Dhaka, Apr 19 (bdnews24.com) – The High Court on Thursday asked the government why it should not be ordered to produce BNP leader M Ilias Ali before it.
The bench of justices Farid Ahmad and Sheikh Hassan Arif issued the rule on Thursday following a writ petition filed by the missing BNP organising secretary's wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna.
The home secretary, inspector general of police (IGP), assistant IGP (Special Branch), additional IGP (Criminal Investigation Department), Dhaka deputy commissioner, director general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, deputy commissioner (Detective Branch), Banani Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) and Gulshan Police Station OC were asked to respond within 10 days.
The petition alleges that law enforcers detained Ilias on his way home on late Tuesday night. But he has not been presented to any court even more than 36 hours after he had been picked up and that there was no information from any authority about his location, Luna said in the petition.
The law enforcers are holding him in a secret location and torturing him, the petition says.
The petition also alleges that the incumbent government has filed a number of 'false' cases against him and law enforcers made attempts to 'detain him illegally' in the past also. But he secured bail in all the cases.
Banani police found Ilias's car abandoned in front of South Point School and College near Amtali crossing in Mohakhali around 1:30am on Wednesday. His family alleged that he has been missing since then.
Tahsina filed a general diary with Banani police on Wednesday morning.
The BNP has alleged that this is a case of 'forced disappearance' and blames the government for the incident.
The opposition party has called a countrywide dawn-dusk shutdown on Sunday. A shutdown is also being enforced in four districts of the Sylhet division on Thursday.
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