Rizvi: All enforced disappearances were backed by state

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed has alleged that on the orders of the government, law enforcement agencies picked up Ilias Ali, along with his driver Ansar Ali, from Banani Road no 2, Dhaka on April 17, 2012.

He made these allegations at a press conference organized at Naya Paltan in the capital on Wednesday.

BNP Central Committee ex-organizing secretary, Sylhet District BNP ex-president, former member of parliament M Ilias Ali has been missing for 12 years.

Rizvi said that countless leaders and activists of BNP including his wife, children and family are still waiting to get him back.

"Due to Ilias Ali's uncompromising struggle against the authoritarian Sheikh Hasina government and his leadership in the mass movement in the Sylhet region against the Tipaimukh Dam and the border killings, he was the main cause of the headache of the state apparatus and domestic and foreign evil forces. Ilias Ali stood against hegemony. Jealous of his popularity and organizational skills, the government failed to deal with him politically and the fascist government has disappeared him," he said.

A general diary (GD) was filed at the police station after the disappearance, a case was filed in the court. Even then, the Sheikh Hasina government did not return him. In search of Ilias Ali, the law enforcement forces are seen performing a farce of raids in various parts of the country. The government also stopped the hearing of Ilias Ali's wife Tahsina Rushdi's Writ Petition in the High Court, he added.

“Those who speak out against the undemocratic government are very consciously removed, disappeared or being transported to India,” Rizvi said.

“The proof of this is former state minister and member of the BNP national standing committee, Salahuddin Ahmed, who has gone missing. He was smuggled to India after being missing for two months. There they left him unconscious,” he added.

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, 623 people went missing from January 2009 to June 2022. According to the latest report published by the Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar, 16 people have gone missing in the country from January to June 2023. 8 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings during this period. Among them, three people died in the crossfire of law enforcement forces. More than 650 people have gone missing so far. According to the Ain O Salish Kendra, more than 600 people have gone missing in the last 15 years, Rizvi claimed.