The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances of Bangladesh accused the ousted PM, Sheikh Hasina, of her involvement in enforced disappearances.
The inquiry commission informed it to take place in a ‘systematic design’ that enabled enforced disappearance to be unnoticed. It also implicated the involvement of Hasina’s defense advisor, Major General (retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre and sacked General Ziaul Ahsan, and senior police officers Monirul Islam and Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid among several others.
The forced disappearances happened with the support of the police’s elite anti-crime Rapid Anti Battalion (RAB) consisting of men from the army, navy, air force, and police. Therefore, the commission proposed the disbandment of RAB and an amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009. Most of the officials involved in this have been on the run since the ouster of Hasina’s Awami League due to student-led protests.
The Commission recorded 1676 complaints out of which 758 have been scrutinised from which around 200 (27%) never returned and those who returned were arrested. The Commission believes that these complaints will soon cross the mark oof 3500.
The five-member Commission headed by retired justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury handed over the report ‘Unfolding the Truth’ to Chief Advisor Yunus. The commission will submit the final report in March after completing the investigation which will take around a year.
The commission also mentioned the existence of ‘Ayna Ghar’, the secret detention center where the victims were tortured. Yunus announced to visit this place soon to get first-hand knowledge of people’s suffering.
