Ainaghar: Inside Sheikh Hasina’s alleged secret torture houses | WATCH

New Delhi: Ainaghar or 'House of Mirrors,' allegedly operated by the Bangladesh Army's intelligence unit, has been linked to brutal torture and the disappearance of hundreds of individuals. According to India Today, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed in 2022 that the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was also a victim of this torture house.

“Those who will be murdered are taken to the torture cell of this Ainaghar, and those who will be kept alive are tortured and confined here for years,” Alamgir was quoted saying by a Bangladeshi newspaper.

Over 600 forced disappearances since 2009

A 2023 Human Rights Watch report revealed that Bangladeshi security forces have conducted over 600 forced disappearances since Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2009, with more than 100 individuals still missing. The United Nations Human Rights Commission has also raised concerns over these enforced disappearances.

The retired #Bangladesch general was released yesterday after a decade from dictator Hasina's secret detention center "Ainaghar", right after Hasina's fall.

Rtd. Brigadier General Aman Ajami in the picture pic.twitter.com/QPdRk46Gap

— Dr. Muhammad Belal Hossain Ph.D. (@DrMBelal) August 8, 2024

Ahmed bin Kashem, son of Jamaat central leader Mir Kashem Ali, was rescued from DGFI's torture cell 'Ainaghar' by retired army officers. He was found in 2016 after eight years of disappearance. (1st picture is before, 2nd picture is after release) pic.twitter.com/DmEjiVfMuf

— Omar faruk Angel (@OmarFarukAngel) August 6, 2024

❝আমি কতদিন আলো-বাতাস দেখি না, আল্লাহর দুনিয়া দেখি না, ওরা আমাকে আযান শুনতে দেয় নাই। আমার এই গামছাটা তে আমি যেই পরিমাণ চোখের পানি মুছেছি, ওই পানি জমাইলে একটা দিঘি বানানো যেতো!❞

স্বৈরাচার হাসিনার গুমঘর 'আয়নাঘর' থেকে ফেরার পর সাবেক বিগ্রেডিয়ার জেনারেল আমান আযমী pic.twitter.com/I8HJFZYI3U

— ঝরা পাতা (@fazlulkari67416) August 8, 2024

Multiple torture facilities

Reports suggest that Ainaghar was not the sole torture facility, as several similar cells were allegedly established within military areas in Dhaka. These allegations have prompted opposition parties and student organizations to demand action against Sheikh Hasina.

The international community's attention has been drawn to these grave accusations, putting pressure on Bangladeshi authorities to investigate and address the reported human rights abuses. As the calls for justice grow louder, the true extent of the activities within Ainaghar and other such facilities remains a critical issue for Bangladesh's political and social landscape.