Plight of enforced disappearance

BNP's Dhaka ward 38 unit Secretary Sajedul Islam Sumon was whisked away on Dec 4 last year by people, who identified themselves as Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel.

Since then there has been no trace of him. RAB has also denied picking him up.

Sumon's family has been approaching various law enforcement agencies for the past eight months, but in vain.

His sister Sanjida Islam broke down in tears at the National Press Club on Saturday as she described her family's ordeal.

"We cannot take this pain anymore," she said, sobbing.

Her pain was shared by many other such victims, who came from across the country to attend a national convention organised by the Fundamental Rights Preservation Committee on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

Politicians Kamal Hossain, Mujahidul Islam Selim and Khalequzzaman among others called this a national crisis and called for national unity to resolve the situation.

The BNP and other political parties blame the government for these disappearances, although the government has steadfastly denied it.

Supreme Court Lawyer Shahdeen Malik claimed the disappearances could not have happened without state patronisation.

He threatened to go to international courts if the cases of disappearance are not brought to trial.

Sanjida said her brother was taken away from Bashundhara area in the capital in a convoy of three cars labelled RAB 1.

"But RAB says they did not arrest him. We go to RAB's DG, ADG, CO every week. They just say, we're looking into it," she said.

"Is it a sin to be involved in politics in a democratic country?" she asked.

Comilla's former BNP MP Saiful Islam has been missing since November last year. His family, too, blames RAB for the freedom fighter's disappearance.

Saiful's daughter Mashrufa Islam said her family paid Tk 1.5 million to RAB for her father's release.

"If they wanted more money we would have given it to them! Why did they take him away?" she cried, standing on the podium.

She made an appeal to the prime minister. "You too lost your family. Please return them to their beloved ones. Return the people whom RAB and police have abducted."

In 2012, Al Muqaddes, an Islamic University student, was picked up by men identifying themselves as RAB personnel.

His father Abdul Halim came to the convention.

"Every night I think, will I never see my son? What was his fault?" he asked.

"I pray to Allah to return him to me," he said as he broke down in tears.

Mehedi Hasan, from Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria said he had lost his brother to custodial torture.

On April 29, RAB picked up Shahnur Alam from his home and the following day an extortion case was slapped on him. On May 4 he was taken from Brahmanbaria Jail to the hospital, where he died two days later.

"My brother was a small businessman. He was not involved in politics," Mehedi said.

"I have approached so many RAB officials after his death, but I have not got any answer," he said.

Of the hundreds of people present in the auditorium, only 24 had the chance to speak.

Gono Forum President Kamal Hossain said the enforced disappearances were not a matter of politics.

"There is no scope of scoring political points on this issue. It is a national crisis. We must unite to resolve this," he said.

Politicians, activists and university teachers also spoke at the event.