Families of victims of enforced disappearance during the ousted prime minister’s regime on Monday expressed their dissatisfaction for the slow initiatives of the government and political leaders in finding their relatives, reports UNB.
They expressed their dissatisfaction at a press conference organized under the banner of family of victims of enforced disappearance co-ordination committee at the National Press Club of the capital.
Relatives of more than 50 missing people came to this press conference to search for their loved ones.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was scheduled to attend as the chief guest while BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Gana Odhikar Parishad Nurul Haque Noor, Bangladesh Supreme Court Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir were invited as special guests but they are absent.
The relatives of the missing persons expressed their anger about this. Later they took down that banner and participated in the press conference under another banner.
In the press conference, eight points of demand were highlighted. These include—return of missing persons within 48 hours, allowing each cell (mirror house) to be visited by the present Missing Commission officials, issuing certificates to the families of those killed, providing financial compensation to each family of the missing, bringing to justice all those involved in disappearances and murders.
Bellal Hossain, Chief Coordinator of the programme said in the press conference, "We have been looking for relatives for some 2 years, some for 5 years, some for 12 years. If we see a madman on the street, turn the car around and see if they are our parents or brothers. There are not one, but seventy to eighty secret cells in the country."
Bellal Hossain said that the guests could not come as they were stuck in another meeting.
Ajmal Khan, the brother of the missing Bakul Khan, said, "The families of so many missing people are here. We do not understand what other important work the leaders can have than being here."
Bakul Khan was a final year honors student at Tejgaon College in the capital. On February 28, 2013, he was taken away in a silver colored car from Sadarghat in the capital. Two of the five or six people in that car were wearing RAB uniforms. The rest were in plain clothes. Eleven years have passed since then. Even today, Ajmal Khan is still looking for the only brother.
Rahima Begum, who came to search for her son, said, "In 2015, some plain clothes took my son away in a white car. We have also kept the car number and went to Mintu Road in search of him (DB office). I don't know how many places I've been to so far. I have been childless for nine years"
She also asked, "Will I never see my child's face again? I appeal to the government to return them to us quickly. How much more will we cry?"
Suraiya Akhter, the daughter who came in search of her missing father, said, "My father's name is Md. Mustafa. He was a shopkeeper. He was picked up on June 6, 2020 from Bhashantek area of Mirpur. A hiace car was picked up in a car identified as a law enforcement officer. Later we did GD and sued. But till now, we do not see any result. Everyone in the family is confused. My mother is distraught crying. I want to find my father."
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
