Mirza Shakeel, the Acting General Secretary of Uttara East Thana Chhatra Dal in the capital, was reported missing from Uttara Azampur on November 7 last year. Following his forced-disappearance, Shakeel endured brutal torture, fearing he would not survive. He remained missing for nine agonising days. Despite evidence suggesting his abduction, law enforcement authorities initially denied involvement. Then, on November 16, at 11:30 pm, members of the law enforcement forces abandoned Shakeel blindfolded by the side of the road in Akhaura, Brahmanbaria, from where locals later rescued him.

Upon his return, Shakil shared his harrowing experience with Bangla Outlook.

Bangla Outlook: When, where and how did you disappear?

Mirza Shakeel: The party's senior joint general secretary, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, announced a two-day blockade programme on that day. After the announcement, I was discussing the programme's implementation with two political colleagues while sitting in a restaurant in Uttara Azampur. Suddenly, one of the three of us went to the washroom. At that moment, some policemen dressed in white rushed toward us in a white microbus. They approached and seized me while my junior associate, who was with me, managed to escape. I was forcibly taken into the car and blindfolded with a black cloth.

Bangla Outlook: Did you realise where they were taking you?

Mirza Shakeel: On the night of November 7, I was apprehended by plainclothes police in a white microbus from Uttara Azampur in the capital. Blindfolded with a black cloth, I was then driven away. After approximately 45 minutes, the vehicle stopped, and I was escorted out. Taken to a building which appeared to be under construction, I was led into a room. There, I endured severe beatings, particularly to my legs, causing excruciating pain. The injuries became unbearable, and at one point, I even feared that my leg had been broken.

Bangla Outlook: How was your day after they picked you?

Mirza Shakeel: I was detained and confined to a room where I remained blindfolded with a black cloth at all times. The building guard would assist me if I needed to use the bathroom. Food was scarcely provided, often only once a day. Throughout my captivity, I was subjected to constant threats and intimidation, with my captors repeatedly asserting that I would be killed and my body disposed of without a trace. The psychological torment was relentless, and I lived in constant fear for my life during the entire ten days of my ordeal. Left alone for extended periods, occasional visits from plainclothes police ensued, during which I was interrogated and asked about my activities, to which I reiterated attending a rally on October 28 and returning home after that.

Bangla Outlook: Was contact with family allowed?

Mirza Shakeel: I was forbidden from contacting my family, and my captors prevented any communication with me. They refused to acknowledge my detention and withheld the mobile phone I had when they picked me up. Following my abduction on November 7, my brother reached out to various agencies, including the police station, police, and DB, yet none admitted to my arrest. Meanwhile, my parents, residing in our village house in Jamalpur, were apprehensive about my well-being. On November 9, the Chhatra Dal central leadership released a statement to the media, with Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the senior joint general secretary of the party, issuing a plea to locate me.

Bangla Outlook: How did you return?

Mirza Shakeel: I believe the situation took a turn when the joint general secretary of the party, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, brought attention to my case in the media, leading to the revelation of my abduction. Subsequently, the intensity of the torture decreased. After enduring ten days of captivity in the under-construction building, I was once again forced into a car. Several hours later, I was ejected from the vehicle onto the roadside late at night. As the locals approached, I regained consciousness and found myself in a secluded spot beneath a tree base. Later, I learned that the location where I was abandoned was Akhaura in Brahmanbaria. I was starving. The kind-hearted locals who rescued me escorted me to a nearby shop, where they generously provided food. I explained my ordeal to them, and they arranged for funds to be sent to the Akhaura station. Eventually, I managed to contact my brother, Mirza Shamim, and with the money he sent, I returned to Dhaka by train later that night.

Bangla Outlook: Thank you from Bangla Outlook.

Mirza Shakeel: Thank you to Bangla Outlook too. I hope the Bangla Outlook will be with the people in this fight for democracy.