Cross-border abductions uncovered
Staff Reporter :
A recent report by Bangladesh’s Commission on Enforced Disappearances has revealed serious concerns over cross-border collaboration in the secret detention and disappearance of individuals, implicating intelligence agencies from both Bangladesh and India.
Submitted to Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus on 4 June, the commission’s second report outlines what it describes as a covert and unlawful system through which individuals were detained and transferred across the Bangladesh-India border without any legal oversight, judicial process, or formal agreement.
The commission has termed this practice “interstate enforced disappearance”, alleging that operatives from both countries’ intelligence services were involved in the extrajudicial detention and exchange of individuals based on informal, reciprocal arrangements.
According to the findings, several Bangladeshi nationals were secretly handed over to Indian intelligence personnel following their disappearance, while others from India were similarly transferred to Bangladeshi custody.
These actions, the report notes, were carried out without court orders, legal documentation, or any bilateral framework-constituting clear violations of international legal norms and due process.
The commission has recorded testimonies from at least five individuals who were disappeared and later subjected to abuse and interrogation after being transported to India.
One victim reported being blindfolded and moved in an Indian vehicle, then returned to Bangladesh and warned by officials: “Whether you live or die, that will be our decision.”
Another case involved an individual allegedly sent to India for questioning over digital content related to Indian Muslims.
Upon return, the individual was placed in the custody of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
In one particularly concerning example, Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) reportedly requested the return of a detainee from Indian custody for further interrogation.
Several victims who were returned were subsequently re-detained by Bangladeshi authorities, where they were allegedly subjected to torture-and, in some cases, disappeared again without trace.
The report emphasises that no formal legal framework governed these exchanges. Instead, they appeared to rely on verbal understandings between the agencies involved. As a result, families of the disappeared have no access to legal remedies or even basic information regarding their loved ones’ whereabouts or welfare.
The commission strongly condemned these practices as violations of key international human rights treaties, including protections against arbitrary detention, torture, and the right to legal representation. It warned that such actions erode the rule of law and undermine public confidence in state institutions.
In light of these findings, the commission has called for immediate legal and institutional reforms, the establishment of a transparent and accountable mechanism to oversee intelligence operations, and full adherence to human rights standards in the name of national security.