Relatives of the victims of enforced disappearances have alleged that police are putting pressure and harassing them in the name of investigation. Harassment of police at houses of the victims must be stopped, they demanded.
They made this allegation at a press conference organized by 'Mayer Dak,' a pressure group, at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday.
However, police have already denied the allegation. Dhaka Metropolitan Police in a statement on Friday protested reports run by different media outlets on police harassment. The reports contained 'exaggerated' and 'fabricated' information and it was an attempt to tarnish image of the police, the DMP statement claimed.
In press conference, Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, "Police were intimidating the families of the victims of enforced disappearances in various ways by visiting their houses in the name of investigation. They (relatives of the victims) have already said each of them is being interrogated at their homes.
They are being called to the police station and many of them are forced to sign blank papers." They are currently suffering from insecurity, he added.
Manna said police want that the relatives of the victims would write that they had lost their family members. "What will police do after taking signatures on blank papers? So they (police) have to show the paper somewhere, and then would say they didn't disappear, it is their fault."
He further said, "Is there any case against police? I don't know if there is any case at courts. But usually the accused try to make such documents. This government has made police to stand on the dock of the accused."
Alleging that 600 to 700 families of the victims of enforced disappearances went to police stations to lodge complaint but the police did not take it, said Manna adding that it has finally been talked about internationally.
"We want to know the whereabouts of the disappeared people," he added.
Disappeared BNP leader Sumon's sister said, harassment of police at houses of the victims of disappeared families in the name of investigation must be stopped.
"We want to let them investigate in a proper way, let them do the necessary search to get the missing people back."
Relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance displayed photos of their missing near and dear ones at the press conference. Some displayed photos of their sons and daughters while other showed the photos of their fathers, brothers and others.
Few relatives expressed their grievances and told the stories of the disappearances of their family members.
