A team from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Thursday evening visited the office of Maayer Daak to arrest Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Shajedul Islam Sumon, who has been missing for over 12 years after allegedly becoming a victim of enforced disappearance.
Sumon鈥檚 sister, Sanjida Islam Tulee, co-founder of Maayer Daak 鈥� an organisation campaigning for justice for victims of enforced disappearance 鈥� said Sumon was abducted on December 4, 2013, allegedly by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) during the previous Awami League government.
According to Tulee, a four-member police team from Tejgaon Police Station arrived at their family residence, which also houses the Maayer Daak office, around 7:15 pm on Thursday.
She stated the team reportedly came on the orders of the deputy commissioner of DMP鈥檚 Tejgaon Division and the officer-in-charge of Tejgaon police station.
鈥楶olice stayed for over 40 minutes,鈥� Tulee said.
鈥楾his kind of harassment is unacceptable, especially in the post-uprising period of Bangladesh. It鈥檚 a continuation of what we endured during the 13 years of the Sheikh Hasina regime,鈥� she said.
The DMP later issued a press statement expressing regret over the incident, saying the officers were unaware that the address belonged to a victim of enforced disappearance.
Tejgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mobarak Hossain confirmed that the visit was part of a routine check on outstanding arrest warrants.
鈥楾he officers involved were newly posted and did not fully understand the situation,鈥� he said.
He added that he personally visited the house afterwards and apologised to the family.
Sumon reportedly faces three arrest warrants 鈥� two from 2013 and one from 2014.
Sumon鈥檚 family alleged that RAB personnel abducted him and seven others from Dhaka鈥檚 Bashundhara Residential Area on December 4, 2013.
鈥楾heir whereabouts have remained unknown ever since,鈥� Tulee said.
Though the previous Awami League government launched internal investigations into the cases, no conclusive findings have been released.
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