Editorial Desk :
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has launched a full investigation into the abduction on Monday of litterateur and columnist Farhad Mazhar, according to a local daily. Investigators are trying to piece together the events of the 18 hours between his abduction and eventual rescue, and the motives behind the kidnapping. The 69-year-old was rescued by a RAB team from Noapara in Jessore at around 11:30 pm. The following day, Farhad testified in front of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Ahsan Habib.
According to the latest report of the Human Rights Watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) apart from 68 people killed in “shootouts” and “crossfire” encounters with the police and other law enforcing agencies in the first six months of 2017, 44 persons were picked up, allegedly by people identifying themselves as members of the law enforcing agencies, according to ASK, during this period.
The encounter deaths, most of them either in
“shootouts” or “crossfire”, are actually a euphemism for extra-judicial killings that betray the state agencies’ disregard for the rule of law. The frightful aspect of these phenomena is that deaths and disappearances have continued to occur, as evident from the ASK report. For example, between January and November 2016 there were 173 deaths in similar circumstances while 88 people were abducted during that period, according to family members, colleagues and eyewitnesses of the victims.
Similarly, incidents of rape increased alarmingly as 1,050 women were raped in the previous year. As many as 4,896 women and girls were subjected to multiple forms of torture throughout 2016, a women’s rights group has said on Sunday last. 2016 was the worst for women in the last four years in terms of several forms of violence. Overall, according to police statistics there was an almost 50 percent jump in all crime statistics from 2002 to 2015 — a shocking increase.
Incidents such as crossfire and enforced disappearances have generated tremendous debate but still continue unabated –with such disappearances continuing, mostly of opposition supporters. It is unacceptable that disappearances like that of Farhad Mazhar continue unabated. Who does it? From where do they get the courage? How is it that police and others are part of it? Why can’t we find even the dead bodies of the abducted — even after a year or more?
A Bangladesh court sentenced 26 people, including three senior officers from the country’s elite security force, to death early this year after convicting them of murdering seven people who were abducted in Narayanganj for financial gains. Earlier this year Swedish Radio brought out a report citing a RAB officer who cited the brutal ways by which RAB would make people disappear and kill them. RAB high officials promised to investigate the report, but as of now we have no results.
More people are part of the security forces, their budgets are increasing, they are better trained than before, and the number of arrests are also increasing. If we can flush out the main architects of the Holey Artisan incident so quickly after the incident how is it that such disappearances are unsolved after years. Even worse, the security agencies first deny that they have arrested and abducted anyone, then claim that the disappeared were arrested — as has been proved true in many incidents.
No civilized society can sit back silently and watch its own citizens disappear and world condemns us for such gross violation of human rights. It is a black hole in the very heart of our nation for absence of the rule of law. So many lies are swirling around and so little accountability of the authorities, but what is obvious is the failure of the government to revive the economy and ensure public safety. People must try to help themselves.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has launched a full investigation into the abduction on Monday of litterateur and columnist Farhad Mazhar, according to a local daily. Investigators are trying to piece together the events of the 18 hours between his abduction and eventual rescue, and the motives behind the kidnapping. The 69-year-old was rescued by a RAB team from Noapara in Jessore at around 11:30 pm. The following day, Farhad testified in front of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Ahsan Habib.
According to the latest report of the Human Rights Watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) apart from 68 people killed in “shootouts” and “crossfire” encounters with the police and other law enforcing agencies in the first six months of 2017, 44 persons were picked up, allegedly by people identifying themselves as members of the law enforcing agencies, according to ASK, during this period.
The encounter deaths, most of them either in
“shootouts” or “crossfire”, are actually a euphemism for extra-judicial killings that betray the state agencies’ disregard for the rule of law. The frightful aspect of these phenomena is that deaths and disappearances have continued to occur, as evident from the ASK report. For example, between January and November 2016 there were 173 deaths in similar circumstances while 88 people were abducted during that period, according to family members, colleagues and eyewitnesses of the victims.
Similarly, incidents of rape increased alarmingly as 1,050 women were raped in the previous year. As many as 4,896 women and girls were subjected to multiple forms of torture throughout 2016, a women’s rights group has said on Sunday last. 2016 was the worst for women in the last four years in terms of several forms of violence. Overall, according to police statistics there was an almost 50 percent jump in all crime statistics from 2002 to 2015 — a shocking increase.
Incidents such as crossfire and enforced disappearances have generated tremendous debate but still continue unabated –with such disappearances continuing, mostly of opposition supporters. It is unacceptable that disappearances like that of Farhad Mazhar continue unabated. Who does it? From where do they get the courage? How is it that police and others are part of it? Why can’t we find even the dead bodies of the abducted — even after a year or more?
A Bangladesh court sentenced 26 people, including three senior officers from the country’s elite security force, to death early this year after convicting them of murdering seven people who were abducted in Narayanganj for financial gains. Earlier this year Swedish Radio brought out a report citing a RAB officer who cited the brutal ways by which RAB would make people disappear and kill them. RAB high officials promised to investigate the report, but as of now we have no results.
More people are part of the security forces, their budgets are increasing, they are better trained than before, and the number of arrests are also increasing. If we can flush out the main architects of the Holey Artisan incident so quickly after the incident how is it that such disappearances are unsolved after years. Even worse, the security agencies first deny that they have arrested and abducted anyone, then claim that the disappeared were arrested — as has been proved true in many incidents.
No civilized society can sit back silently and watch its own citizens disappear and world condemns us for such gross violation of human rights. It is a black hole in the very heart of our nation for absence of the rule of law. So many lies are swirling around and so little accountability of the authorities, but what is obvious is the failure of the government to revive the economy and ensure public safety. People must try to help themselves.
