Salahuddin missing for six days
The police claim they do not know BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed's whereabouts. Five branches of the police have said they neither arrested nor detained Salahuddin. They said they are trying to locate him.
In five separate reports to the High Court, this claim was made by the police headquarters, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, RAB, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Special Branch. The reports were submitted to the Attorney General's office at the Supreme Court yesterday, Sunday morning. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam submitted this to the court at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Last Thursday Salahuddin Ahmed's wife Hasina Ahmed submitted a petition to the high court, asking for him to be produced within 24 hours. After a hearing by the high court bench comprising Justice Kamrul Islam Siddiqui and Justice Gobinda Chandra Thakur, the court asked why Salahuddin Ahmed would not be found and produced before the court by 10 in the morning of 15 March. This notice was sent to eight defendants, including the home secretary, the inspector general of police (IGP), the director general of RAB and the commissioner of Dhaka metropolitan police. The police submitted the report yesterday in response to this notice.
Quoting the police report, the attorney general said, at 11pm on the night of 11 March, Hasina Ahmed went to Uttara West police station with about 20-25 TV reporters and cameras. She informed the police that between nine and ten at night on 10 March, members of a law enforcement agency picked up Salahuddin from a house in Uttara sector 3. When the police asked where she had heard this news, Hasina Ahmed couldn't give a clear reply. They asked why she had taken over 24 hours to inform the police that he had been picked up and why did she bring journalists to the police station.
Referring further to the police report, Mahbubey Alam said First Security Bank's DMD Habib Hasnat and his wife Sumona would live in the west-side flat on the first floor of the three-storeyed building at Uttara sector 3. The police found the flat locked. The guard Akhter said the couple Hasnat and Sumona had gone abroad four days ago. They left a guest called 'Raihan' in their flat. Hasnat had told the guards that the guest would stay in the flat in their absence. At around nine in the night of 10 March, four or five persons went to Hasnat's house. After about half an hour, the guest left with them in a car. They do not know if the person was Salahuddin or not.
The persons who had come to the flat were not in uniform. They were not armed. The car waiting outside didn't seem to be any any security agency. The men were not carrying handcuffs and it did not seem that he was taken away by force.
However, Akhterul Islam on Thursday told Prothom Alo, "On Tuesday night a group of people drove up in a few cars at about quarter to nine in the night. There were three cars in front of the house. At around 10pm, they came and said, 'We are from the detective branch (DB)." The smaller gate was open and they entered." When Akhter asked them why they had come, they said, "You will get to know later."
Akhter said that two of them slapped him and he was scared because they were carrying a pistol. Saying they were DB men, they told Ahkter to sit silently and then they went upstairs. They stayed for 20 to 25 minutes. Then they came down, two of them flanking blindfolded Salahuddin. The armed men then went off with Salahuddin in a microbus.
Security guards of the neighbouring houses also told Prothom Alo that they thought that the armed persons who came up in vehicles on 10 March at night, were law enforcement persons.
At yesterday's hearing the Attorney General said, the police were making all possible efforts to find Salahuddin. They will continue in their efforts. The court had nothing more to do in this regard. He said that the rule should be dismissed.
Opposing this, the petitioner's counsel, senior lawyer Moudud Ahmed said they had not received a copy of the police report. There were several unclear points for which he wanted an explanation. The report submitted by the attorney general to the court was not attested, he contended.
The court replied that if the process to find his continued, then there was no need to maintain the rule. The court could move on to different cases.
Moudud Ahmed responded that this was no ordinary case. It could not be taken lightly. It was a matter of life and death and the petitioner had a right to hearing of the police report.
The court adjourned the hearing till today, Monday afternoon. It ordered that an attestation be given along with the police report and also that the petitioner be given a copy.
Why 24 hours later: Hasina Ahmed last night explained to Prothom Alo why she reported to the police 24 hours after Salahuddin was picked up, saying, "I wasn't sure that he had actually be picked up. At 10pm on 10 March night, Salahuddin called me and tried to tell me that. The network was unclear and I couldn't hear what he was saying. Habib Hasnat was also scared of being arrested or he was threatened, because of his sheltering Salahuddin. That is why he went off to Dubai. I wasn't able to contact him either. That was why I didn't go to the police. On the afternoon of 11 March I managed to contact Habib and then I spoke to the party. Nazrul Islam Khan issued a statement. He told me to file a GD with the police station."
Hasina Ahmed said she didn't take any journalist with her. They went their own their own accord, after Nazrul Islam Khan's statement.
Barrister Rafiqul Huq told Prothom Alo, "I think this is another Ilyas Ali incident. The Ilyas Ali mystery was never solved. This too seems to be a mystery. The prime minister said that he was moved out of there along with the baggage. That means the prime minister knows where Salah Uddin has gone. So find him now. Such an incident anywhere in the world means anyone of us is at risk. I hope the matter is resolved. Let's see what happens in court tomorrow."
On Saturday night prime minister Sheikh Hasina said about the missing Salahuddin, "There are cases against him. We are looking for him so he can be arrested. Salahuddin was issuing statements from underground. But everyone knows he issued statements from there (Khaleda Zia's office). Khaleda Zia will be able to answer if he was removed from there along with the eight sacks of garbage."