Farhad Mazhar claims he was forced to say he left home ‘willingly’

Columnist Farhad Mazhar has denied the police claim that he was not abducted, saying he was under duress to admit that he left home ‘willingly’.

A staunch critic of the government, Mazhar, said in a press conference broadcast live on Facebook on Saturday evening that police rescued him after the abduction, but ‘concealed the truth’.

He praised the law enforcers for their efforts but added their attempt to ‘conceal the truth’ undermined their success.

Mazhar said the statement he submitted to court under Section 164 of the CrPC was ‘actually written by the police’

Statements given under the CrPC section allows the prosecution to use the confession as evidence in the trial.

“It’s a heinous attempt to shut my mouth,” he said.   

“We must continue efforts so that the victims of enforced disappearance can return to their families,” he added.

Asked why he did not speak out until now after the incident of his alleged abduction on July 3, he said, “No one has spoken out after returning. I’ve put myself even in greater danger by speaking out. But I will continue this fight no matter how much harassment I face.”

He said the government ‘must take responsibility’ for the enforced disappearances.

Mazhar also said he ‘understands now’ that the ‘abductors tried to take him to the other side of the border in Jessore’.

“Even the home minister said there would be nothing to do if I had been taken to the other side of the border,” he said.   

He credited the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB for the rescue and said the elite force had an ‘altercation with the plainclothes policemen who tried to snatch him after the rescue’.  

Mazhar and his wife Farida Akhtar read out a written statement at the press conference at their Shyamoli home.

They organised the press conference two days after the court granted police permission to press charges against the couple for reporting a 'false' abduction.

A right-wing activist, Farhad was found on a bus in Jessore while travelling from Khulna to Dhaka, 18 hours after he went missing from the capital on July 3.

His family filed a general diary, which was later recorded as a case, that he was abducted after he had left home early that morning.

At the press conference on Friday, Farida said she helped the law enforcers trace her husband using the location of his mobile phone and police were present all the time when she spoke to him on that day.

She termed Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque’s comments as 'threat' as he said, “police would act against the family if they challenged the investigation report”.

She demanded justice for all the victims of enforced disappearance.

She also alleged police ‘harassed her mentally in the name of interrogation’.

Mazhar also complained about police behaviour after his rescue. 

He claimed he made the phone calls and got on the bus in Khulna upon orders from his ‘abductors’.

On Nov 14, investigators filed their report to the court, where they said, "no truth was found in the claim that the columnist had been abducted and sought permission to prosecute the columnist’s wife for filing a false report."

The final probe report says the case filed by Farida is baseless and covers up the actual events.

Before the court granted police permission to press charges against them, Farida appeared before the court on Thursday. She objected to the investigation report and sought time to file a petition.

The dramatic disappearance and discovery of the 70-year-old columnist sparked debate in the political quarter and on social media.

Social media was abuzz with criticism against Mazhar after police produced a woman, identified as Archana Rani, in court on July 10.

According to police, Archana's name came into the investigation as she was in touch with Farhad over the phone before and during the time of his disappearance.

Archana identified herself as a follower of Mazhar and then told court that he left home on the day of his disappearance to send her money.

Law enforcers have been expressing scepticism about his abduction claim since they discovered him returning Dhaka by bus.

To back their suspicion, police also provided security footage of Mazhar loitering in the New Market area in Khulna in the afternoon of his disappearance.