Ziaul Ahsan arrested in Salahuddin Ahmed disappearance case

The International Crimes Tribunal has shown the arrest of former army officer Major General (dismissed) Ziaul Ahsan in a case of crimes against humanity committed in the 2015 disappearance of current Home Minister and BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed. The state prosecution said that the investigation has found information about Ziaul Ahsan's primary involvement in the incident. After the hearing, he was sent to prison and the investigation report has been set for submission on October 27.

Ziaul Ahsan was produced before the tribunal for the hearing of the case on Thursday (August 27). Earlier, on August 9, the prosecution had ordered him to be produced in court. During the hearing, the state said that it had found primary information about Ziaul Ahsan's involvement in the disappearance of Salahuddin Ahmed. Later, based on the state's application, the tribunal ordered him to be arrested in the case.

According to the case, on the night of March 10, 2015, Salahuddin Ahmed was abducted from a house in Uttara in the capital. At that time, his wife Hasina Ahmed alleged that members of the law enforcement agencies had taken him away. At that time, Salahuddin was serving as the joint secretary general of BNP and the party's spokesperson. About two months later, on May 11, local police rescued him in Shillong, Meghalaya, India.

Along with Ziaul Ahsan, Salahuddin Ahmed's allegations include former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former IGPs Benazir Ahmed and AKM Shahidul Haque, former DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, and former head of the police's special branch Monirul Islam. An investigation was launched after a complaint was filed in the office of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal in this incident.

After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Salahuddin Ahmed was given the opportunity to return to the country. Indian authorities issued him a travel pass to return home on August 6, and he returned to Bangladesh on August 11. His disappearance is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as a crime against humanity. The investigation report on the case has been ordered to be submitted by October 27.