Commission finds India’s involvement in enforced disappearance

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance has found India’s involvement in enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.

The five-member commission led by retired justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury recently handed over the report titled ‘Unfolding The Truth’ to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna.

The commission said there is a persistent suggestion in law enforcement circles that some prisoners may still remain in Indian jails.

“We recommend the Ministries of Foreign and Home extend their best efforts to identify any Bangladeshi citizens who may still remain incarcerated in India. It is beyond the jurisdiction of the commission to follow this trail outside Bangladesh,” it said.

There are two highly publicised cases that provide valuable insights into how such operations were carried out: the case of Shukhranjan Bali, abducted from Bangladesh Supreme Court premises who resurfaced subsequently in an Indian jail, and that of BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed, the report said.

Besides these incidents, Hummam Quader Chowdhury describes hearing Hindi-speaking people outside his cell inquiring about the condition of his captivity, such as: 'When was he picked up? Has he given any information? What interrogation has been done yet?' etc.

BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed's case exemplifies certain practices of the Bangladesh-India rendition system, the commission said.

Detained while hiding at Uttara in 2015, he recounts being imprisoned in a barren cell, where a hole in the ground served as a toilet, the report said.

The blanket provided to him bore the letters "TFI", indicative of "Task Force for Interrogation".

During that period, the only operational TFI centre that we know of was managed by RAB Intelligence Wing working under the aegis of RAB Headquarters, although it was located within a walled compound inside RAB 1 Battalion Headquarters at Uttara, Dhaka, it said.

The commission has since visited this location and confirmed that RAB Intelligence Wing still controls access to it, including holding the keys thereof.

“Whilst we await further corroboration, we preliminarily suspect Salahuddin Ahmed was held in one of these now-destroyed cells. Ahmed describes being transported to the India-Bangladesh border, where he was handed over to the officials on the Indian side,” the report added.

The formal nature of the handover, combined with the presence of suspected Bangladeshi security personnel wearing "jom tupi" (a type of disguise that covers the entire head) well inside Indian territory to avoid recognition, underscores the high level of coordination between the two governments and their respective security forces, it also said.

Interviews with soldiers deputed to RAB Intelligence have yielded further information about the practice of captive exchanges between the two countries and the possible subsequent fate of the detainees, the report continued.

One soldier described being present on two occasions circa 2011 when RAB Intelligence received three captives from India via the Tamabil border crossing in the presence of uniformed Indian Border Security Force personnel, it said.

“On one occasion, two captives were received and subsequently killed by the side of the road after the exchange. On another occasion, one captive was received and handed over alive to another team inside Bangladesh,” the report said.

In return, RAB Intelligence handed over two captives from Bangladesh to India, it mentioned.

Whilst the soldier was unable to furnish us with the names of the captives, this level of official security service coordination underscores the systemic and transnational nature of enforced disappearances, the commission said.

“Nevertheless, more detailed analysis will be required to fully understand the extent of the involvement of the Indian authorities and its implications for both the countries,” it added.