Dhaka, Feb. 5 -- The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the authorities of Bangladesh to carry out an investigation about the recent allegations of enforced disappearances and torture by members of the police Detective Branch.

HRW has mentioned a number of incidents including the alleged police custodial death of 38-year old shopkeeper Mohammad Rabiul Islam in Gazipur and alleged police tortures of a lawyer Abu Hossain Rajon in the capital, and a journalist Raghunath Kha in Satkhira district.

Bangladesh's Detective Branch has previously been implicated in allegations of grave human rights abuses by local human rights groups, including enforced disappearances and torture, Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said...