Dhaka: Bangladesh government on Wednesday ordered
police to probe the reported "secret" killings of at least 10
people.
"We came to know about the reports of secret killings
through different newspapers and law enforcement agencies were
directed to launch investigations," Home Minister Shahara
Khatun told newsmen here.
"The investigations are already underway... whether it is
planned murders or kidnaps, I have asked law enforcers to
investigate them after seeing media reports," she added.
According to recent newspaper reports, 22 people were
abducted or were missing in the past 11 months from Dhaka and
outside, while bodies of 10 of them were recovered later from
the capital and elsewhere of the country.
Bangla newspaper `Prothom Alo` in a recent report said
plainclothesmen identifying them as members of elite
anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) abducted three youths
belonging to the student wing of main opposition Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) on November 28 from Hatirpool area of
the capital.
The decomposed bodies of two of them were recovered 10
days later from the Dhaleswari River at the city outskirts.
But another report claimed 22 people who were abducted or
killed, several belonged also to ruling Awami League and its
ally Jatiya Party but in several cases the victims were faced
with several criminal cases in court.
Asked for comments about the reports that the secret
killing victims were abducted by people who identified them as
members of the law enforcement agencies, Sahara said it was
police who recovered the bodies and "they are recovering the
bodies as soon as they are found".
Khatun, however, refrained from making comments as asked
if she had any intelligence information about the "forced
disappearance" and "killings".
Earlier, Inspector General of police Hassan Mahmud
Khondker said the criminals often tend to use their fake
identities as members of law enforcement agencies while
abducting people.
PTI
