Staff Reporter :
The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances submitted an interim report titled “Unfolding the Truth” to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus last Saturday. Excerpts from the report, disclosed by the Chief Adviser’s press wing, provide critical insights into the ongoing investigation into enforced disappearances.
The commission has reviewed 758 out of 1,676 complaints received, uncovering alarming details about the methods employed in enforced disappearances. Many victims were either killed or implicated in fabricated cases.
The report reveals that a common method involved shooting victims in the head, placing their bodies in cement sacks, and submerging them in rivers.
Specific locations frequently used for such acts include the Buriganga and Shitalakshya rivers, near the Postogola and Kanchan Bridges. A boat, previously confiscated from Sundarbans pirates and allegedly stationed near Postogola Bridge, is also mentioned.
One case highlights an incident where two individuals were executed during an “initiation session” led by a former RAB intelligence chief. Another account details how a victim attempted to escape by jumping into a river but was recaptured and executed immediately.
While the interim report refrains from revealing all details, it confirms that the final report will provide comprehensive descriptions of abduction, detention, torture, execution, and release practices.
The report implicates former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and high-ranking officials from her administration in the orchestrations of enforced disappearances. Those named include retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former NTMC Director-General Major General Ziaul Ahsan, Police Officials Monirul Islam and Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid.
The Home Ministry has acted on the commission’s findings by instructing the Immigration and Passports Department and the police’s Special Branch (SB) to prevent 20 current and former officials from leaving the country. Their passports are being revoked to ensure their availability for the investigation.
Deputy Secretary Md Kamruzzaman of the Security Service Division issued these directives at the commission’s request.
The list includes retired Additional IGPs Mokhlesur Rahman, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and Benazir Ahmed, former RAB Intelligence Chief Ziaul Ahsan (currently under arrest), former RAB Commanders Colonel Tofayel Mostafa Sarwar, Lieutenant Colonel Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Lieutenant Colonel Md Mahbub Alam, Khandaker Lutful Kabir, and Sahabuddin Khan, former CTTC Chief Monirul Islam, former DIG Md Asaduzzaman, former DB Additional Commissioner Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid and retired Brigadier Generals Abu Taher Mohammad Ibrahim and Md Mahbubur Rahman Siddique.
The interim report’s revelations are expected to heighten public discourse and increase calls for accountability. The final report, anticipated to provide a more detailed account of the crimes, could have profound implications for addressing the longstanding issue of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.
