Probe allegations of enforced disappearances, torture: HRW tells govt

Human Rights Watch has said Bangladesh authorities should investigate recent allegations of enforced disappearances and torture including by police members of the Detective Branch (DB) of police.

“Bangladesh’s Detective Branch has previously been implicated in allegations of grave human rights abuses by local human rights groups, including enforced disappearances and torture, “Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said on Friday.

The New York-based rights watchdog said allegations of torture in Bangladesh are rarely investigated or prosecuted. Following a review in July 2019, the UN Committee against Torture described the Bangladesh police as a “state within a state,” asserting that “in general, one got the impression that the police, as well as other law enforcement agencies, were able to operate with impunity and zero accountability.”