Chhatrashibir files complaint with ICT over forced disappearances, shootings

Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, has lodged a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal, seeking justice for four of its leaders who were subjected to forced disappearances and subsequently shot, resulting in their disabilities.

The complaint was filed today (5 November) at the office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Tribunal by the affected leaders—Mohammad Abujar Ghaffari, Omar Ali, Mohammad Ruhul Amin, and Israfil Hossain—against the law enforcement agencies involved in these incidents. 

The filing was attended by Chhatrashibir's legal secretary, Advocate Abdullah Al Noman, and assistant legal secretary, Amanullah Al Jihadi (Adib).

According to the complaint, on 8 December 2015, Abujar Ghaffari and Omar Ali were abducted in Dhaka by individuals posing as members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). They were taken to a RAB camp in Uttara, where they endured severe torture for nearly a week before being transferred to Rajshahi and then to the Panchbibi police station in Lalmonirhat, where further brutality occurred.

The complaint details a press conference held on 17 December, during which the leaders were paraded with weapons and explosives by RAB's media wing in Joypurhat. Later that day, they were implicated in a weapons case and handed over to Panchbibi police and subjected to further torture. 

In the early hours of 18 December, the police shot them in the knees in an abandoned area in Panchbibi's Aolai union, resulting in critical injuries.

Initially taken to a local hospital, they were later referred to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura, and subsequently to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) in Dhaka, where their injuries necessitated the amputation of both legs on 27 December due to necrosis.

After their release from the hospital, they were sent to Joypurhat Jail on 12 February 2016, while still receiving medical care.

Similarly, on 3 August 2016, Ruhul Amin and Israfil Hossain were detained by Jashore's Chougachha police while returning from organisational work. Following interrogation by the Detective Branch on 4 August, they were taken to a remote area and shot in the knees, leading to severe injuries. 

They were first admitted to a local hospital and later referred to Jashore General Hospital and then NITOR, where their legs were also amputated due to necrosis. 

They faced false media reports claiming they were injured in a gunfight and were ultimately implicated in a weapons case before being sent to Jashore Central Jail after two months of treatment.