Quota reformist leader Tarek Rahman was being followed by men in plainclothes before he went missing Saturday, his parents claimed today.

Tarek’s parents Abdul Latif and Shahana Begum brought the claim at a press briefing held at Crime Reporters’ Association of Bangladesh office.

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According to what they said, Tarek, a joint convener of the quota reformist platform, called up a friend to inform that he was being followed by men in plainclothes before he went missing and his mobile phone was unreachable.

Tarek’s parents Abdul Latif and Shahana Begum at a press briefing held at Crime Reporters’ Association of Bangladesh office in Dhaka on July 16, 2018. Photo: Star

This would not be the first time that a quota reform leader went missing in Dhaka city. Earlier, another leader Faruk Hassan disappeared in a similar fashion before resurfacing in police custody a day later.

Law enforcers are currently cracking down on quota reform leaders and implicating them in lawsuits – a measure that has dispersed the movement by large.

Tarek, a joint convener of Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, the platform leading quota reform movement, was a Comilla University student who dived into leadership position during the movement.

According to what his parents said, Tarek was an organising secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, ruling Awami League’s student front, at Comilla University.

Devdas Bhattacharya, additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star last night that they did not detain Tarek, but they were indeed looking for him.

He going missing comes at a time when most of the top leaders of the quota reform movement are behind bars, some remanded in double phases, and the law enforcers are looking to trace down other quota reform activists.