Shakhawat Hossain
Over the last few days, two missing persons—University teacher Mubashar Hasan and Journalist Utpal Das—fortunately returned home but were unable to tell who their abductors were. However, Kalyan Party leader Aminur Rahman who too had been missing for nearly four months was allegedly discovered in Gulshan and shown arrested by the police on the next day.
It is surprising that the government also does not know who are responsible for secret killings and enforced disappearances although these incidences are, after all, putting a clear blemish on the government’s reputation at home and abroad.
Such mysterious disappearance and reappearance of individuals from various walks of life, and the government’s apathy in investigating their cases as well as the contradictory explanations , only increase a feeling of insecurity among citizens.
There is no reason to believe that the missing people have returned because of the law enforcers’ active and efficient operations, since not only on a single occasion the police could rescue at least one from their respective abductors. On the contrary, Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal has only to say that the government is not responsible and the matter is being investigated. Depending on the amount of information provided by the missing persons returned our police and intelligence agencies have yet not been able to show any success in catching the culprits. This cannot be unless the law-enforcing agencies are thoroughly incompetent which we cannot accept. Another possibility is that those who are responsible for secret disappearances and secret killings enjoy protection of highest order. Motive may be to create panic and cause silence about the wrongs of the government. The trend is dangerous for organising a civilised country for safety and security of life.
NHRC to bring the matter to President!
The National Human Rights Commission [NHRC] has finally and reportedly decided to bring the matter to President’s attention after being failed to get apparently ‘no response’ from the Home Ministry about specific allegations against law enforcement agency members regarding increasing incidents of human rights violation,
According to information available, the NHRC has sent letters to the Home Ministry seeking reports on human rights violation on 185 incidents — particularly abduction, force disappearance and extra-judicial killing. But it has not got any response.
“We’ll inform the matter to the President. The NHRC is a State organization. We’ve got the right to seek report from Home Ministry on human violations. The government service holders are accountable to the people. If they fail to accomplish their duty, stern action should be taken against them,” Chairman of NHRC Kazi Reazul Hoque told a daily on Sundaynight.
The NHRC Chief said, “As the President is the Head of the state, he can taken decision about what action will be taken. If the President thinks, he can send the matter in the Parliament.”
Despite increasing incidents of human rights violations, including abduction, force disappearance and extra-judicial killing; the NHRC has allegedly failed to take any effective steps to deal with the matter.
Although the NHRC Chief has expressed anxiety at the increasing number of human rights violation incidents across the country, in fact the commission was able to investigate four incidents only in the ongoing year.
Interestingly, the NHRC tried to shift blame on the shoulders of the law enforcement agencies, especially the Home Ministry, alleging that they do not bother several letters sent to the Home Ministry. In most cases, the Ministry did not even feel it necessary to respond.
In this backdrop, the NHRC has taken further initiatives to prepare another list of allegations with update information in a bid to send to the Home Ministry and police headquarters.
Expressing annoyance, the NHRC Chairman said, “It is a total failure of Home Ministry. It seems, the Home Ministry doesn’t do any work. Whereas, they are bound to give report to the NHRC.”
“If we seek any report about specific allegations against any member of police and other law enforcement agencies, the Home Ministry doesn’t pay any heed. In this regard, they are violating the country’s existing law. Now, the state will have to act accordingly,” he said.
How much Police interested in investigating into disappearances?
According to a Bangladeshi human rights organization, more than 400 people have been missing since January 2009 till November this year. Three of those disappeared have surfaced in the last few days.
After being missing for almost four months, police said that they have the arrest the Secretary General of Bangladesh Kalyan Party MM Aminur Rahman. Missing journalist Utpal Das was also found in Narayanganj after more than two months of disappearance.
On the other hand, missing university teacher Mubashar Hasan Cesar also came back home after around a month and a half. These two cases have been almost identical. But the question is how much police have investigated into those incidents of disappearances? While talking to BBC, Bangla service, human rights activist Nur Khan Liton alleged that that police is found to be remained inactive or not serious in the investigation into such abduction cases.
Against such panicky situation, we must question the government about its lack of interest when it comes to investigating these incidents. If the criminal gangs that are carrying out these heinous disappearances then why isn’t the government trying harder to apprehend them? What is the government gaining by not getting to the deep of these phenomenon? Isn’t it, in fact, self-defeating?
- Author is a freelance writer.
- Courtesy : Holiday
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