DHAKA: State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku Tuesday said BNP leader Chowdhury Alam, who has been missing for over a fortnight, was “kidnapped” from a city street.

“All the law-enforcing agencies are now looking for the Dhaka City Corporation Councillor on the basis of the ezahar filed by his family,” he told banglanews24.com.bd in the first official comment on the status of Chowdhury Alam.

His comment came 17 days after the BNP leader went missing—and a day after opposition leader and ex-PM Khaleda Zia visited his residence and urged the government to save her party leader.

Tuku had a meeting of the core committee of the Home Ministry on law-and-order situation with Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun in the chair Tuesday.

Chiefs of all the law-enforcing agencies, including Inspector-General of Police Nur Mohammad and Director-General of RAB Hasan Mahammud Khandakar, were present.

The committee discussed the matter of Chowdhury Alam as country’s latest politics made it a major issue with the Opposition leader and BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, asking the government to disclose his whereabouts and return the leader to his family.  

Tuku said that the law enforcers were given instruction from top of the government to investigate the incident of his ‘kidnap’ and find out who might be behind it.

“They (law enforcers) were asked to find out why and how he has been kidnapped,” Tuku said, adding that the government has given top priority to this matter.  

“This is a major concern for the government as well,” he said.

Chowdhury Alam, Councillor of Ward 56 of DCC, has been missing since June 25 night. His family members and the opposition BNP alleged that plainclothes police picked him up.

The law enforcers, however, denied having taken him in.


BDST: 1934 HRS. JULY 13, 2010