By Ashis Biswas
In Bangladesh, over 200 senior army and police officials are currently under investigation for their alleged involvement in forced ‘disappearances’ and related crimes mostly targeting political leaders, social activists and dissidents, during the 15 year long Awami League (AL) rule. Further, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, (BNP) currently ruling the country, plans to introduce new comprehensive legislation to deal with such crimes to ensure that each complaint is probed thoroughly to affix responsibility and ensure justice to affected families.
At least 30 of the officials under the scanner hold high ranks. International as well as domestic human rights groups and activists have welcomed the GOB’s move, seeing it as a significant positive step towards the strengthening of democratic functioning. In comparison with other countries, Bangladesh has taken much longer to join the UN-announced convention /declarations seeking to end the unsavoury practice of using ‘enforced disappearances’ by ruling governments in many countries to weed out political opposition.
It was only under Mohammad Yunus as the country’s chief Administrator of the recent interim Government that Bangladesh decided to crack down against fake encounters, widespread arrests, trumped up charges and selected killings of political opponents during the 2009-2024 period. Yunus announced that a special commission would inquire into the hundreds of allegations received from opposition parties as well as common people. His objective to expose what he described as the shocking misrule of the corrupt AL led by then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier the US had sanctioned several Bangladeshi officials for their alleged involvement in several cases of human rights violation during the AL’s rule.
There was no doubt, said observers, that Yunus was more interested in the exposure and political decimation of the AL along with its supreme leader and his bete noire, Mrs Hasina. However, the Western bloc of countries as expected were appreciative of his supposedly pro-democratic ‘clean up’ act, especially as it was directed against the AL and its leader. Bangladesh under the AL was known for its neutral stand on major international issues, avoiding direct involvement with rival camps of nations. This show of ‘independence’ did not go down well at all in most Western capitals.
The phenomenon of mysterious disappearances of political activists has been a common feature in South Asian politics for some time. In Pakistan, HR groups and political parties allege that over 8500 activists/citizens have gone missing in recent years. Official sources naturally challenge this figure, but most observers seem to agree that not less than 8000 people have disappeared. The bulk of the victims, none too surprisingly, lived in Baluchistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas, where governance in general has been severely challenged by opponents of parties ruling from Islamabad over the years.
In Bangladesh, at least 750 persons have reportedly gone missing during the long AL tenure. The BNP has suffered the most providing nearly 70% of the victims. There have also been instances of absent persons suddenly returning, but mostly they were supporters of jamat e Islami.
As for India, opposition circles allege that during the last decade and before, at least 3900 people have disappeared. Mostly the complaints come from the Jammu and Kashmir region or the Northeastern states.
Ironically the official explanation given by authorities in most countries is similar: Officials say that there are reports and exaggerated media coverage when people disappear, but hardly any publicity follows when they return! The number of missing people also includes many people who commit suicide because of various domestic/economic problems/and for reasons other than political.
Whether in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Kashmir, various insurgent bodies also frequently resort to kidnappings, for ransom or political patronage, carry out planned ambushes and coordinated group attacks. Apart from the army and the police, these groups also attack each other and engage in illegal drugs trade. The drug lords think nothing of ‘eliminating’ or blackmailing those who fail to make regular payments. Such organised groups/gangs hardly bother to arrange the return the bodies of people they kill to the families affected. Police authorities complain of common people not reporting such lawless activities for their obvious fear of organised armed gangs.
While a few officials from the police and other law enforcing agencies have been punished in India and elsewhere for their highhandedness, most punishment was handed out to personnel involved in ‘dubious’ encounters than other crimes. Eight policemen were punished for the death in dubious circumstances in Kashmir some years ago. while a few policemen were also punished in Bangladesh during the AL rule.
But as things stand and given the general deterioration in standards of governance in most countries, with political differences being settled by the use of arms and planned intimidation of public opinion by political rulers, it would be naive to expect things to change for the better. Even neutral observers not necessarily connected with major HR groups like Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty international have adopted a wait and watch policy despite greater international awareness about recent developments. (IPA Service)
