They cannot silence us, say Mayer Dak ralliers after police obstruction
Participants said police had gathered at the venue before their programme to mark Human Rights Day had begun
In a show of defiance, families of enforced disappearance victims regrouped and continued their rally at a different venue, after police dispersed them from the capital's Shahbagh area on Saturday morning.
Mayer Dak, a platform for family members of victims of enforced disappearances, organised the rally, a day before the Human Rights Day.
Sanjida Islam Tuli, the coordinator of the platform, expressed outrage at the police's treatment towards the grieving families.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"The government has sunk to new depths of human rights abuses. Ordinary citizens are being disappeared and murdered, and the government refuses to acknowledge these atrocities," she said addressing the reunion rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club.
"They [government] cannot silence our voices. We will not leave the street until we get our brothers [victims of enforced disappearances] back. We want to see how many bullets you have. Today marks 3,653 days since my brother disappeared," she said.
Condemning the police action, Munni, the sister of a missing Chhatra Dal leader, said, "We gathered at Shahbagh. Why is the government afraid of us? They forcefully removed us from there."
Police, however, said the platform did not have permission to hold the rally at Shahbagh.
Muhammad Salman Farsi, assistant commissioner of police of Ramna zone, told The Business Standard, "The rally organisers lacked proper authorisation for their gathering. We contacted them yesterday to inform them of this but received no response. Subsequently, permission was granted for the event to be held at the press club."
At the rally, Aurora Islam, the daughter of BNP leader Sajedul Islam Sumon, repeated a plea she had been making for decades: "Please bring my father back. He has not returned. The pain of his absence is unbearable."
Sajedul Islam, who was the general secretary of BNP's Dhaka City Ward No 30 unit (now Dhaka North Ward No 25), has been missing since 4 December.
Beyond Sajedul, the names of countless missing persons echoed through the rally, united by a single, unwavering demand: return the disappeared.
Farzana Akhtar, wife of missing Bangshal thana Chhatra Dal president Parvez, expressed her anguish, saying, "For the past decade, I have been tirelessly searching for my husband in every corner of the country."
Lamiya Akhter Mim, daughter of missing BNP leader Kawsar, said, "It has been 11 long years since I last saw my father. I want to go for walks again holding his hand. I just want my father back. Please, return him to me."
Safa, daughter of missing BNP leader Sohail, said, "It has been a decade since I have seen my father. My only plea to the government is to bring my father back."
