‘Dead or alive, I just want my child back’: Relatives of disappearance victims stage demo in front of Yunus’ residence

Relatives of the victims of enforced disappearance and other missing persons have demonstrated in front of the residence of Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus seeking information on the victims’ whereabouts on Tuesday (13 August).

In the morning, they gathered in front of the State Guest House Jamuna, where the chief adviser resides, on Hare Road in the Ramna area of the capital. Later, at around 12:00 pm, they blocked the road temporarily.

They said in the past 15 years of the Awami League government, their brothers, fathers, husbands and other relatives have fallen victim to enforced disappearance due to political reasons.

The demonstrators were heard chanting various slogans, including: ‘Aynaghor Khule Daw, Aynaghor Khule Daw’; ‘Mukti Chai, Mukti Chai, Goom Sojonder Mukti Chai’; and ‘Amader Dabi Mante Hobe, Amader Dabi Mante Hobe’.

“My son Saiful Islam Titu was picked up from Kadmatoli in the capital in 2013 by some people. I don’t know why they took him. At that time, I filed a general diary with the Kadmatoli police station. Initially, the police officers refused to register the GD. They finally accepted it after many efforts,” said one of the demonstrators named Shahera Jasim.

“Even though so much time has passed since then, I still haven’t found my son. I just want the government to return my child to me – alive or dead”

“Since my husband went missing, I have searched for him everywhere, including police stations and jails. I’ve gone everywhere I was asked to go. After the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, we went in front of the Aynaghor several times, hoping to see my husband just one time. I don’t know what to tell my children anymore,” said another demonstrator Hosne Ara, wife of the Jubo Dal leader Bashir Uddin Howlader, who went missing on 14 June 2011 from Gulistan of the capital.

Bashir is feared to be a victim of enforced disappearance.