of the July Padyatra, Gopalganj turned into a battlefield with attacks by banned Awami League workers and clashes with law enforcement agencies around the rally of the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) on Wednesday.
At least four people were killed in the five-hour clash. One of the injured died in the hospital on Thursday night.
The central leaders of the unregistered party NCP, who were trapped in the Superintendent of Police’s office, left Gopalganj that day in an army armored vehicle.
In the context of the violence, a curfew was imposed from 8 pm on Wednesday to 6 pm on Thursday. After that time, it was decided to continue the curfew without lifting it. Government.
The Home Ministry said the curfew will remain in effect from 11 am to 2 pm on Friday, with a three-hour break, until further notice.