Try GOLD - Free
Can Bangladesh deliver justice for the disappeared?
The Statesman Siliguri
|June 29, 2025
The fall of the authoritarian Awami League regime in August 2024 marked not just a political transformation, but the beginning of a long-overdue reckoning with one of Bangladesh's darkest legacies: the widespread and systematic use of enforced disappearances.
-
For over a decade, security forces, including RAB, DGFI, and the Detective Branch, were implicated in abductions designed to silence opposition, intimidate dissenters, and instill fear. Victims were often held in clandestine sites like the now-notorious "Aynaghar", hidden from the law, their families, and the public.
Following years of international concern over human rights abuses in Bangladesh, particularly enforced disappearances, the US sanctioned the RAB and several senior officials in 2021.
This story is from the June 29, 2025 edition of The Statesman Siliguri.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Statesman Siliguri
The Statesman Siliguri
Trump heads to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping; Trade, Iran, and Taiwan on the table
US President Donald Trump departed for Beijing and is scheduled to have a high-stakes meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping, carrying a packed agenda of trade, war diplomacy, and Taiwan, for his first visit to the East Asian country since 2017 and the most consequential US-China summit in decades.
1 mins
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
Sakshi appeals to PM Modi over Vinesh Phogat trials
Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik (photo) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in Vinesh Phogat’s ongoing tussle with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), backing her fellow grappler after being denied participation in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda.
1 mins
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
Trump ‘seriously considering’ resuming hostilities in West Asia
US President Donald Trump is seriously considering resuming hostilities in West Asia, CNN reported citing presidential aides.
1 min
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
PM Modi, a great ascetic, has taken care of entire country: MLA Shambhunath Tundiya
Somnath Temple, one of Hinduism’s most revered pilgrimage sites and regarded as the first Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, marked the 75th anniversary of its post-independence reconstruction, an occasion being celebrated as a moment of immense pride for followers of Sanatan Dharma across the country.
1 min
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
Taiwan to closely monitor Trump-Xi summit
There is palpable anxiety in Taiwan on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, as people here hope the island does not become a bargaining chip for negotiations between the American leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
1 mins
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
India advises China to 'reflect' on support for Pakistan during Op Sindoor
In a stern message to China for helping Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May last year, the government on Tuesday said it is for nations who consider themselves responsible to reflect whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their “reputation and standing”.
1 min
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
2 die in fire at Tiljala godown, 5 seriously hurt
Two persons were killed and five sustained serious injuries in a devastating fire at a five storied building at Tiljala this afternoon.
1 min
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
India to host BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meet with key focus on global, regional issues
Amid the West Asia crisis, India is hosting a key BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 14 and 15 May at Bharat Mandapam here to discuss global and regional issues of mutual interest.
1 mins
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
How Human and Animal Bodies Generate Magnetic Fields
The body appears quiet only from the outside. Beneath the skin, an endless electrical drama unfolds every second.
3 mins
May 13, 2026
The Statesman Siliguri
The tasks ahead
In the short term, the government must restore law and order, stabilise finances, reduce corruption, and reassure citizens that governance will be impartial and accountable. In the medium term, it must undertake structural reforms in industry, agriculture, education, healthcare, and urban governance. Long term goals should be to restore Bengal’s civilisational and intellectual and economic vitality so that it can again earn the respect of India
6 mins
May 13, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size