Banglar Bir
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EDITORIAL
Laudable rescue of Farhad Mazhar
Much to our relief mixed with a sense of joy and repose, distinguished intellectual, litterateur, social activist, author, newspaper columnist and eloquent orator Farhad Mazhar was rescued by the RAB, police, BGB and other law enforcement agencies on 4 July 2017 returned unscathed to his family members after an 18-hour long traumatic anguish. Mazhar is an iconic figure; his admirers were great philosopher Jacques Derrida, Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer, eminent Indian novelist Mahasweta Devi and so on.
Indeed the competence of the law enforcers in this particular case is laudable; nevertheless questions are extant and hang in the air regarding the terrible occurrence that began in Dhaka and ended over 200km off Khulna. Hence disquiet and confusion persist as on the fairly long route the alleged “white microbus” of the three abductors evaporated and could not be traced after long 10 days.
Almost nothing could be divulged by the victim, Mazhar, 69, hospitalised at the BIRDEM in Dhaka, all these days after the incident. However, London based daily Guardian obtained his interview from his hospital bed in Dhaka. It is the first time an alleged abductee in Bangladesh has spoken publicly to domestic or foreign media. A critic of the government, Mazhar alleges he was the latest in a wave of activists and opposition figures to be abducted says he will not be silenced by the ordeal and will continue to campaign against human rights abuses. [Vide Michael Safi, South Asia correspondent, 12 July 2017: https:/ /www. theguardian.com/ world/2017/ jul/12/ bangladeshs- disappeared-rights-activist- found-on-bus -speaks-out]
Mazhar said he was unsure who had allegedly abducted him from a street near his home last week. “I made several phone calls to my wife while I was captive. Police could locate my position from my calls after the microbus left Dhaka, I found out later. I am surprised why police could not intercept the microbus well before it reached Khulna.” Mazhar said, “I am not afraid to reveal what happened to me,” he said. “People become mysteriously silent after they emerge alive from enforced disappearances. When I return to work I will begin working on this issue. We have to end this culture of enforced disappearances.” [Ibid]
Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights group, estimates about 223 people have been forcibly disappeared in Bangladesh in the past three years. About 18 have been released, but none have spoken on the record about their ordeal. The silence often extends to the families of the disappeared, including the 31 who have been found dead since July 2014. “Families are scared to talk about it because other members of the family may suffer the consequences,” said Adilur Rahman Khan, a Supreme Court advocate and the secretary of Odhikar. [Ibid]
According to the police, his movement was being constantly tracked; now it is a cogent argument as to why Mazhar could not be halted and rescued in any one of the six locations that he was tracked in. It is worth asking: why the victim could not be recovered when he was in the custody of the “abductors” or soon after he was set free. Media reports say, Mazhar, after being released from captivity, went to a restaurant where he had his meal and then boarded a Dhaka bound bus which was carrying only 3 (three) passengers aboard—-though it is common knowledge that it is most uneconomical to start a trip with only three passengers. It would have been wise if rescue operation could be launched when Mazhar was still in the captivity of his “abductors”—- and that could help obtain answers to various relevant questions.
Then remains the enigma of Mazhar “carrying a bag” and clothes, which his family members have cancelled out, and the CCTV clip too shows he did not carry it when he left the house. What is disquieting as well as alarming is: The home minister has expressed his relief that “Mazhar was not sent across the border”. How would the abductors benefit from that? Hopefully, the police detectives will leave no stone unturned to find answers to these vital questions.
Public health activist and founder of rural healthcare organisation Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury unambiguously stated that “Indian RAW was behind the abduction of Farhad Mazhar,” and added that the RAB played an active role and police acted fast to rescue Mazhar. Moreover, the BGB sealed the borders, said Dr Chowdhury who metioned his extraordinary calibre and admirable talent as a pharmacist I addition to being a poet, patriot and thinker. [Vide Tritiyo Matra 5083; 05 July 2017 www. Youtube .com/ watch?v =9DYZXg CsDDA ]
Incidentally, expressing deep concern over rising incidents of abduction and killing in the country at a roundtable at the Jatiya Press Club, Farhad Mazhar on April 18, 2014 said it was surprising that people of a foreign intelligence agency could pick up a man from our soil – an oblique reference to the capture of an operative of ‘Indian Mujaheedin’ in Dhaka by RAW and his being taken to India. [Vide ://archive .newage bd.net /3736/raw-behind- abu-bakar- abduction- says- farhad -mazhar/]
Meanwhile, twenty-one eminent citizens of the country expressed concern over what they said was a vested quarter trying to distract from the incident of abduction of poet and writer Farhad Mazhar through a smear campaign. “Everyone expected that administration and members of law enforcement agencies would identify and arrest the real abductors. But it is a matter of concern and frustration that a vested quarter is spreading hate speech and propaganda to divert attention from the crime of abduction,” they said in a press statement. It added “Such propaganda will create scope to divert attention from the Farhad Mazhar abduction case to another direction, which will provide a cover up for the criminals.”
http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=4&date=0#Tid=14371
Laudable rescue of Farhad Mazhar
Much to our relief mixed with a sense of joy and repose, distinguished intellectual, litterateur, social activist, author, newspaper columnist and eloquent orator Farhad Mazhar was rescued by the RAB, police, BGB and other law enforcement agencies on 4 July 2017 returned unscathed to his family members after an 18-hour long traumatic anguish. Mazhar is an iconic figure; his admirers were great philosopher Jacques Derrida, Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer, eminent Indian novelist Mahasweta Devi and so on.
Indeed the competence of the law enforcers in this particular case is laudable; nevertheless questions are extant and hang in the air regarding the terrible occurrence that began in Dhaka and ended over 200km off Khulna. Hence disquiet and confusion persist as on the fairly long route the alleged “white microbus” of the three abductors evaporated and could not be traced after long 10 days.
Almost nothing could be divulged by the victim, Mazhar, 69, hospitalised at the BIRDEM in Dhaka, all these days after the incident. However, London based daily Guardian obtained his interview from his hospital bed in Dhaka. It is the first time an alleged abductee in Bangladesh has spoken publicly to domestic or foreign media. A critic of the government, Mazhar alleges he was the latest in a wave of activists and opposition figures to be abducted says he will not be silenced by the ordeal and will continue to campaign against human rights abuses. [Vide Michael Safi, South Asia correspondent, 12 July 2017: https:/ /www. theguardian.com/ world/2017/ jul/12/ bangladeshs- disappeared-rights-activist- found-on-bus -speaks-out]
Mazhar said he was unsure who had allegedly abducted him from a street near his home last week. “I made several phone calls to my wife while I was captive. Police could locate my position from my calls after the microbus left Dhaka, I found out later. I am surprised why police could not intercept the microbus well before it reached Khulna.” Mazhar said, “I am not afraid to reveal what happened to me,” he said. “People become mysteriously silent after they emerge alive from enforced disappearances. When I return to work I will begin working on this issue. We have to end this culture of enforced disappearances.” [Ibid]
Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights group, estimates about 223 people have been forcibly disappeared in Bangladesh in the past three years. About 18 have been released, but none have spoken on the record about their ordeal. The silence often extends to the families of the disappeared, including the 31 who have been found dead since July 2014. “Families are scared to talk about it because other members of the family may suffer the consequences,” said Adilur Rahman Khan, a Supreme Court advocate and the secretary of Odhikar. [Ibid]
According to the police, his movement was being constantly tracked; now it is a cogent argument as to why Mazhar could not be halted and rescued in any one of the six locations that he was tracked in. It is worth asking: why the victim could not be recovered when he was in the custody of the “abductors” or soon after he was set free. Media reports say, Mazhar, after being released from captivity, went to a restaurant where he had his meal and then boarded a Dhaka bound bus which was carrying only 3 (three) passengers aboard—-though it is common knowledge that it is most uneconomical to start a trip with only three passengers. It would have been wise if rescue operation could be launched when Mazhar was still in the captivity of his “abductors”—- and that could help obtain answers to various relevant questions.
Then remains the enigma of Mazhar “carrying a bag” and clothes, which his family members have cancelled out, and the CCTV clip too shows he did not carry it when he left the house. What is disquieting as well as alarming is: The home minister has expressed his relief that “Mazhar was not sent across the border”. How would the abductors benefit from that? Hopefully, the police detectives will leave no stone unturned to find answers to these vital questions.
Public health activist and founder of rural healthcare organisation Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury unambiguously stated that “Indian RAW was behind the abduction of Farhad Mazhar,” and added that the RAB played an active role and police acted fast to rescue Mazhar. Moreover, the BGB sealed the borders, said Dr Chowdhury who metioned his extraordinary calibre and admirable talent as a pharmacist I addition to being a poet, patriot and thinker. [Vide Tritiyo Matra 5083; 05 July 2017 www. Youtube .com/ watch?v =9DYZXg CsDDA ]
Incidentally, expressing deep concern over rising incidents of abduction and killing in the country at a roundtable at the Jatiya Press Club, Farhad Mazhar on April 18, 2014 said it was surprising that people of a foreign intelligence agency could pick up a man from our soil – an oblique reference to the capture of an operative of ‘Indian Mujaheedin’ in Dhaka by RAW and his being taken to India. [Vide ://archive .newage bd.net /3736/raw-behind- abu-bakar- abduction- says- farhad -mazhar/]
Meanwhile, twenty-one eminent citizens of the country expressed concern over what they said was a vested quarter trying to distract from the incident of abduction of poet and writer Farhad Mazhar through a smear campaign. “Everyone expected that administration and members of law enforcement agencies would identify and arrest the real abductors. But it is a matter of concern and frustration that a vested quarter is spreading hate speech and propaganda to divert attention from the crime of abduction,” they said in a press statement. It added “Such propaganda will create scope to divert attention from the Farhad Mazhar abduction case to another direction, which will provide a cover up for the criminals.”
http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=4&date=0#Tid=14371
