Cops record case; Grameen Bank concerned
Police yesterday recorded a case in connection with abduction of a Grameen Bank official from the capital’s Mirpur Friday evening and his release after four hours of torture allegedly by intelligence personnel.
Victim Sagirur Rashid Chowdhury, an accounts officer of the bank, alleged, “Some personnel of the intelligence aided by some sacked officials of Grameen Bank abducted him to serve the government’s purpose.”
According to Sagir, “The abductors pressed me to give statement against Prof Yunus and asked me to disclose what kind of agitation the Grameen Bank employees were planning.”
The abduction took place a day after Grameen Bank Employees’ Association at a press conference warned the government of a tough movement protesting the removal of Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus from the post of managing director of the bank.
Kazi Wazed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirpur Police Station, said they could not comment on the case as it involved the government and the intelligence.
“It is true that the official had severe injury marks on his body. We visited the spot he was abducted from and talked to many people, but none could say anything about the incident which put us into a difficult situation,” said the OC.
Sagir was abducted around 7:30pm when he was going to Mirpur-1 by a rickshaw from Grameen headquarters. According to Sagir, 20 to 22 men, aged between 25 and 30, intercepted him near the headquarters.
“The abductors dragged me into a microbus and blind folded me. I was taken to a room where they mercilessly beat me. Around 11:00pm they dropped me near Teacher Student Centre of Dhaka University,” said Sagir, adding that the abductors returned all his belongings, including his cellphone, they snatched.
Meanwhile in a press release yesterday, Grameen Bank officials demanded arrest of the culprits involved and urged law enforcement agencies to pay special attention to their safety.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
