TDS Desk:

Former Brigadier General of the Bangladesh Army, Abdullahil Aman Azmi, has spoken to the media after being released from ‘Aynaghor.’

In a virtual press conference held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, he recounted the treatment he received from a special task force in plain clothes on the day of his arrest and described his time spent in Aynaghor.

He said, “When they came to my house, I asked them who they were and to show their identification. They didn’t respond to my questions. I asked several more questions, but they remained silent. One officer addressed me disrespectfully, using the informal ‘you’ (tui) and treated me very poorly.

“At one point, they arrested me, blindfolded me, and took me to their vehicle. During that time, they insulted both me and the army,” Azmi said.

“When I returned, I learned about the extent of the torture inflicted on my family. They even tried to assault my wife. At one point, when they attempted to take her away, my wife insisted on taking my mother with her, which they refused. They also assaulted our young female domestic worker. They attacked everyone, including our house manager and guard,” he added.

Azmi recounted, “They took me to a place with my eyes and face covered. They gave me some clothes and provided me with food at night, but I wasn’t in a state to eat. When I asked to use the toilet, they blindfolded and tied my hands, and led me there.”

The former brigadier said, “I constantly feared they might kill me in a crossfire. I prayed to Allah during night prayer, begging Him not to let my body become food for dogs. I prayed that my body would be returned to my family.”

He further mentioned that when he was confined to a room, he was questioned about why he wrote against India and why he was vocal against India on Facebook. “It was clear why they detained me in Aynaghor,” he said.

Referring to the BDR mutiny at Pilkhana, where 57 army officers were killed, he said, “The previous investigations were superficial. The full investigation of the killings should be conducted, and the culprits should be held accountable.”

“All institutions in the country have been destroyed. I believe the new government will rebuild these institutions,” he added.

Discussing the 1971 Liberation War, Brigadier Azmi said, “Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced the number of martyrs in the Liberation War without any survey. The nation still doesn’t know the exact number of people who died in the war.”

Referring to a survey conducted on the number of martyrs, Azmi said, “A survey revealed 286,000 martyrs, but Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, instead of saying 300,000, mentioned 3 million.”

During the press conference, Brigadier Azmi also mentioned that the national anthem of Bangladesh should be rewritten. “The current national anthem was composed by India to unite the two Bengals. Bangladesh is now independent, so our national anthem should be revised.”

Notably, former Brigadier General Abdullahil Aman Azmi was released from Aynaghor on 6 August. He is the second son of the late Ghulam Azam, former Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. On the night of 22 August 2016, he was picked up by law enforcement officers in plain clothes from his home in Boro Moghbazar, Dhaka.

Later, he was forced to retire from the army by the Awami League government. Although Jamaat-e-Islami repeatedly claimed his abduction, law enforcement agencies denied the allegations.