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located between Matsya Bhaban and the International Mother Language Institute. There, they were detained and interrogated by then officials of DGFI and other agencies.

“There was a television behind us. The interrogator was watching it while questioning he. He was calling the TV channels – notably DBC, Shomoy TV and Ekattor TV – instructing them to change new and correct scrolls. The channels then aired news portraying a ‘normal situation’.”

Though the safe house looked abandoned from outside, it had modern facilities inside, Hasnat said.

They were interrogated till 2:30am, allowed to sleep briefly, and then woken during Fajr prayers when a new team resumed questioning. “During interrogation, a DGFI officer told me that on October 28, 2023, he had thwarted BNP’s movement of millions within 10 minutes, and that it would not take him any time to suppress our movement the same way.

“We were isolated, tortured and misrepresented before the nation.”

He added, “ADC Junaid tortured me inhumanely while I was at DB office. We began a hunger strike and were eventually released on August 1.”