Noted microbiologist Bijon Kumar Sil left Bangladesh for Singapore on Sunday morning.
The renowned scientist left Dhaka on a Bangladesh Biman flight at 7:30am, according to the Gonoshasthaya Kendra press adviser Jahangir Alam.
Earlier, Bijon told Prothom Alo that he was going to Singapore for employment visa and wanted to come back soon once he received the visa.
Bijon owns a tourist visa, but it is not possible to work in Bangladesh with it, Jahangir told Prothom Alo adding that the scientist told Gonoshathaya that he went to Singapore to apply for the employment visa from there.
He expects to return to Bangladesh within two months, said Jahangir Alam.
Bijon Kumar went to Singapore in 2002 and worked as a government service holder. Later, he worked with a private institution and also became involved with local and international institutions and organisations as a consultant.
He was born in Bonpara village in Boraigram upazila of the district in 1961. Though he is a Bangladesh citizen by birth, he is now a citizen of Singapore. He came to Bangladesh on tourist visa which expired on 1 July.
After that, he applied for change of NVR (No Visa Required) as a Bangladeshi citizen by birth following rules.
However, the home affairs ministry advised Bijon to apply for employment visa as a foreigner or passport holder of another country as per the conventional rules. The ministry also extended validity of his tourist visa for one year.
On 1 February, the scientist had joined the microbiology department of Gono Bishwabidyalay in Savar. He is the lead researcher at Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceuticals and involved in several crucial projects including antigen and antibody kits.