Staff Reporter :
Moinul Islam Chowdhury, head of the commission investigating enforced disappearances, has disclosed that an inquiry is currently underway to determine the whereabouts of 330 individuals who were “forcibly disappeared” during the previous Awami League administration and have yet to return.
However, the former High Court judge acknowledged that the likelihood of their return remains minimal.
Chowdhury stated that the commission has so far received 1,752 complaints of enforced disappearances and has completed an initial review of approximately 1,000 cases, examining related documents and evidence.
Additionally, statements from 280 complainants have been recorded, along with testimonies from 45 officers representing law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
He further noted that the police have reported 140 individuals being pushed into Bangladesh from India since August 5, 2024.
In response, the commission has requested information from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) sector commanders and district police authorities along the border to investigate these cases further.
The commission is currently awaiting detailed reports from the BGB and police.
However, Chowdhury confirmed that at least one missing individual, Mohammad Rahmat Ullah from Dhamrai, was repatriated to Bangladesh via the Gomastapur border in Chapainawabganj district.
In addition, the foreign ministry has provided the commission with a list of 1,067 Bangladeshis who have been detained in various Indian prisons over the past two and a half years.
“The commission is examining whether any of the names correspond to individuals reported as victims of enforced disappearance,” Chowdhury said.
The commission chairman also revealed that investigations have included visits to alleged secret detention centres operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Dhaka, Bogura, Narayanganj, Rajshahi, and Chattogram.
Following these inspections, the commission instructed the relevant authorities to preserve these sites for further examination.
The government established the five-member inquiry commission on 27 August to identify and locate individuals who were forcibly disappeared by intelligence and law enforcement agencies between 1 January 2010 and 5 August 2024.
