In another blow to the strained ties, an inquiry commission formed by Bangladesh’s interim government has alleged India’s involvement in cases of “enforced disappearances” during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as the prime minister, according to state-run news agency BSS.
The Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, citing the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, quoted the commission as saying, “The Indian involvement in Bangladesh’s system of enforced disappearances is a matter of public record.”
Led by a retired Supreme Court judge, the five-member commission suggested there was a “persistent suggestion in law enforcement circles” that some Bangladeshi prisoners might still be held in Indian jails.
“We recommend the Ministries of Foreign and Home to extend their best efforts to identify any Bangladeshi citizens who may still remain incarcerated in India. It is beyond the jurisdiction of the commission to follow this trail outside Bangladesh,” the commission stated.
The inquiry said that it found the intelligence reports suggesting the exchange of captives between the two countries and the possible fate of the detainees. The commission recently estimated that over 3,500 cases of enforced disappearances occurred during Hasina’s regime.
Sheikh Hasina, 77, fled to India on August 5 following unprecedented anti-government protests.
(With inputs from PTI)
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