New Delhi: A raging protest led by student leaders turned into an anti-government campaign that forced former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to flee the country in August. Now, chilling details have surfaced that reveal the secret jails where the dissidents were lodged.
The detractors and criticisers of Hasina government who experienced forced disappearances, have opened up about their harrowing ordeal in these secret jails, known as ‘Aynaghor’, which translates into ‘House of Mirrors’.
The voices of dissent were muffled in these prisons and the victims thought they would never see freedom again. However, after the movement toppled the Hasina government, they are looking to a new light.
It was in 2009 that Hasina took over the reins of power and several people who voiced their opposition against the state were allegedly picked up by the security forces. Many were reportedly killed and their bodies abandoned, while some were put in secret military detention centre — code-named as the ‘House of Mirrors’, according to The New York Times.
All about the secret prisons
Hasina is believed to have used the state resources to challenge anyone who threatened her hold on power. According to the New York Times, the enforced disappearances programme was part of this effort to take on the dissidents.
As per human rights organisations estimates, more than 700 individuals have been victims of forced disappearances since Hasina’s regime started in 2009. The actual figure is expected to be more, they say.
In certain cases, dissidents were essentially targeted for holding a rally, blocking roads to stage a protest, or even posting messages of dissent on social media platforms.
In the ‘House of Mirrors’, the Bangladesh military’s intelligence wing monitored a number of secret long-term detentions. Many of them, who were lodged in an underground prison, have said that they heard the military parades above them in the mornings.
What happened inside these jails
There was a reason to call these jails ‘Aynaghor’ or ‘House of Mirrors’ because those detained in them were never supposed to see any other person but themselves.
Life inside the highly controlled centre, run by the military intelligence, was a nightmare. In the centre, the detainees were subjected to direct physical torture during questioning, and health checkups were both regular and comprehensive. Every four to six months, the inmates received haircuts. The motive behind this was to torture the mind, The New York Times report said.
Bangladeshi barrister Ahmad Bin Quasem, detained in 2016, was blindfolded, handcuffed, and removed from the secret prison after languishing there for eight years. “That’s the first time I got fresh air in eight years. I thought they were going to kill me,” he had recounted to AFP earlier this year.
Inside the secret prison, Quasem was fettered 24X7 in a solitary cell, which had no windows. The jailers were directed not to pass on any news from the outside world. Besides, the barrister was forced to wear metal handcuffs almost all the time.
Some of the people who were detained there said that it had long corridors with half a dozen rooms positioned away from one another. There were toilets at each end, both standing one and squatting. Each cell was equipped with large exhaust fans that were too loud for the ears and could drive anyone insane.
