The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances has uncovered over eight clandestine detention centers run by various security agencies in Dhaka and Chattogram during the Awami League regime.
According to the report, titled Unfolding the Truth, agencies such as the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) were identified as operators of these facilities nationwide. The findings were presented by the commission, led by retired Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna on Saturday.
The commission chairman revealed preliminary evidence implicating former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several high-ranking officials, including her defense adviser Major General (Retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, in enforced disappearance cases. The report also pointed to involvement by the ex-director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre, sacked Major General Ziaul Ahsan, and senior police officials Monirul Islam and Md. Harun-Or-Rashid in numerous incidents.
While some of the secret detention centers were still operational, others had been dismantled, according to the report. The commission visited twelve security force offices in Dhaka and Chattogram to inspect detention areas, gather evidence, and interview senior officials. However, the specifics of these sites remain classified for now to preserve the integrity of the inquiry, with full disclosure planned in future reports.
The report confirmed inspections of facilities managed by DGFI, CTTC, the Detective Branch (DB) in Dhaka and Chattogram, various RAB units, Chittagong Central Jail, and the National Security Intelligence’s Chittagong division. Evidence gathered highlighted stark differences in the methods of torture used by military-run facilities like RAB and DGFI and civil-force-operated centers such as DB and CTTC.
At civil-force facilities, torture appeared integrated into daily routines, with officers working alongside areas where detainees were brutally abused. Meanwhile, military-controlled centers were outfitted with soundproof chambers and mechanized devices specifically designed for psychological and physical harm.
The commission described instances of horrific abuse, such as a detainee in 2010 whose lips were sewn shut without anesthetics and another in 2018 who suffered electrocution to his ears and genitals at a RAB facility. These accounts underline the systematic and institutionalized nature of torture across these organizations.
To date, the commission has documented 1,676 cases of enforced disappearances, scrutinized 758 of them, and estimated that the total number might exceed 3,500. The report recommended dismantling the RAB and emphasized the need to address structural and cultural issues enabling these practices. The commission plans to release an interim report in March and aims to conclude the investigation within the next year.
