Bangladeshi authorities on Sunday began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka believed to contain the remains of around 114 unidentified victims killed during the mass uprising that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
The UN-supported operation is being overseen by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and advised by renowned Argentine forensic anthropologist Luis Fondebrider, whose decades-long career includes missions at mass graves across the world.
The bodies were buried at Dhaka’s Rayer Bazar Graveyard by the volunteer organisation Anjuman Mufidul Islam, which handled 80 unidentified bodies in July and another 34 in August 2024, all believed to be casualties of the anti-government protests.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina attempted to hold on to power — fatalities that were central to her conviction last month for crimes against humanity.
CID chief Md Sibgat Ullah said investigators estimate the grave contains roughly 114 bodies, though the exact number will be confirmed once exhumations are complete. “We can only confirm once we dig the graves and exhume the bodies,” he said.
For many families, the process offers hope for long-awaited answers. Among them is Mohammed Nabil, searching for the remains of his 28-year-old brother, Sohel Rana, who went missing during the July 2024 protests. The family recognised Rana’s clothing — a blue T-shirt and black trousers — in photographs taken during the burial.
The exhumed bodies will undergo post-mortem examinations and DNA analysis, though officials warn the process will be lengthy. “It’s been more than a year, so it won’t be possible to extract DNA from soft tissues,” senior officer Abu Taleb said. “Working with bones will take more time.”
Forensic experts from four Dhaka medical colleges are part of the investigation team, while Fondebrider has been brought in under an agreement with the UN human rights body, the OHCHR. “The process is complex and unique,” he said. “We will guarantee that international standards will be followed.”
Authorities say all identified victims will be reburied according to religious customs and the wishes of their families.
Sheikh Hasina, convicted in absentia and sentenced to death, remains in self-imposed exile in India.
