The investigation committee found India’s involvement in the disappearances in Bangladesh. Highlighting intelligence information about the prisoner exchange process between the two countries and the possible outcome for the detainees, the committee said in its report that India’s involvement in the disappearances in Bangladesh has become a public issue.
The five-member committee headed by former Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury recently submitted the report titled “Uncovering the Truth” to Senior Advisor Professor Dr. Muhammad surrendered to Yunus.
The committee said there was a strong indication among law enforcement agencies that some detainees may still be in Indian prisons.
According to the committee, we request the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs to make every effort to trace any Bangladeshi national who remains in detention in India. It is not within the jurisdiction of the Committee to investigate this matter outside the borders of Bangladesh.
There are two incidents discussed frequently in the report that provide important evidence for understanding how the disappearances were carried out.
One of the two incidents is the incident of Sukhranjan Bali, who was kidnapped from the headquarters of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and appeared in the Indian prison, and the other incident is the incident of the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Salahuddin Ahmed.
In addition to these incidents, Hammam Qadir Chowdhury said he was overheard speaking in Hindi outside the prison, where it was said – “When was he arrested?” Did you give any information? What has been questioned so far? etc.
According to the committee, the case of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salahuddin Ahmed represents an example of some of the working methods of the prisoner exchange system between Bangladesh and India.
After he was caught hiding in Ottara in 2015, he said he was held in an abandoned cell with a hole in the floor that was being used as a toilet.
The blanket he was given was emblazoned with the letters “TFI,” which stands for Task Force Interrogation.
They said the only TFI center active at the time was under the supervision of the RAB Intelligence Wing, which, although operating under the RAB headquarters, was inside a gated compound at the RAB 1 Battalion Headquarters in Uttara in Dhaka.
The committee visited the facility and confirmed that the RAB’s intelligence wing still controlled access to it and held the keys to it. However, the structure’s internal infrastructure was completely destroyed some time ago.
“Witness testimonies helped us identify various parts of the building, including the location of the notorious torture chamber and its cells,” the committee’s report said.
They said interviews with military personnel who visited the TFI Center in early and mid-2010 revealed that the facility at one time contained an additional floor with several cells, which is now inaccessible.
“We are still waiting for more evidence,” the report said. However, it was initially suspected that Salah El-Din Ahmed was currently being held in one of the destroyed cells. Salahuddin said he was taken to the India-Bangladesh border where he was handed over to Indian officials.
The report also said that the formal nature of the handover, which took place within Indian territory, and the presence of suspected members of the Bangladeshi security forces wearing “jam hats” to conceal their identities, clearly indicate that it was a high-level coordination between the governments of the two countries and the security forces involved.
According to the report, interviews conducted with military personnel assigned to the RAB’s intelligence wing yielded more information about the prisoner exchange process between the two countries and the possible consequences for the detainees.
The report also notes that “an army man described being present at two separate incidents around 2011 when the RAB’s intelligence wing received three prisoners from India through the Tamabile border crossing.” At that time, uniformed personnel of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) were present there.
“In one incident, two prisoners were killed on the side of the road after being kidnapped,” the report said. In another incident, a prisoner was taken alive and handed over to another group in Bangladesh.
“In return, the RAB’s intelligence wing handed over two Bangladeshi prisoners to India,” the report noted.
The committee said that this formal coordination between security services, even if military personnel could not name detainees, indicated the institutional and cross-border nature of disappearances.
“However, a more detailed analysis is needed to fully understand the extent of the Indian authorities’ involvement and what this means for both countries,” the committee said.