While their families search every alleyway, survivors say that they lived right around the corner in the capital city. 

The captors of North South University teacher Mubashar Hasan were divided over whether to kill him or not, before finally freeing him early yesterday. The kidnappers also demanded money for his release, said Mubashar, sharing his experience of the 44-day captivity with journalists as he repeatedly fought back tears.

“Please bring back my papa or send me to him.” In a voice choked with emotion, Adiba Islam Hridi, 7, once again sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's intervention in tracing her father, who remains missing since 2013.

Two top leaders of the newly formed Bangladesh Janata Party who “went missing” from the city's Sutrapur area around three weeks ago are now in police custody. Police say they arrested the duo on Monday.

The statistics are frightening for any society that prides itself on its civilisational credentials, and even more so for any government....