Mother wants release of son picked up by RAB
Staff Reporter
Mother of Sohel Hossain, allegedly picked up with Md Hanif Mrida who died in Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) custody on Friday, yesterday demanded the immediate release of her son.
Sohels mother Momtaz Begum claimed that a group of people claiming to be RAB men picked Sohel and his friend Hanif from a place adjacent to the Kanchpur bridge in Narayanganj. Family members of deceased Hanif has also made the same claim.
However, elite force RAB claims that it detained Hanif for his involvement with the suicide bomber, who blew himself up in an attack on a RAB barrack at Ashkona in the capital on Friday. Hours into their arrests, Hanif died in custody, maintains the RAB.
Momtaz Begum claims that after their detention on February 27, Hanif and Sohel remained unaccounted for. She also pointed out that Hanifs family filed a general diary with Siddhirganj Police Station on March 4 into the duos alleged detention.
While talking to journalists outside RAB-1 headquarters, Momtaz also sought the premiers intervention into the matter so that her son is not made a scapegoat and returned to her.
Nipa, wife of Sohel, also said that she last spoke to her husband while they were returning to Dhaka from Barisal on a launch.
After Sohel and Hanif were picked up, Nipa received a call from an unknown number and the caller identified himself to be a member of a law enforcement agency. However, without elaborating further, the caller disconnected, Nipa added.
Contacted for comments over the allegations, Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of RABs Legal and Media Wing, said his force did not pick up Sohel. We are working on the issue, he added.
Meanwhile, rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra yesterday demanded a judicial enquiry over Hanifs death in RAB custody.
BNP also sought an explanation from the home ministry in this regard.
