With the help of technology, target persons were secretly abducted in novel ways. The disappearance process was carried out in several layers so that those involved in the misdeeds could not be identified later. A team of law enforcement and security forces picked up the target person, while another group was used to detain and torture. They were handed over to another group after torture. The last group would release someone under strict conditions. Some were sent to jail with criminal cases, and some were killed with a novel technique. All the misdeeds happened late at night. Disappearances are organized in five categories: abduction, detention, torture, killing, and release. Two types of methods were used to make someone disappear. Many times the names of others were obtained by arresting and torturing someone. After that, those who were named were arrested and tortured. Thus they would all disappear. Disappearances and torture were also carried out on the direct orders of politically influential persons or top leaders.
The gruesome details of brutal torture have been found in the public part of the interim report submitted by the Commission of Inquiry into disappearances to Chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Younus. The report blamed Sheikh Hasina for the disappearance. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), involved in the disappearances, has been recommended to be abolished at the same time.
Regarding the recommendation to abolish RAB, former IG of Police Noor Mohammad told Khaborer Kagoj, "There is always good or bad discussion about this national institution. RAB is a unit of 'Mixed Forces' structure. There is currently a lot of opprobrium in the case of RAB. The decision to abolish RAB on the missing-crossfire issue will depend on the government in this case. But before that, it is necessary to review the effect of abolishing RAB and whether it will be good or bad for the state and society. It would be better if any decision is taken through that review.”
According to the report, similar secret prisons (Ayna Ghor) were built so that those who were released after the disappearance could not identify the place or give an accurate description of the incident. Among them, the prisons of Narayanganj, Chittagong, and Mohammadpur were similar. These prisons have been built in a very planned way.
All the abductions happened at night. In the 'Hayes' microbus, the target person was picked up in plain clothes in the identity of the administration. The victims were blindfolded and handcuffed immediately after being loaded into the vehicle. The target person was picked up in the 'Hayes' microbus in the guise of the administration. The victims were blindfolded and handcuffed immediately after being loaded into the vehicle.The entire abduction was done so quickly that even the people around did not realize that anyone had been abducted. When the families of the abductees went to the police, they asked them to go to the DB, and the DB would refer them to another agency. The victim's family has been subjected to harassment day after day.
RAB, the Detective Branch (DB), and CTTC (Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime) units of the police have played a major role in the disappearance. The names of the National Intelligence Agency (NSI) and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) have also surfaced. However, many of the lower-ranking security personnel of these agencies claim that they did not know who was detained or why. These incidents took place under the direct supervision of senior officers.
Surveillance with technology
Mobile technology was used to identify the location of the victims in cases of disappearances. The National Monitoring Center (NMC) under DGFI and later the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) conducted surveillance through mobiles. The targeted person would then be kidnapped.
Detention and torture
Detainees were usually kept in secret dark rooms and subjected to brutal torture. Detention sometimes lasted for 48 hours, sometimes weeks, even months. Generally, all these torture arrangements were in different establishments of RAB and DGFI. Special torture equipment was used, especially in military-run prisons, including soundproof rooms and various devices designed for physical and mental torture.
Some may be imprisoned in India as well.
The disappearances are part of an international conspiracy not only in Bangladesh. There is evidence of Indian involvement in particular. In this case, some Bangladeshi victims of disappearance may still be imprisoned in Indian prisons. It is beyond the commission's jurisdiction to trace them. Therefore, it has been recommended to the Ministry of External Affairs and Home Affairs to make maximum efforts to identify those Bangladeshi nationals who are believed to be still in Indian jails.
The case of transferring Sukhranjan Bali and BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed to India after their disappearance is cited here as an example. Apart from this, Hammam Quader Chowdhury, son of late BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, listened to the Hindi-speaking people in his detention. Apart from this, several people have been brought from India and killed at the Sylhet border. Some people again caught from Bangladesh and sent to India.
Statistics
From 2009 to 2024, a total of 1,676 cases of enforced disappearance have been reported in the 15-and-a-half-year period. Of these, the commission reviewed 758 complaints. A peak of 130 occurred in 2016 and 21 by August 5, 2024. 73 percent of the missing victims have returned alive; 27 percent are still missing. The returnees were charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, Arms Act, Special Powers Act, or Digital Security Act.
