Families ask govt to bring them back

The aggrieved families of 19 people, who were allegedly picked up by law enforcers about two years ago and never returned, have demanded that the government take necessary steps to bring them back.

They made the demand at a press briefing at the capital's Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

The 19 people were picked up between November 28 and December 11 in 2013 from different places in the capital and Narayanganj, said family members.

In addition to writing to the home ministry, the families of the missing formed human chains and held press conferences several times over the last two years, seeking help from the government to know whether the victims were detained or dead or alive. But all their efforts went in vain.

According to the family members, most of them were students. Some of them were leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated bodies.

Eight of them were picked up within six hours between 8:00pm on December 4 and 2:00am on December 5 in 2013.

They are Sajedul Islam Suman, Zahidul Karim Tanvir, Mazharul Islam Russel, Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Masum, Asaduzzaman Rana, Al Amin, Adnan Chowdhury and Kawsar Ahmed.

Family members of the eight alleged that Rapid Action Battalion-1 picked up six of them from the capital's Bashundhara residential area while they were hanging out there, and two others from Shaheenbagh.

One of the victims picked up from Basundhara was Sajedul, general secretary of ward-38 of BNP's Dhaka city unit.

Lt Col Tuhin Mohammad Masud, commanding officer of Rab-1, denied that Rab was involved in picking up the eight.

He, however, said they had received allegations from some of the victims' families about these disappearances.

Apart from the eight, 11 others who were reportedly picked up by detectives and Rab personnel are: Khalid Hasan, Samrat Mollah, Jahirul Islam (Habibur Bashar Jahir), Mohammad Sohel, Parvez Hossain, Mohammad Sohel Chanchal, Nizamuddin Munna, Tariqul Islam Jhantu, Mahbub Hasan Sujan, Kazi Farhad and Selim Reza Pintu.

According to a written statement provided to the media, plainclothes detectives picked up Khalid and Samrat from in front of Dhaka Central Jail on November 28.

Jahirul, Sohel, Parvez and Chanchal were picked up by detectives and plainclothes men from Shahbagh area on December 2.

Nizamuddin and Tariqul were picked up by Rab personnel from Mollartek under Dakkhinkhan Police Station on December 6.

Mahbub and Farhad were picked up by detectives and plainclothes men from Narayanganj on December 7.

Selim was picked up by plainclothes men from his house at the capital's Pallabi on December 11.

Family members of the missing kept breaking down in tears while speaking about their loved ones at yesterday's press briefing.

"It has been two years. I cannot endure the pain anymore," said Hazera Khatun, Sajedul's mother.

She sought the prime minister's intervention in finding her son.

Shamsuddin Mollah, father of Nizamuddin Munna, wanted to know if his son was buried somewhere. "If so, I want to see that soil," he said.

Rabbi, son of Sohel, said his father went to Shahbagh on December 1 to buy some flowers for him as it was his birthday.

"Since then, he did not return home."

Hridi, daughter of Parvez, demanded that her father be brought back soon so that she could go to school with him.

Syeda Shammi Sultana, wife of Khalid Hasan Sohel, said her son wanted to know how long he had to stay without his father.

Sujan's brother Shakib said they searched for Sujan everywhere but could not trace him.

"I cannot even ask my two nephews [Sujan's sons] whether they can recall their father," he said.

Contacted, Muntasirul Islam, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, claimed that whenever detectives pick up any suspect, they follow appropriate legal procedure, and produce the detainees before the court in due time.

"If the missing people were not produced before the court, then it could be said that detectives didn't pick them up," he told The Daily Star over the phone.

The DMP official added that they would enquire into the allegations raised by the families.