Enforced disappearances: DGFI, RAB, DB, CTTC, CID were linked

A mother with the photo of her enforced disappearance victim son in Bangladesh. Wikimedia Commons._11zon

The initial findings of the Commission of Inquiry on enforced disappearances have reaveled a more dangerous design under which this state crime was committed than it was thought before. 

The findings show the entire law enforcement setup was engaged to commit this nefarious crime and target citizens no way to escape. 

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance in its primary investigation has found the involvement of DGFI, RAB, DB, CTTC, CID and general police with the enforced disappearances and it is going to interrogate the security personnel concerned from November 7, official News Agency BSS reported on Tuesday.

"We cannot tell you the exact number of security personnel, whose involvement was found so far, but we have found the involvement of DGFI, RAB, DB, CTTC, CID and general police men. We are going to interrogate the relevant security personnel from November 7 and we have already issued summons on seven people for the first day of questioning. We may summon three personnel the next time, then seven, then five more, and this will continue," commission chairman Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury said at a press briefing at its commission's auditorium, the report said.

Justice Chowdhury said the commission so far received more than 1,600 complaints, of which 400 have already been scrutinized.

"We have so far scrutinized 400 complaints and interviewed 140 people in this regard. There is a detailed guideline on how to arrest an accused, but that was not followed. They were supposed to produce the accused before the court within 24 hours of the arrest, but the accused were kept confined for days, months, even year after year," he added.

The commission chairman further said most cases of enforced disappearances had political motives. But many became victims of enforced disappearance because of the personal decision of security personnel, he continued.

Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury said the commission has failed to identify more than 200 victims of enforced disappearance.

The government on August 27 had formed the five-member commission to identify and find out the people made disappeared forcibly by the law enforcement agencies from January 6, 2009 to August 5, 2024.

Led by retired judge of the High Court Division Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, the other members of the commission are Justice Farid Ahmed Shibli, human rights activists Nur Khan and Sazzad Hossain, and BRAC University teacher Nabila Idris, the report added.

When these crimes were being committed victims’ families complained of plainclothes police coming and taking away their beloved ones but police always denied their involvement. In some cases the involvement of RAB was mentioned which also used to be denied. 

Victims’ families never dared to mention the name of DGFI in the formative years of the 15-year rule of the AL government. The involvement of CTTC, CID and general police was beyond people’s imagination, although some victim families mentioned the name of DB from time to time.

Apart from these official forces there were armed goons of the ruling party who used to commit crimes against unsuspecting citizens at will under the nose of the law enforcing agencies which now appear to have committed the crimes thsmselves.