Quota reform movement leader Faruk disappears

Faruk Hossain, a Dhaka University student who is one of leaders of the ongoing demonstration demanding quota reforms, has been missing since Monday.

His brother has complained about his disappearance, but the police said they did not know anything about 'someone named Faruk'.

Faruk Hossain, joint convenor of Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokhon Parishad, was allegedly picked up by the ruling party-backed student activists from Central Shaheed Minar area in the capital on Monday morning.

Following Faruk’s disappearance, his brother Md Ariful Islam searched for him at the Shahbag, Ramna, New Market police stations on Tuesday, but he was not found anywhere.

On Monday, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League attacked a human chain of quota reform activists led by Faruk on the Central Shaheed Minar premises.

A member of the ruling party student wing later picked up Faruk and handed over him to the Shahbag police station.

Faruk’s brother Ariful told Prothom Alo that a certain Al Amin, a member of Bangladesh Chhatra League, confessed to him that he took Faruk to Shahbag police station.

The BCL activist Al Amin also told Prothom Alo that he took Faruk to Shahbag police station by motorbike on Monday.

When contacted over phone and SMS, Shahbag police station officer-in-charge Abu Hasan did not respond.

At one stage, the Shahbag police station on-duty officer Ramzan Hossain answered the phone and told Prothom Alo that there was no one named Faruk at the police station.

No case was filed against Faruk with the police station either, he added.