Ain o Salish Kendra expresses grave concern over the detention of Saifuzzaman Sohag, fourth-year student of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, from his residence allegedly by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Saifuzzaman Sohag, is also familiar as a student leader of the ruling party.

Sohag’s family claimed that he was picked up by men identifying themselves as RAB members early morning on 10 December 2015. Reports of the press conference addressed by Sohag’s family members said that a group of around 15 people arrived outside his residence by a microbus around 3 am and attempted to get in by identifying themselves as RAB members. The family members were not willing to open the door but were later forced to do so as the intruders persisted.

The intruders went to Sohag’s room and began checking the contents he had in his laptop. Then they detained him and also took his laptop and camera with them. The family members were told to go to police station in the morning when they asked where Sohag was being taken.

But police and RAB denied Sohag’s detention when his family enquired about him in the morning. The family filed a general diary in this connection.

Ain o Salish Kendra is very concerned about the incident. We have demanded on many occasions in the past that law enforcement officials refrain from carrying out operations in plain clothes. The National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh has also demanded the same many times.

We want to say it sternly that a denial of the incident on the part of law enforcement agencies should not allow them to avoid responsibility. It is the responsibility of law enforcing agencies to find out where Sohag is and reveal his whereabouts to all, including his family.

It is also the responsibility of the state to consider the incident with utmost importance because of the allegation raised by Sohag’s family against law enforcement agencies.