‘Abducted BD men handed to Indian police for torture’
Staff Reporter :
The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances was observed on Saturday with renewed calls for justice and accountability in Bangladesh, in the wake of the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
The day, designated by the United Nations, honours the memory of the disappeared and raises awareness of enforced disappearances a crime that has left deep wounds on the nation’s political and social fabric.
This year’s observance was marked by harrowing testimonies from survivors and families.
Rahmatullah, abducted in 2023, described how he was blindfolded and confined for nine months in a small cell by members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
“They told me one group wanted me dead, but they wanted me alive,” he said in tears. He recounted being secretly taken to India without a passport, handed over to Indian police, and tortured in multiple Kolkata prisons before being pushed back into Bangladesh.
The wife of another victim, Ismail Hossain who disappeared in 2019 spoke of her endless search. “We are living like the walking dead. Ministers mocked me when I begged for help. Those who abducted my husband walk free while we are trapped in grief,” she said, doubting whether justice will ever come.
Human rights organisations estimate that over 700 people were subjected to enforced disappearance in the past 15 years, with more than 150 still missing. Within its first year alone, the newly formed Disappearance Investigation Commission received 1,800 complaints.
Early findings from the commission suggest that disappearances followed a “three-tier pyramid structure,” allegedly implicating the former prime minister, defence adviser, and home minister.
Rights groups warn that unless democratic institutions are strengthened, such abuses could return.
Michael Chakma, himself a victim, criticised the slow pace of justice: “We expected this government to deliver. But delays are eroding trust.”
For years, international watchdogs accused the Hasina administration of weaponising security agencies-particularly RAB and intelligence units-against opponents, activists, and dissidents.
In response, the interim government has approved the draft Enforced Disappearances Prevention, Remedies, and Protection Ordinance 2025.
The proposed law defines enforced disappearance as a continuing crime, prescribes severe punishments including the death penalty, and promises fast-track trials within 120 days.
It also provides for compensation, legal aid, and protection for victims, witnesses, and whistle-blowers.
Yet rights experts remain cautious. UN human rights adviser Huma Khan noted that some provisions only allow departmental punishment, falling short of international standards. “The legislation must protect victims, not shield the state,” she warned.
At discussions organised by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) and other organisations, speakers called for systemic reform. Commission member Dr Nabila Idris urged training in non-lethal interrogation methods.
Barrister Sara Hossain of BLAST warned that weak accountability could once again weaponise state institutions. Environmental activist Syeda Rizwana Hasan reminded that RAB-created for “fast justice”-has instead become a source of fear, urging citizens not to lose hope but to push for structural change.
HRSS outlined seven demands, including the full implementation of the UN Convention against enforced disappearances and the inclusion of human rights pledges in political manifestos.
Separately, Odhikar demanded RAB’s dissolution, independent investigations, and the repeal of repressive laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009.
Leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other opposition parties pledged that enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings would never again be tolerated in a “new Bangladesh,” vowing accountability for all perpetrators.
Enforced disappearance has been described as one of the gravest human rights violations in Bangladesh’s modern history.
While no new cases have been reported since Hasina’s fall in July 2024, families and rights defenders warn that without systemic reforms and strong accountability, this dark chapter could yet return.