Staff Reporter :
In a press conference held at the BNP Nayapalton central office on Wednesday, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made claims regarding the 12-year disappearance of BNP central organizing secretary and former Member of Parliament, M Ilias Ali.
Ali and his driver, Ansar Ali, were reported missing on April 17, 2012, from in front of South Point School and College, Banani Road 2. Although the vehicle used by Ali was recovered the same day in Dhaka’s Mohakhali area, neither Ali nor his driver has been located since.
Rizvi boldly asserted that the state is culpable for Ali’s disappearance, implicating what he referred to as a “fascist government.” According to Rizvi, there is a growing consensus among the populace that the government orchestrated Ali’s disappearance.
Highlighting Ali’s significance, Rizvi emphasized his role as a leading figure in a mass movement against the Tipaimukh Dam and border aggression in the Sylhet area. Additionally, Ali was an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Hasina’s administration, which likely contributed to his disappearance.
Rizvi accused the government of staging various spectacles under the guise of searching for Ali. He claimed that messages were dispatched from the Prime Minister’s office assuring Ali’s rescue, yet substantive progress has been elusive.
Furthermore, Rizvi alleged that law enforcement agencies conducted superficial operations across the country without yielding any tangible results.
“Not only Ilias Ali but other BNP leaders like Saiful Islam Hiru, Chowdhury Alam (former councilor), Zahidul Karim Tanvir, Md Mazharul Islam Rasel, Al Amin, Sazedul Islam Sumon, Md Abdul Quader Bhuyan Masum, Jakir Hossain Munna, Mir Ahamed Bin Quasem, Abdullahhil Azami, Iftekhar Ahamed Dinar and many more were disappeared,” he said.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi ?further said, “According to the Asian Human Rights Commission a total of 623 people disappeared from 2009-2022 further adding that Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar’s last update report.”
“The report stated that that from January to June, 2023, 16 people were missing and disappeared, according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and about six hundred people disappeared in the last 15 years. Sheikh Hasina has been celebrating illegal forcefully disappearance and killing festivals in last 15 years,” Rizvi alleged.
