The case of Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the student movement for quota reform, allegedly being abducted for more than 24 hours and then released under mysterious circumstances needs to be investigated without delay.
It is worth nothing that Nahid was not part of the delegation which met with government representatives eventually reaching an agreement over their demands, but he is said to have been instrumental to the movement nonetheless.
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune’s Dhaka University correspondent, Nahid’s description of his abductors and captors strongly suggests that they were law enforcement or somehow related to our law enforcement/security apparatus.
The entire quota reform movement has been met with heavy-handed response from our law enforcement, and in that context allegations of Nahid’s abduction at their hands does not sound beyond the bounds of credibility.
There is no justification whatsoever in a citizen being picked up by the law enforcement, regardless of their public profile, without any legal precedence. The fact that Nahid was abducted for well over 24 hours and left blindfolded without any bearing of his surroundings goes against all of his rights as a citizen.
The quota movement has already seen more than its fair share of questionable conduct when it comes to our executive powers. Nahid’s alleged abduction by our law enforcement only further perpetuates the notion that they are anything but in service to the public.
The government has already shown that it is indeed capable of acting in a reasonable manner in that it listened, albeit eventually, to the students and has appeared to have reached an agreement over their demands.
Which is why it must now do the needful in ensuring Nahid’s abductors are fully investigated and that the matter is not swept under the carpet.
Abduction, isolation, and intimidation cannot ever be a legitimate tool of law enforcement. We must get to the bottom of these very credible allegations and ensure that those responsible are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
This editorial piece was first published in the print edition of Dhaka Tribune on July 21, 2024.
