The case of the missing politician

SALAHUDDIN is not the first politician who has gone missing in Bangladesh and I think I echo the feelings of most of my fellow beings in this country that he is the last of any politician or any citizen to vanish. The manner of his 'disappearance' has raised concerns and questions, but even more, generated a fear in our minds for reasons that need no explication. 

Salahuddin of late had assumed the image of a phantom figure. He was the un-anointed spokesperson of the party dishing out press releases occasionally announcing the continuation of hartal, from unknown location/s. He had become quite a pain in the neck for the government which perhaps wanted to deactivate him as a part of its tactics to stave off BNP programmes.   

The statements of the law enforcing agencies have added to the confusion and fear, given the wide discrepancies between their statements presented to the High Court and the eye witness accounts of the goings at the house from where Salahuddin went missing on the night of March 10. 

It will be in order to dwell on the assumptions and possibilities and see if we can arrive at a conclusion through a process of elimination. 

As far as I can see there are three possibilities. One, he has gone into hiding on his own volition, two, some third party has abducted him, and three, he has been picked up by the law enforcing or intelligence agencies. Let us examine each one of them objectively. 

First, going into hiding on his own. The question is why? Is it out of fear? He was already in hiding, and one is sure that the police were looking for him to neutralise him. And there could be compulsions for him to change his locations particularly, if he felt his position was compromised in any way. But why make a show of it and let everybody know that he was changing his lair? It could have been done surreptitiously in the manner that he had adopted in living in places other than his own house the last two months.  

The second possibility that he was abducted by a third party cannot be ruled out. But what could be the motive? It cannot be for ransom because no demand has been made as yet. It could be a case of settling old scores taking the advantage of the current flux and putting the blame on the law enforcing agencies. But would a third party descend on the catch with so many vehicles (according to eye witness accounts). Would it not be too risky an operation?  

The last possibility that it was a police operation must also be thoroughly dissected as should be their statements to the court denying anything to do with Salahuddin's disappearance. The police can certainly arrest anyone on genuine grounds. But why the clandestine operation? What was the problem in following the existing procedures in arresting a genuine offender?  

It is difficult to believe that a third party with a mission to abduct someone would come with a fleet of vehicles and barricade the road in the manner it was reportedly done.

It is also difficult for me to believe that police would deliberately give false statements to the court under oath. However, there are many holes in the police statements, and I shall not go into the discrepancies because only yesterday a columnist in these very columns had dwelt on the major ones in great details. 

We in these very columns had also expressed why it is difficult for the public to accept the police versions without questioning their veracity. Past experiences, the recent being that of the case of Manna, about whom the same thing was said, but who appeared from the custody of Rab 17 hours later, is a good reason why the statements of the law enforcing agencies cannot be taken at face value.  

I leave it to the readers to draw their own inferences. But whatever may be the circumstances of the BNP leader's disappearance, it is for the police to unearth the mystery of a leading political figure who has remained untraceable for nearly ten days. And one wonders whether the agencies have launched a vigorous investigation in this case. It is also a mystery that the police refused to register GD in this matter. And even more, it should be a matter of great concern for the state, the police in particular, if there indeed there were such a group capable of conducting such operations right in the capital.

In the present situation it could be possible that personal scores are being settled. Reportedly, more than 50 people have gone missing in the last two months, and not all of those are due to police actions. There are many compelling reasons why the police must trace out the missing politicians. It is their credibility that risks further denudation. 

It was exactly a month short of three years that Ilyas Ali, a prominent BNP leader had gone missing. He remains untraced to this day and his fate remains unknown. Will Salahuddin's be the same? One hopes not. 

The writer is Editor, Oped and Defence & Strategic Affairs, The Daily Star.