Gaibandha police searched remote char areas of Phulchhari in Gainabdha district on Thursday evening to find out Bnp joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed on the basis of a phone call, but subsequently confirmed that it was a hoax.
The superintendent of police of Gaibandha told journalists that on receipt of a mobile phone call from one Siraj Master who introduced himself to be a man from the locality police undertook the search by taking with it a medical team to care for the Bnp leader who is remaining untraced from his hideout in Uttara in Dhaka city for 10 days.Salahuddin Ahmed who used to make political announcements on behalf of the Bnp-led 20-Party Alliance from a hideout in the city had made the announcements for March 10 before being picked up by some plainclothes men identifying themselves as members of law enforcing agencies, his wife Hasina Ahmed said.
The law enforcing agencies – police and Rab – however denied arrest of Salahuddin and said they were also looking for the Bnp leader. In reports submitted to the High Court in response to a writ petition filed by Salahuddin’s wife Hasina Ahmed the agencies submitted their reports.
The SP of Gaibandha said as they went to Phulchhari they tried to contact the said Siraj Master over his mobile phone, but found it switched off. Subsequently by tracking the said mobile phone they ascertained that the said caller had made the call from Chittagong and not from Gaibandha. The whole episode was thus a hoax.
Meanwhile, Deputy Spokesman of UN secretary general Ban ki-moon, Farhan Haq said on Wednesday once again emphasised the need for all sides in Bangladesh to engage in dialogue and for the authorities to allow for freedom of expression, for freedom of assembly and freedom of the media.
Replying to a question at the daily briefing on the enforced disappearance of Bnp joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed the deputy spokesperson said, ‘… we’re continuing to hold the authorities to those points and, of course, we would be concerned about any breaches of that.’ – News Desk
