The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested a former Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in connection with the 2012 abduction of Sukhranjan Bali, a key defense witness for the late Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
The former officer, identified as Fazlur Rahman, was apprehended at his Dhaka residence on Thursday night, according to DB Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam.
Bali, a resident of Pirojpur, disappeared from the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) premises on November 5, 2012, while arriving to testify in Sayedee's defense. At the time, law enforcement claimed he was found near the border, but his family and human rights organizations consistently maintained he was abducted directly from the tribunal grounds.
Following the fall of the Awami League government in a student-led uprising last August, Bali officially filed a complaint with the ICT prosecutor's office on August 21. He alleges he was kidnapped and tortured for refusing to testify against Sayedee.
The formal complaint names 32 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, former ICT Chairman Justice Nizamul Haque Nasim, and several former ministers and tribunal officials. Another 10 to 15 unidentified individuals are also accused.
Details of the Alleged Abduction According to the complaint, the ordeal began in mid-2010 when the tribunal's then-investigation officer, Helal Uddin, summoned Bali to a school in Pirojpur. When asked about the 1971 murder of his brother, Bali stated that Pakistani occupation forces were responsible. However, he alleges Helal Uddin ordered him to falsely implicate Sayedee and beat him when he refused.
In 2012, Sayedee’s son requested Bali to present his account at the tribunal. Bali agreed, but upon reaching the tribunal gates on November 5, he claims police officers blindfolded him, tied his hands, and forced him into a vehicle.
Bali recounted being held in a dark, windowless room for two months, enduring severe physical and mental abuse. He was then moved to a second secret location for two additional months before being driven to the Indian border.
With the alleged assistance of Bangladesh border guards (BGB), he was pushed into India, where Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel reportedly detained and beat him. Bali spent 22 days in the Bashirhat sub-jail before being transferred to Dum Dum Central Jail in West Bengal.
During his imprisonment in India, international human rights organizations met with Bali and documented the torture. Despite eventually returning to Bangladesh, Bali stated he remains in hiding outside his home district due to ongoing security fears.
