Rights body Amnesty International yesterday said Bangladesh police must come up with a clear statement on the fate and whereabouts of a hostage, who survived the July 1 terrorist attack on a café at Gulshan in the capital that claimed 22 lives.  
“Bangladeshi authorities must immediately establish the fate and whereabouts of a surviving hostage from the recent Dhaka restaurant attack who has been missing since taken by police for questioning 10 days ago,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
The watchdog said fears were growing for the well-being of Hasnat Karim, who was trapped with his wife and two children in Dhaka’s Holey Bakery on July 1. The family was taken into custody by the police for questioning on 2 July, and all except Karim were released on 3 July.
“Hasnat Karim’s family must immediately be told whether the Bangladeshi authorities are still holding him in custody and if so allow him contact with the outside world. They have already suffered a traumatic episode, and his enforced disappearance prolongs their ordeal,” said Champa Patel, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.
“The arbitrary response of the Bangladeshi authorities to Karim’s case risks further undermining the trust of the population in the government’s ability to defend their rights to life and liberty. The victims of the 1 July attack deserve justice. Whether Hasnat Karim is a witness or a suspect, he must receive due process, regardless of the crimes he is alleged to have committed,” he added.