Bangladesh Government Faces Backlash Over Forced Disappearances Amid Anti-India Rhetoric

Bangladesh (The Uttam Hindu): The Bangladesh government has accused India of involvement in the enforced disappearances that occurred during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to a report from a commission, "India’s role in Bangladesh’s enforced disappearances has been publicly documented."

The report, which comes from a five-member commission led by retired Supreme Court judge Mainul Islam Chowdhury, suggests that some Bangladeshi prisoners may still be held in Indian jails. The commission recommended that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs in Bangladesh make efforts to identify Bangladeshi nationals currently imprisoned in India. The commission, however, noted that investigating this matter outside Bangladesh was beyond its jurisdiction.

Intelligence reports shared with the Commission pointed to Indian agencies’ involvement in the forced disappearances. The Commission highlighted two key cases as evidence of such operations: the abduction of Sukharanjan Bali from the Supreme Court premises in Bangladesh, who was later found in an Indian jail, and the case of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salahuddin Ahmed.