What Happened After 15 Police Officers Were Killed at a Police Station on 4 August?

The attack on Enayetpur Police Station in Sirajganj on 4 August 2024 has been widely described as one of the deadliest assaults on police officers in Bangladesh’s recent history. Fifteen police personnel, including the Officer-in-Charge (OC), were killed in the incident. Testimonies from surviving officers, eyewitness accounts, and information related to the ongoing investigation have revealed the scale of the violence that unfolded that day. One year later, although the investigation remains ongoing, many questions surrounding the attack and accountability are yet to be resolved.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Abdul Malek, one of the officers who survived the attack, recalled that the situation had become so desperate that he phoned his younger brother to say what he believed would be his final goodbye. According to him, once the police station was surrounded from all sides, he realised that the chances of surviving were extremely slim. He asked his brother to look after his children before ending the call.

According to police records, a total of 57 police personnel were on duty at Enayetpur Police Station during the attack, including three female constables. When the police station was set on fire, many officers attempted to escape through the rear of the compound and took shelter in nearby houses. However, eyewitnesses claimed that several officers were tracked down inside those homes and brutally assaulted. Although some were left critically injured, 15 police personnel eventually lost their lives. Thirteen bodies were recovered from the police station and its surrounding areas, while two more officers died later in hospital. It has also been alleged that the body of one officer was hung from a tree in a nearby market beside the police station.

According to local residents, between 5,000 and 6,000 protesters first marched towards the police station in the morning. Following requests from the police, they initially dispersed. However, between around 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., a much larger crowd returned and surrounded the station. Violent clashes soon followed. Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets in an attempt to control the situation. Three participants in the anti-government movement were reportedly killed after being struck by bullets during the confrontation. Surviving police officers, however, maintain that they did not use lethal ammunition and that despite their efforts, they were ultimately unable to defend the police station.

SI Abdul Malek said that at one stage of the attack, four police officers, including the Officer-in-Charge (Investigation), hid beneath the station’s water tank. They were later rescued by members of the Bangladesh Army in the evening and taken to a local hospital for treatment. He further stated that security conditions remained so fragile after the attack that on 6 August, several surviving officers were transported to the Sirajganj Superintendent of Police’s Office in a hearse while wrapped in burial shrouds to avoid being recognised during the journey.

A significant quantity of firearms and ammunition was also looted during the attack. According to police records, 18 firearms, including rifles, pistols, and shotguns, were taken from the station. Six of those weapons remain unrecovered, and most of the stolen ammunition has yet to be traced. Law enforcement agencies say recovery operations are still continuing.

On 26 August 2024, a murder case was filed over the killing of the police officers. The case named four local leaders of the Awami League along with between 5,000 and 6,000 unidentified individuals as accused. The principal accused was Ahmed Mostafa Khan Bachchu, President of the Enayetpur Thana Awami League, who later died while in prison. Several Awami League leaders, including former Member of Parliament and former minister Abdul Latif Biswas, were arrested in connection with the case and remained in custody for an extended period.

According to Sirajganj District Police, four separate cases were filed in relation to the events of 4 August. One concerns the killing of police personnel, while the remaining three relate to the deaths of three protesters. Additional Superintendent of Police Hafizur Rahman stated that nine people have so far been arrested in connection with the police murder case and that the investigation remains ongoing. He said the inquiry is being conducted on the basis of evidence rather than political affiliation.

Although SI Abdul Malek is listed as the complainant in the police murder case, he said he merely signed the complaint where instructed while he was physically injured and mentally traumatised following the attack. He claimed that he did not draft the First Information Report (FIR) himself. Meanwhile, a senior police official who was serving in a responsible position at the time, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the case had been registered under considerable pressure during an extremely volatile period.

The attack on Enayetpur Police Station remains significant not only because of the heavy loss of life but also because of the wider questions it has raised about law and order, the security of state institutions, and the judicial process that followed. More than a year after the incident, the investigation has yet to be completed, leaving key questions regarding the planning of the attack, the identities of those directly involved, and legal accountability still awaiting definitive answers.