Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Bangladeshi authorities to immediately investigate the alleged enforced disappearance of Miraj Sheikh (30) from an area adjacent to the Sundarbans, in accordance with a directive issued by the High Court.

The international human rights organisation said, Miraj Sheikh was last seen in the custody of the Coast Guard and it appears to be the first known enforced disappearance case in two years.

The statement was made in a report published on the Human Rights Watch (HRW) website on Sunday night (London time). It said, the government should also reverse its decision to scrap reforms aimed at preventing enforced disappearances and instead ensure accountability by security forces.

The HRW report states, under the previous government, which was toppled by protests in 2024, enforced disappearances became endemic. This led the interim government that governed Bangladesh between August 2024 and elections in February 2026 to adopt the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance in November 2025.