Staff Reporter :
Although enforced disappearances are prohibited under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, secret killings and abduction are still continuing in the country.
According to security experts, Bangladesh faces serious security challenges. The government should investigate these serious kind of human rights violations and other alleged acts of torture. Failure of the law enforcing agencies will not be acceptable anyway.
It is to be noted that the miscreants, targeting foreigners, religious minorities, writers, bloggers, editors, and gay rights activists, have killed over 50 people between 2013 and 2016.
They also said that the human rights organizations are not plying their due role to stop these human rights violations. They have to seek the government’s accountability as well as create pressure to stop such forced disappearances and secret killings.
It is not their (rights bodies) responsibility to find out evidence by interrogating the returned or rescued persons, they said, adding that secret killings and disappearances are creating panic among the people.
However, the horrors of the relatives of several hundred ‘missing men’ have slightly been turning into expectations as more than three dozens of disappeared people either returned homes or their whereabouts traced.
Mentionable, Bangladesh Kalyan Party Secretary General MM Aminur Rahman, North South University Assistant Professor Mubashar Hasan and senior journalist Utpal Das in the city and Narayanganj returned homes in the last three days.
The security experts believed that the government has almost failed to ensure public security as abduction in the country still continues.
At least 53 people were found or rescued after reportedly went missing in last five months while more than 750 people disappeared in the last few years, according to media reports.
According to the human rights group Odhikar, between January 2009 and October 2017, at least 402 persons became victims of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. So far, the group said, some 81 people have been “disappeared” this year.
The members of law enforcing agencies are still in dark about the so called ‘torture cells’ or ‘detention rooms’ where the retuned missing men were kept and remained missing men believed to be confined.
The law enforcers also remained mum to disclose any information of the ‘abductors’ as they have no idea about the kidnappers and their torture cells.
They have taken to inquiry the returned missing victims to gather information about the missing issues, Police Headquarters sources said.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Friday took the credit of return of missing men which already have astonished the common people. The countrymen also turned the minister credit as baseless.
Investigations are on to find out those still missing, he said. “I would say the missing people have returned as the law enforcers are active.”
Mobasher Hasan’s father Motaher Hossain said that the police have no role to trace his son during the 44 days missing period.
Utpal’s father Chityaranjan Das said, “We thanks all for helping us. We want proper investigation into the matter and justice to be served.”
Siddiqur Rahman, father of Jamal Uddin, who disappeared after leaving his home in the capital’s South Banasree area, said that police did not help us to rescue his son.
“Our brothers and children have been picked up and taken away in front of our eyes, but the administration denies any involvement. We appealed to the government to intervene, so that we don’t have to gather with the same demand next year again,” said Afroza Islam, whose brother Sajedul Islam was abducted four years ago from the capital city.
Minhaj Uddin, a private university student in the capital, said that he had become astonished government took the credit of missing people return. But police have no idea about the return of the missing men and returned missing men.
Bangladesh Centre for Terrorism Research Fellow Shafqat Munir said: “There is no ground to disappear the people. Police should trace them at any cost.
He also claimed that people have been suffering severe scarcity of security across the country.
Md Moniruzzaman, Assistant Inspector General (confidential) of Police Headquarters, said: “Police are working to trace the missing men across the country.”
