Staff Reporter :
The country’s people are now confused over police refusal to the allegation of duress on Columnist Farhad Mazhar at their custody to make him agree for giving confessional statement under Section 164 of the CrCP in a court according to cops’ instruction.
During the custody, police had also claimed that Forhad went missing to collect money for his ‘so called girl friend’ and his ‘abduction drama’ astonished public after disclosure of the mobile phone record in a press briefing at Police Headquarters.
A staunch critic of the government, Farhad Mazhar, in a press briefing at his residence in the city on Saturday denied the police claim that he was not abducted. Rather, Farhad said he was under duress to admit that he left home ‘willingly’.
He, however, praised the law enforcers for their efforts to rescue him after the abduction. But the cops ‘concealed the truth’ which, he said, has undermined their success.
Saheli Ferdou, Assistant Inspector General (Media and Public Relations) of Police Headquarters, told the media on Sunday that Farhad Mazhar confessed his self-missing before the magistrate court.
She said police have no chance to torture to follow their prescription in presence of the judicial magistrate.
In a query, she said Farhad expressed his personal opinion as per the constitutional right to expression.
In the detail, Farhad Mazhar said the statement he had submitted to court under Section 164 of the CrPC was ‘actually written by the police’
Statements given under the CrPC section allows the prosecution to use the confession as evidence in the trial.
“It was a heinous attempt to shut my mouth,” Farhad said. “We must continue efforts so that the victims of enforced disappearance can return to their families,” he added.
Asked why he did not speak out until now after the incident of his alleged abduction on July 3, he said, “No one has spoken out after returning. I’ve put myself even in greater danger by speaking out. But I will continue this fight no matter how much harassment I face.”
He said the government ‘must take responsibility’ for the enforced disappearances.
Farhad Mazhar also said he ‘understands now’ that the ‘abductors tried to take him to the other side of the border in Jessore’.
“Even the Home Minister said that there would be nothing to do if I had been taken to the other side of the border,” he said.
He credited the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for the rescue and said the elite force had an altercation with the plainclothes policemen who tried to snatch him after the rescue’.
Farhad Mazhar and his wife Farida Akhtar read out a written statement at the press conference at their Shyamoli residence.
They organised the press conference two days after the court granted police permission to press charges against the couple for reporting a ‘false’ abduction.
A right-wing activist, Farhad was found on a bus in Jessore while travelling from Khulna to Dhaka, 18 hours after he went missing from the capital on July 3.
His family filed a general diary, which was later recorded as a case, that he was abducted after he had left home early that morning.
At the earlier press conference, Farida Akhtar said she helped the law enforcers to trace her husband using the location of his mobile phone and police were present all the time when she spoke to him on that day.
She termed Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque’s comments as ‘threat’ as he said, “Police would act against the family if they challenged the investigation report”.
She demanded justice for all the victims of enforced disappearance.
She also alleged police ‘harassed her mentally in the name of interrogation’.
Farhad also complained about police behaviour after his rescue.
He claimed that he made the phone calls and got on the bus in Khulna upon orders from his ‘abductors’.
On November 14, investigators filed their report to the court, where they said, “No truth was found in the claim that the columnist had been abducted and sought permission to prosecute the columnist’s wife for filing a false report.”
The final probe report says the case filed by Farida is baseless and covers up the actual events.
Before the court granted police permission to press charges against them, Farida appeared before the court on Thursday. She objected to the investigation report and sought time to file a petition.
The dramatic disappearance and discovery of the 70-year-old columnist sparked debate in the political quarter and on social media.
Social media was abuzz with criticism against Farhad Mazhar after police produced a woman, identified as Archana Rani, in a court on July 10.
According to police, Archana’s name came into the investigation as she was in touch with Farhad over the phone before and during the time of his disappearance.
Archana identified herself as a follower of Mazhar and then told court that he left home on the day of his disappearance to send her money.
Law enforcers have been expressing skepticism about his abduction claim since they discovered him returning Dhaka by bus.
To back their suspicion, police also provided security footage of Mazhar loitering in the New Market area in Khulna in the afternoon of his disappearance.
