'No enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing under current government' — Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has claimed that no enforced disappearance, crossfire, or extrajudicial killing has occurred in the country under the current government. He made the claim while speaking to journalists after the passing-out parade at the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sardah.

The home minister said upholding the rule of law is the government's top priority. The government is not patronising any unlawful activity to maintain law and order, he said. In his words, the law is equal for all — the government is being run on this principle.

In support of his statement, the minister cited an incident in Natore. He mentioned that a lawmaker's son there was arrested and taken on remand. This proves, he said, that regardless of power or identity, no one is being spared for breaking the law.

Questions of verification

Notably, the home minister's claim could not be independently verified. Multiple reports on allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been published in the past by various human rights organisations and the media. However, no independent data on specific statistics for the current government's tenure was available at the time of writing this report.

Analysts believe transparent investigations and independent monitoring are essential to verify the truth of such claims. If the government publishes specific data, the debate on the issue could come to an end.

It was also learned that the minister urged newly graduated police officers at the passing-out parade to perform their duties with professionalism and honesty.

Source: Energy Tribune