Some of them were students, businessmen or employees. They now share the common identity-disappeared-as groups identifying themselves law enforcers whisked them up. Their family members stick around the hope that their dearest one will return. However, they don't know when. They also are unaware about the trace of the loving one used to live together.
These days of uncertainty are tormenting, said the relatives of the missing people claiming if the disappeared one committed any crime, he or she could be put in the dock. But, what they can't bear is remaining in total dark not even knowing whether their family member is alive or dead.
Families of 50 disappeared people gathered at the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) yesterday and held a mass hearing. They appeared holing photos of the disappeared, weeping and praying. There was a thin curtain of sadness shrouded the environment striking the audience. Right activist Noor Khan moderated the program.
The gathering in their statistics said at least 727 people have been victimized of disappearance, extrajudicial killing and torture since 2013. A few of the missing returned, most of them are still traceless even after some 25 press conferences have been held seeking their trace.
The relatives separately at several times submitted memos to the government, however, none got positive feedback. Rehana Khanam Munni came to the program demanding trace of his brother Pintu, who was allegedly picked by police in 2014.
Afroza Islam Akhi also came for his brother, Sajedul Islam Sumon. "Sumon was taken by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and later went missing," she said. There were also horrific and touching narrations from Fauzia Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Sumi Akter and Manjur Mawla. All of them alleged either DB or RAB for "kidnapping their relatives".
BSD general secretary Khalequzzaman at the mass hearing said: "We want to believe that we live in a civilized society. It can't be tolerated that someone will just vanish in broad daylight and the state will not take any responsibility."
He urged people to combat the culture of forced disappearance. Ex-MP Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, meantime, urged the ruling people to witness the pain of the victim families appearing the JPC. "We are demanding trace of the disappeared.
Apart from, law enforcing agency personnel must be brought to book who murdered people in any name of extrajudicial killings," she added. Mother of Sajedul Islam Sumon, a disappeared youth, Hajera Khatun presided over the hearing while Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Dhaka University Prof Asif Nazrul, Dr Mahfuzullah, Dr CR Abrar, Nasir Uddin Elan, leftist leader Jonayed Saki and Ruhin Hosen Prince were present among others.
-AA Correspondent
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