Victim of enforced disappearance files 2 complaints with ICT

A victim of enforced disappearance filed two complaints with the ICT chief prosecutor's office yesterday, accusing at least 36 individuals, mostly police officers, including former CTTC chiefs Monirul Islam and Md Asaduzzaman.

The charges are killing of his brother-in-law in a "crossfire" and illegally detaining him for nearly a year.

After submitting the complaint, ABM Mujibur Rahman from Jashore told journalists that he had been a victim of enforced disappearance twice -- first in 2016 for 47 days and again in 2021 for 10 months.

"During my confinement, I was tortured so severely that I still have wounds on my spine," Mujibur said.

He recounted that a Detective Branch (DB) team killed his brother-in-law, Mukul Rana, in 2016 in a so-called "shootout," three months and 26 days after he was abducted by individuals identifying themselves as DB personnel. There was no trace of Mukul from the time he was taken until his death.

Following the killing, police claimed that the deceased was Sakib alias Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif alias Hadi-1, a key suspect in the murder of blogger-writer Avijit Roy. However, Mukul's father, Abul Kalam Azad, asserted that his son's name was Md Mukul Rana.

Mujibur further stated that as he was preparing to hold a press briefing about Mukul's killing -- just four days after Mukul married his sister -- when several individuals detained him from his home in Jashore.

Two months later, he was accused in a case filed at Dakshinkhan Police Station in Dhaka, alleging his involvement with the banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Subsequently, he was shown as arrested in another case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station in 2016. After spending 15 months in jail, he was released on bail.

However, Mujibur said he was picked up again by law enforcers in July 2021, held in secret detention for 10 months, and tortured. In April 2022, another false case was filed against him at Sabujbagh Police Station, leading to his imprisonment. Later that year, another case was lodged against him at Kotwali Police Station in November.

Finally, after multiple legal battles, Mujibur was released on bail on October 18 last year, he said.