THE involvement of the Rapid Action Battalion and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence in grave rights violations, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing, were reported before. But, the scale and gravity of the crimes under the deposed Awami League regime were shockingly revealed in the deposition of former army chief Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan. Giving his deposition in International Crimes Tribunal 1 on February 9 as the first prosecution witness in a crimes against humanity case against the relieved major general Ziaul Ahsan, the former army chief described how the deposed prime minister and her government exploited state security agencies to consolidate control over the armed forces, suppress political opponents and channel widespread corruption through national projects. Even more shocking in his deposition was the confirmation of long-circulating rumours that foreign intelligence, particularly India’s Research and Analysis Wing, had operational access to armed forces intelligence and its office. Such an allegation indicates that the DGFI had acted against its mandate, which is to provide tactical support for the armed forces and conduct counter-intelligence, rather than offer assistance to a foreign intelligence agency. The allegation warrants a credible investigation and strict action against the errant officers who acted against sovereign interests of Bangladesh.
The former army chief’s deposition gives a horrifying account of the criminalisation of both the agencies, revealing that professional army officers returned from the battalion transformed into what he described as professional killers. He cited examples of battalion officials receiving monetary compensation and other rewards for killing unarmed ‘suspects.’ His statement confirms what families of the victims have for long reported. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances in its report also substantiated prima facie evidence of torture in 253 cases of enforced disappearances and established compelling evidence of gross rights violations committed by the law enforcement agencies. What his deposition emphasised, however, was not just the trial of errant intelligence personnel but also the policy decision to involve soldiers trained under the ‘one bullet, one enemy’ doctrine in civilian law enforcement, calling for the abolition of the two agencies. The armed forces intelligence has clearly deviated from its mandate, becoming a force for domestic surveillance and gathering intelligence on citizens. This deviation and the resulting murderous shift in institutional culture do not, however, diminish the essential need for the armed forces to collect military intelligence.
The political party that would form the government after the February 12 elections should, therefore, consider reforming and overhauling the armed forces intelligence services, prioritising the investigation of the reported breach of intelligence protocol and ensuring exemplary action against all who provided access for the Research and Analysis Wing, compromising national interests for partisan gains.
