The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has identified Bangladesh’s police and intelligence agencies—including the Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Detective Branch (DB), and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC)—as the primary perpetrators of enforced disappearances across the country. Its second interim report, “Unfolding the Truth: A Structural Diagnosis of Enforced Disappearance in Bangladesh,” was submitted to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, highlighting systemic human rights abuses and a culture of impunity deeply embedded in the nation’s security infrastructure.
According to testimonies from victims, witnesses, and families, these units have routinely abducted, tortured, and extrajudicially killed individuals—often targeting political opponents, particularly those associated with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. The report also implicates the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), all of whom lack legal mandates for civilian detention, raising serious constitutional concerns about illegal parallel enforcement mechanisms.
RAB, once established to combat terrorism, is now portrayed as a political death squad with a record of secret detentions, torture, and execution. The Commission specifically names the notorious TFI cell in Dhaka as a site of institutionalized torture and abuse, urging the full dismantling of the RAB to restore public trust and rule of law.
Similarly, the DB has used covert tactics and unlawful detentions as tools of political repression, particularly around election cycles. CTTC has weaponized the judiciary through false charges and continued detentions, eroding legal protections under the guise of national security. The DGFI and NSI, both operating in secrecy without legal frameworks or oversight, are accused of running torture sites like “Aynaghor,” and facilitating disappearances and unlawful transfers.
BGB’s involvement in cross-border renditions, in collusion with Indian authorities, adds an international dimension to the issue, with cases of detainees being transferred across borders for interrogation or disappearance.
The Commission concludes that enforced disappearances in Bangladesh are not isolated incidents but part of a broader structural crisis driven by politicization, institutional impunity, and the absence of oversight. It calls for urgent reforms, including legal accountability, independent monitoring, and dismantling rogue units, to protect democratic institutions and ensure justice for victims.
