DGFI denies detentions amid continued protests
Staff Reporter :
The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) has asserted that there are currently no detainees in their custody in Dhaka.
This statement was made following a visit by a delegation of human rights activists led by Shireen Haque to the DGFI headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment on Wednesday morning.
After the meeting, Shireen Haque informed the media, “The DGFI has stated that they have no arrests in Dhaka at the moment. They have also extended an invitation for us to further investigate the matter.”
The DGFI has announced plans to establish a joint commission to investigate reports of missing persons in other parts of the country, beyond their Dhaka facility. However, this declaration has not appeased the families of the missing, who staged a protest in front of the DGFI headquarters at 1:30 pm on the same day.
Among the protesters was Moyuri Begum, the mother of Nizamuddin Munna, who has been missing for over a decade. Her son was reportedly abducted by the Detective Branch (DB) on 6 December 2013 at 10 pm, an event that also claimed her husband, who died of a heart attack three years later. Despite her relentless search for her son, Moyuri Begum remains without answers.
“My Munna was taken by the DB in a white car while he was with his father. I have been searching for him for 11 years,” an emotional Moyuri Begum recounted. “I visit every place where I might find information about him, but to no avail.”
On the same day, a few dozen relatives of other victims of enforced disappearance gathered outside the DGFI headquarters to demand answers.
Earlier, DGFI’s Director of Administration had promised to provide an update regarding those held in secret detention, referred to as “Aynaghor”. However, during a meeting with a delegation that included Mayer Daak co-founder Sanjida Islam Tulee, Odhikar’s Adilur Rahman Khan, and academic
CR Abrar, the DGFI reiterated that no detainees are held at their Dhaka facility.
When asked by the media if any detainees had been released, Adilur Rahman Khan replied, “We haven’t heard of any releases. The official statement remains that there are no detainees here.”
He further noted, “The DGFI even suggested they might show us the ‘Aynaghor’ if necessary.”
Adilur Rahman also warned that if the missing individuals are not located, the families plan to organise a human chain in front of Jahangir Gate in the future as a continued protest.
