Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) has given the government a 24-hour ultimatum to find missing photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol.
DUJ President Quddus Afrad issued the ultimatum by forming a human chain of protest, organized by DUJ, in front of Press Club in Dhaka on Thursday.
He said that it is the duty of the state to find any person who goes missing.
Even though the Home Ministry and the Information Ministry had assured them that the matter of Kajol’s disappearance was being taken very seriously, there seemed to be very little effort from their end, said Afrad.
He added that if Kajol is not found soon DUJ would be forced to escalate their movements.
Kajol’s family and colleagues suspect that this is a forced disappearance. They have repeatedly urged the authorities to help ensure his safe return.
Kajols's son Monorom Polok said "I, my sister, and my mother just want my father to come back to us. I don't know what happened and why it happened. I just want my father back."
DUJ General Secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Topu said that the police were reluctant to take the case of Kajol’s disappearance, but eventually took it because they felt pressured.
He said Kajol’s wife is a patient of cancer. When his children asked them where their father was, they were unable to give them any answer, he added.
Shafiqul Islam Kajol went missing on March 10. He was last seen at Paribagh near Hatirpool at about 6:45pm that day.
