In 2010, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has abducted a youth from capital’s Mohammadpur, and sewed his lips without any anesthetic.
Besides, many others were killed by shooting on head, and the bodies were tied in cement bags and drowned in the rivers including Buriganga and Shitalakshya from Dhaka’s Postogola and Kanchan bridges.
Before all of these, the victims of enforced disappearances were held in more than 8 secret detention centers.
During the last 15 years, starting from 2009, 1,676 such cases were enrolled. Of those, the inquiry commission on enforced disappearances reviewed 758 complaints.
The evidences of brutality, and the inhumane torture came out in the commission’s interim report that on Saturday the commission members submitted to the Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.
Later, on Sunday the press wing of the CA office shared the “Publishable Part” of the commission report with media.
The inquiry commission informs: “Agencies like Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), RAB, and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Bangladesh Police used to cooperate these detention centers.”
Most of the victims of enforced disappearance were held in these secret “detention centers” nationwide, besides some of them were held with general prisoners. The interim report of the inquiry commission has revealed how the victims were held in secret for days on end.
Victims were held for various periods- 48 hours, few days, few weeks, few months, few years, and even up to 8 years in some cases.
However, interviews with people who came out alive after going to the detention centers revealed that many were kept in detention centers where ordinary prisoners were also held. For example of those kinds of victims, they mentioned the victims of Detective Brach (DB).
Thus, it can be imagined what difficult conditions the victims of enforced disappearances lived in as all kind of prisoners were kept at together.
The commission said: “It is likely that the victims of enforced disappearance were held with ordinary prisoners to conceal the issue.”
In addition, from interviews of survivors, the commission was able to identify areas of the detention centers where victims of enforced disappearances were held alongside regular prisoners. The commission is looking this matter more sincerely.
The report said: “This is nothing more than a deliberate attempt to conceal the issue. However, further investigation is required in this regard.”
The commission visited DGFI, CTTC, Dhaka and Chattogram DB director’s office, RAB 2, 4, 7, 11, CPC 3, RAB headquarters, Central Jain in Chattogram, and NSI Divisional office in Chattogram for search of secret detention centers.
Citing a RAB official, the report said: “A victim tried to escape by diving into a river. After rescue, he was shot dead on spot.”
“One body was left on a railway line to be dismembered,” the report described another incident.
“A man who had been picked up was pushed in front of a moving vehicle on the road. He survived as the vehicle passed him,” the report continued describing incidents.
Translated by Afsar Munna
