Family members and human rights bodies on Monday demanded immediate steps for safe return of Miraj Sheikh, who has remained traceless for over four months after allegedly being picked up from Mongla in Bagerhat.
The demand was placed at a press conference jointly arranged by the victim family, the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), and the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), at the National Press Club here.
Miraj Sheikh, a biker and fisherman, was allegedly picked up from Joymonighol, an area adjacent to the Sundarbans, in Mongla on April 10 last.
Addressing the press conference, Miraj's wife Mukta Khatun claimed to have seen him at the Coast Guard's pontoon on the Pashur River on the day he was picked up.
She described what happened and how Miraj was picked up on that day.
“On Friday, April 10, at 7 PM, two Coast Guard members in plainclothes and a boatman named Mizan detained my husband in front of Al-Amin’s tea stall in Joymonighol area,” she said.
Mukta Khatun said when Miraj asked them what was his offense, they told him to come with them. They've were beating him while taking him to the boat.
“When my husband resisted getting onto the boat after being handcuffed, they shoved him aboard and took him away,” she said.
Miraj’s spouse also claimed that Coast Guard officials initially acknowledged his detention over the phone and assured them that Miraj would be released if found innocent. But they later denied having any record of his detention, she said.
She said they visited various places to find any trace of hin and locals staged human chains demanding his safe return.
Mukta alleged that Coast Guard personnel baton-charged a protest programme organised over Miraj’s disappearance and that cases were filed against protesters. She also claimed that she and several others including Miraj's mother were detained and remained in jail for 27 days.
HRSS General Secretary Advocate Mohammad Moniruzzaman said Miraj Sheikh was abducted in broad daylight from a tea stall, but police initially refused to record a General Diary (GD) when his family approached the police station. Later, police agreed to register GD using carefully crafted language, he alleged.
Miraj's wife possesses call records and evidence of multiple conversations with the Coast Guard, he said.
Moniruzzaman said a writ petition was filed with the High Court that ordered the submission of a report within 15 working days in this regard.
That date fell on July 27. But it came and went without any report.
“We seek a fair investigation into this incident and the prosecution of those responsible,” Moniruzzaman said.
The HRSS general secretary said they demand immediately execution of the High Court's directive to produce Miraj Sheikh before the court alive and safe.