RAB did not abduct Laksham BNP men: Police

Witnesses say that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has abducted two leaders of BNP in Laksham, Comilla. The two missing leaders are former member of parliament Saiful Islam (Hiru) and Humayun Kabir Parvez. However, Laksham police have submitted a report to the court saying that RAB was not involved in the incident. "Perhaps they were abducted by miscreants," the report stated.

The families of the two missing leaders have rejected this report of the police. They say that it was RAB members who abducted Saiful Islam and Humayun Kabir Parvez. There are two eye witnesses too. The police have been inactive about the matter. They have submitted their report to the court without questioning the RAB members against whom specific allegations have been made.

Mohammed Abu Bakr Khan, investigating officer (IO) of the case and sub-inspector (SI) of Laksham police station, submitted the report on 9 September, though they kept the matter secret. They did not even inform the families of the two missing leaders. The matter came to light on Thursday.

Golam Faruk, brother of the missing Parvez, tells Prothom Alo, "We do not accept this investigation report. It has no bearing with the statements of the witnesses. We will place our objection to this report in court."

Farida Islam, wife of Saiful Islam, says, "The police had made up this report and we do not accept it."

SI Mohammed Abu Bakr Khan says, "We have submitted a two-page report to the court. People are saying many things about it. I do not want to talk about it. We are in a fix over the report."

According to the families of the two missing leaders, on 27 November 2013, Laksham district BNP president Saiful Islam, municipal BNP President Humayun Kabir Parvez, and municipal BNP associate organising secretary (presently an Awami League leader) Jasim Uddin had been coming to Dhaka in an ambulance during the opposition's blockade programme. Members of RAB-11 stopped the ambulance at Harishchar road in Comilla and took away three leaders. Later the RAB members handed over Jasim Uddin along with 10 others to the Laksham police. Those 10 others were picked up that night by RAB from Saiful Islam's business establishment in Laksham.

RAB did not admit to detaining Saiful Islam and Parzez. Later Jasim Uddin and the ambulance driver Mohammed Sadeq both told the police and journalists that RAB has picked up these two.

The police did not accept any case the families tried to file at the police station.

The police report says, "At 9:15 in the night of the incident, political party elements had blocked the roads. It was suspected that the miscreants abducted the leaders during the general strike... Though witnesses claim that RAB abducted the victims, no supporting evidence had been found."