M Ilias Ali (1 January 1961 – disappeared 17 April 2012) was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) representing the Sylhet-2 constituency. He served as the organising secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He, along with his personal car driver, Ansar Ali, went missing on 18 April 2012. Later that day, local police recovered his abandoned car near his residence in Banani neighborhood and found Ansar's cellphone inside. They have not been seen since. On the tenth anniversary of his disappearance, Netra News, an independent news platform in Sweden, reported on 21 April 2022, that Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite Bangladeshi police unit, had carried out the disappearance. The platform cited leaked confidential documents and internal investigations documents from RAB to reach the conclusion. Early life and education Ali was born in Ramdhana, Bishwanath in Sylhet district on 1 January 1961. He was a student of the University of Dhaka. Political career Student politics Ali started his political career in 1980 with the student wing of the BNP, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, founded the year before. He lived in Kobi Joshim Uddin hall of Dhaka University. In a couple of years, he became leader of the dorm, and in 1983 became a central executive member of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD). In 1986, the National Council of JCD was held, where Ali was elected as the International Affairs Secretary of the Central Executive Committee. At that time, JCD was the most powerful student political organization in the country. Hossain Mohammad Ershad was elected as president in 1986, although BNP boycotted the election. While recognizing that Ershad had restored some political rights, BNP and the Awami League heightened political pressure to fully restore a parliamentary democracy in the country, and both had many students willing to protest for the cause. In 1987, Ershad ordered the expulsion of nine JCD student leaders from the Dhaka University, including Ali. He was arrested in 1988 for political activities. After seven months of prison, Ali was released from jail by the order of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. He was repeatedly arrested and released on bail. In February 1990, Ali was arrested while JCD prepared for a protest march. After his arrest, violence increased on campus at Dhaka University, with conflict between students and police. In July 1990, Ali was released from jail by order of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. In the meantime,