Disappearance commission: majority of complaints are against RAB

Of the 382 complaints verified by the commission, 172 are against the RAB

As many as 1,600 complaints have been received by the commission formed by the interim government to investigate incidents of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.

According to the 382 complaints verified by the commission, at least 172 are against the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, a specialised unit of police.

Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury, the chairman of the commission, gave the updates during a press conference at the Disappearance Commission office in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Tuesday.

According to Justice Chowdhury, officials of the law-enforcing agencies are being summoned to look into the allegations.

“For now, we have summoned seven people. All of them are members of law-enforcing agencies and the DGFI.”

According to the information provided by the commission, of the 383 complaints that went through preliminary verification, 172 of them were against RAB; 37 against DMP’s Counter Terrorism Unit, or CTTC; 55 against DMP’S Detective Branch, or DB; 26 against DGFI; 25 against police; and 68 against other individuals.

Stating that the commission has already interviewed 140 people, Justice Chowdhury said: “While probing the allegations, the commission found eight secret detention centres where the missing persons had been kept and tortured for years.”

“The Supreme Court had issued specific instructions about what to do during the arrests in 2016. But we believe that the security forces may have violated those instructions due to political influence.”

He added: “The [current] IGP is out of the country. He will be brought here with a letter after he returns. Once he arrives, I will ask him to issue a fresh circular; so that they [law-enforcing agencies] comply with the directives issued by the Appellate Division.”

When asked why the victims had gone missing, Justice Chowdhury said: “There are some people who had no political identity. Some have criticised the government in the media.”

“However, we don’t understand why some of the members of the army went missing. For example, Colonel Hasin went missing twice. Once while he was in service, and the second time after his retirement. It is difficult to understand why they took him.”

“We have not yet received any complaint of disappearances due to personal grudge,” he added.

After the Awami League government was toppled on Aug 5, there have been reports of the release of three victims who had been kept in Ayna Ghor, or secret detention centres of various government agencies.

Speaking of those who have gone missing, Justice Chowdhury said: “It is difficult to say how many people are missing at the moment. There are cases where we haven’t been able to trace who took the victims.”

According to the commission head, the secret detention centre where the missing persons were kept and tortured have been destroyed along with the evidence.

“However, those who are destroying the evidence have been warned that they will be treated as accomplices to those involved in the disappearances. The commission has asked them to not destroy evidence.”