DGFI misused to seize Islami Bank: Disappearances commission chief
'Is taking over media houses the responsibility of any intelligence agency or the DGFI? They have been misused in various ways,' says Moinul Islam Chowdhury.
The chief of the Commission for Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances has alleged that the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) was misused to advance the interests of business groups, including taking over Islami Bank on behalf of the S Alam Group and intervening in media ownership.
"The DGFI went and took over Islami Bank on behalf of S Alam. Was that the DGFI's job?" Moinul Islam Chowdhury said at a press conference in Dhaka today (5 January), adding all intelligence agencies in the country require reform.
"Or is taking over media houses the responsibility of any intelligence agency or the DGFI? They have been misused in various ways."
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The commission investigating enforced disappearances recommended removing armed forces officers from law enforcement and civil intelligence agencies, citing repeated misuse of these institutions.
"Our intelligence agencies 'poke their noses' into internal politics because they seek a share of power," Moinul said.
"They have been misused in multiple ways," he added, citing examples where the DGFI allegedly intervened to seize Islami Bank on behalf of S Alam and attempted to take over media houses.
Moinul added that policing is the responsibility of law enforcement, while the military's role is to train within cantonments, prepare for combat, and develop new warfare strategies.
"Maintaining law and order is not the job of military officers. They should be withdrawn from civil intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Instead, an elite force could be formed from skilled police personnel," he suggested.
The commission also recommended disbanding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Moinul Islam said all previous governments, and particularly the ousted Awami League government, misused the force extensively. "We must break this trend," he added.
The commission submitted its final report titled "Unfolding the truth: a structural diagnosis of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh" to the chief adviser yesterday (4 January).
At yesterday's press briefing, Moinul Islam said the commission received 1,913 complaints. After removing 231 duplicates and 113 cases that fell outside the definition of enforced disappearance, 1,569 complaints remained active. Of these, 251 people are still missing, while 36 bodies were recovered.
When asked about the identities of the missing, Chowdhury said most were political figures. He added that the commission recommended DNA testing and other measures to confirm their identities.
He further said political decisions had drawn law enforcement into these disappearances, with the commission identifying 40 detention centres, including 22–23 operated by RAB. "Since the commission began its work, RAB has destroyed the most evidence," he said.
