On July 20, 2024, at least 25 plainclothes security forces abducted Nahid Islam, a sociology student at Dhaka University and a national coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement. Islam was held for 24 hours before being released.

Around midnight on the night of July 19-20, over two dozen plainclothes officers blindfolded, handcuffed, and took Islam from a house in Sabujbagh, Dhaka. According to Islam, he was then taken to a secret prison called Aynaghar. There, police interrogated Islam about his involvement in the anti-discrimination movement and tortured.

On July 21, Islam was released and left unconscious and beaten under a bridge in Purbachalf, Dhaka.

After being released, Islam was admitted to Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital for treatment before being abducted for a second time from the hospital on July 26 (see report).

Islam’s abduction occurred against the backdrop of the quota reform movement, a set of widespread student protests that began on the campus of the University of Dhaka, after a June 5, 2024 ruling by the High Court of Bangladesh reinstating a quota system – previously abolished in 2018 – which allocated government jobs to certain favored groups. Under the system, 30% of government positions went to people who had fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan and their family members, creating a shortage of sought-after positions for others. The protests ultimately led to the resignation of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a new interim government.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the detention without charge and alleged torture of a student activist, to retaliate for or prevent the nonviolent exercise of the right to free expression and assembly. State authorities must refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter the exercise of these rights. Such actions violate fundamental human rights and undermine democracy generally.

Sources:
https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/HRR_July-September_2024_English.pdf
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/nahid-islam
https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/240695/quota-protest-coordinator-nahid-reappears-injured
https://efe.com/en/other-news/2024-07-22/horror-in-dhaka-student-leader-abducted-tortured-over-bangladesh-protests/
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/accountability-must-be-ensured-3660771
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/352790/nahid-islam-and-asif-mahmud-allegedly-picked-up-by
https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/interviews/7221-bangladesh-the-interim-government-must-ensure-justice-for-the-wrongs-of-the-past-regime