It has been one month since BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed was abducted from a house in Uttara by men reportedly showing Detective Branch IDs.
Law enforcement agencies formally denied any involvement and say that they have tried to trace him without any success.
A DMP probe committee investigating his family’s allegations that he was picked up by law enforcement personnel, has not announced any leads in the case.
During the time since his disappearance, Anowar Hossain and Helal Uddin, the two Bangladeshi oil workers abducted during a violent kidnapping by a militant group in Libya have seen their ordeal end and have safely been returned home. They were fortunate. The fate of Salahuddin and the dozens of people who are kidnapped or disappear each year in Bangladesh, remains uncertain.
While some of the over 300 cases of abduction which have occurred since 2007, can be linked to extortion and other criminal purposes, allegations of individuals being abducted into secret detention by law enforcers remains a major concern.
According to Ain O Salish Kendra, there were 88 victims of forced disappearances during 2014. Of these people, 46 have been found, half produced or found in the custody of law enforcers, and the remainder found dead.
The government must do more to fulfill its duty to protect all citizens. It must prioritise support for law enforcers in finding Salahuddin and other victims. It must also ensure that any allegations of involvement by law enforcers are fully and openly investigated and all criminal perpetrators are held to account.