Soon after Ex-PM Hasina fled, several human rights activists revealed that they were kept imprisoned for years in the House of Mirrors (Aynaghar) in Dhaka, for intense and prolonged interrogation. File
| Photo Credit: AP
In a new turn of events, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance set up by the interim government of Bangladesh filed a report on Saturday (December 14, 2024) stating that it found the “involvement of Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina” in enforced disappearances of individuals during her tenure.
The report recommended disbanding the anti-terror outfit Rapid Action Battalion that was instrumental in crackdown against terror suspects and was accused of human rights abuse. The commission said it has recorded 1,676 cases of disappearances and that the total number of such cases during the Hasina-era could cross 3,500.
Earlier in the day, the authorities arrested four persons in connection with attacks on the minority Hindu community on December 3. The arrests came days after Indian Foreign Secretary visited Dhaka and urged the authorities to “acknowledge” the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
The case of violence against Hindus involved a social media post by one Akash Das which created communal tension in Sunamganj district, leading to attacks against Hindu-owned business and a place of worship. Those arrested in this incident are Ali Hossain (19), Sultan Ahmed Raju (20), Imran Hossain (31) and Shajahan Hossain (20).
On the inquiry, a statement from the Chief Adviser’s Office said, “The commission chairman said they had found the prima facie involvement of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and some high-ranking officials of security forces and her government, including her defence adviser, Major General (retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, in the enforced disappearances.”
Presenting the report at a special event in the residence of the Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, the commission informed that it would bring out another interim report in March and would require another year to complete the scrutiny of all the complaints received so far.
Apart from Ms. Hasina and Mr. Siddique, the commission also found the involvement of former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre and sacked Major General Ziaul Ahsan, senior police officers Monirul Islam and Md. Harun-Or-Rashid with “several incidents of enforced disappearance”. Submitting the report, the commission’s chairman said it had detected a “systematic design” to avoid detection of the cases of enforced disappearances.
The interim government set up the commission under the leadership of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury on August 27. Other members of the commission are Justice Farid Ahmed Shibli, human rights activist Nur Khan, BRAC University teacher Nabila Idris and human rights activist Sajjad Hossain. Bangladesh also joined the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances on August 30.
The commission was constituted in the backdrop of reports that disappearances and kidnapping of political opponents, critics and human rights advocates took place during the Hasina years. Soon after Ms. Hasina fled, several human rights activists revealed that they were kept imprisoned for years in the House of Mirrors (Aynaghar) in Dhaka, for intense and prolonged interrogation.
Welcoming the report, Mr. Yunus said, “You are doing a really very important job. We are ready to give you all kinds of support that you need.” He said he would visit some of the secret detention centres and joint interrogation cells that were mentioned in the report.
Published – December 14, 2024 10:38 pm IST
