Khaled Hasan, the central co-coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and a student of Dhaka University’s Arabic Department, returned to his dormitory on Tuesday night after reportedly going missing for five days.
According to Abdul Quader, coordinator of the movement, Khaled “disappeared” and is now in a fragile mental and physical state.
"He is too scared to speak to anyone," Quader told reporters on Wednesday, adding that Khaled has been admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Quader recounted Khaled’s ordeal, citing conversations he had with him. “On Friday afternoon, while travelling by rickshaw from TSC to Doel Chattar, Khaled lost consciousness for unknown reasons. When he regained consciousness, he found himself inside a microbus near a petrol pump in Sunamganj, accompanied by two or three unknown individuals. He fainted again shortly after.”
The next time Khaled regained consciousness, he found himself in Panchagarh inside the same microbus. Later, he woke up by the side of a road in Barisal, from where a passerby helped him return to Dhaka.
Professor Dr Md Faruk Shah, principal of Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall, confirmed that Khaled had been in a distressed state upon his return.
“I spoke to him briefly, but he appeared too scared to share his experience. He looked weak, and doctors found that his blood pressure was elevated. He is currently being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and we hope he will eventually provide a full account of the incident,” the professor said.
Khaled was reported missing by his family on Friday. Coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement said Khaled was last seen early Friday morning participating in a 21km marathon in Purbachal’s Jalsindi residential area. After the race, he dropped a friend off in Farmgate and returned to the university on his motorcycle at 10:43am, as seen on CCTV footage at his dormitory.
CCTV footage also revealed that Khaled’s dorm room was locked from the outside. Friends later unlocked it and found his Android phone inside.
The circumstances surrounding Khaled's disappearance and return remain unclear, with investigations ongoing.