Buriganga River, Kanchon Bridge and Postogola Bridge have been among the specific sites for the killing and disposal of bodies of the enforced disappearance victims, according to the first interim report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.
The report, submitted yesterday (14 December) to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, said victims of enforced disappearances have exited the system through either of two channels: they are either killed or they are released into the criminal justice system.
It said only a small number of victims were released without any charges being filed against them.
“After enduring torture, interrogation, and prolonged captivity in secret detention facilities, many victims reported that their captors ultimately admitted they were not involved in any criminal activity. Despite this, the captors justified filing cases against these individuals, arguing — in several instances within earshot of the victims — that their enforced disappearance could not simply be reversed without a formal explanation,” read the report.
To cover up the illegal nature of their enforced disappearance, these victims were then “shown arrested” and implicated in fabricated cases.
The report also said the commission received some verified reports detailing the methods of execution.
In cases where bodies were recovered, post-mortem examinations revealed that the victims had been shot in the head and disposed of in rivers with cement bags tied to their bodies, said the report.
It said military officers who had served in RAB described this method as standard procedure to ensure that the bodies would sink. Specific sites for killing and disposal of bodies included the Buriganga River, Kanchan Bridge, Postogola Bridge, etc.
The Postogola Bridge location, in particular, had a boat — confiscated during a raid on a pirate den in the Sundarbans — that had been modified for use in these nefarious operations.
Officers were frequently active participants in these executions, according to the report.
The commission quoted one witness, identified as the commander of a RAB battalion, who talked about an “orientation” session conducted by the then head of the force’s intelligence wing, during which two victims were shot on a bridge in front of him as part of his initiation into RAB.
Another soldier, previously deputed to RAB Intelligence, described a victim attempting to escape by jumping into the river. He retrieved the victim, who was immediately executed on the spot.
There were other methods of killing and disposing of the bodies of the enforced disappearance victims.
The commission, in its interim report, quoted one soldier being ordered to carry a body to a railway line in Dhaka, where it was placed on the tracks. After placing the body on the railway tracks, the officers and soldiers waited in their vehicle until a train passed, dismembering the body.
In another instance, a surviving victim described being pushed onto a highway in front of an oncoming vehicle by a police officer. By chance, the vehicle swerved and avoided hitting him.
The officer, unwilling to make a second attempt, abandoned the effort, sparing the victim’s life.
The commission observed that these reports indicate the methods of execution were varied but shared a common intent to eliminate the victims and, in some cases, dispose of their remains in ways that would “prevent recovery or identification.”
The report disproved claims that these practices were the work of rogue officers. The systemic nature of these practices, involving multiple locations and agencies, highlights the coordinated efforts behind these crimes.
The commission also observed the necessity of an in-depth investigation to fully uncover the scale and specifics of these operations of enforced disappearances.
2016 saw highest number of enforced disappearances
The interim report said 1,676 complaints of enforced disappearances have been lodged to the inquiry commission since its creation on 27 August this year, a shy of 20 days after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina through a mass uprising.
While the commission estimated the number of enforced disappearances in the country would cross 3,500, it could scrutinise 758 of them as of submitting its first interim report yesterday.
At least 17% or 130 of these 758 enforced disappearances took place in 2016 alone, and 27% of those victims remain missing to this day.
The second-highest number of enforced disappearances in a year, 89, took place in 2018, followed by 84 in 2017, 78 in 2015 and 73 in 2013, according to the report.
