These are the only witnesses who claim actually to have seen police the firing. The evidence of the other witnesses is important only in so far as it is of assistance in assessing the situation as it developed from the early morning of the 21st of February up to the time when the police actually opened fire at 3-20 p.m.
19. With regard to the incidents in the morning the police witnesses claimed that the day opened with interference with vehicular traffic in the University area from 7-30 a.m. The Police had anticipated that the hartal declared for the 21st February would soon lead to trouble in the University area and had made arrangements to face the emergency. Accordingly the police forces took up their position according to the arrangements previously made by 7-30 in the morning. Md. Siddique Dewan, City D.S.P., Dacca, being detailed for duty in the University ground. Mr. Masood Mahmood, the Additional Superintendent of Police, City, went out on his rounds and visited the Police Outposts from the early morning. In the University area he saw that students were stopping vehicular traffic, forcing passengers to alight from buses, taxis, rickshaws and cars and the tyres of those conveyances were deflated in order to prevent them from being used subsequently. The Police officers intervened in order to keep traffic moving and were abused in filthy language and in particular-the Additional S. P. City, was made the target of the students' attack. The Superintendent of Police, Mr. Idris, at 7-45, a.m. received information that a large number of students had collected inside and outside the University premises and the Medical College Hostel compound and, they were compelling drivers of vehicles to stop and passengers to alight in order to enforce the declared hartal. The Superintendent of Police hurried to this troublous spot at. 8-15 in the morning and found that the students were actually using violence in order to stop vehicular traffic as had been reported to him. The S. P. tried his best to dissuade the students from carrying on these activities but he found that his protests were not having any effect and as he anticipated trouble he stationed police in that particular area. At 9 a.m. at the University gate he had in position the D.S.P., City, one Inspector, two head constables and 20 constable of the S.A.F., one Inspector, one Sub-Inspector, one Sergeant, two head constables and 14 constables armed with lathis. At the Medical College gate he had one head constable, and 10 constables of the S.A.F. and near the Salimullah Muslim Hall he had one head constable, and 10 constables and the constables were armed.
20. At about this time people began to collect in the University compound in driblets. small groups of students and outsiders filtering into the compound until by 10 a.m. a large number of persons had assembled in the University compound and preparations were being made for a meeting. The situation by 10 a.m. had become so tense that a message was sent to Mr. Quraishi, the District Magistrate, and he immediately proceeded to the University gate. When he reached the spot, Mr. Quraishi found that a very large crowd had gathered at the gate and inside the University compound which was indulging in abuse of the police and preparing for a mass defiance of the orders under section 144 of the Code. Mr. Quraishi got the Registrar of the University to telephone to the Vice- Chancellor, asking for the University authorities to persuade the students not to violate the order under section 144, Cr.P.C. Shortly after the arrival of the District Magistrate the Vice-Chancellor, together with Dr. Zuberi and Dr. Ghani had arrived on the scene. The
