The High Court yesterday asked the government to explain as to why it should not be directed to trace and produce BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed before the court at 10:30am on Sunday.

The HC bench of Justice Quamrul Islam Siddique and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore came up with the rule following a petition filed by Salahuddin's wife Hasina Ahmed.

A former BNP lawmaker, Hasina in her petition prayed the HC to issue directives upon the government to produce Salahuddin, a joint secretary general of BNP, before the court within 24 hours.

As per law, police have to produce a detainee before a court within 24 hours of his detention.

Opposing the prayer during the hearing on the petition, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the inspector general of police has informed him that law enforcers have not detained the BNP leader.

Hasina's lawyers, however, told the court that law enforcers picked up Salauddin from a house in the capital's Uttara around 10:15pm on Tuesday.

Uttara Police Station has refused to record a general diary over Salauddin's detention, they added.

The court asked the home secretary, inspector general of police, director general of Rab, DMP commissioner, additional inspectors general of Special Branch (SB) of police and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police; deputy commissioner of Dhaka and officer-in-charge of Uttara Police Station to reply to the rule by Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Md Bashir Ullah told The Daily Star.

Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar and Moudud Ahmed appeared for the petitioner.

Salahuddin, a former state minister, on behalf of the BNP-led 20-party alliance frequently called hartals by issuing press releases. He was acting as the BNP spokesperson.  

Talking to newsmen at Mirpur Police Staff College, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, state minister for home, yesterday said: “It's not clear to us whether he [Salahuddin] went somewhere or was picked up by someone… we will conduct an investigation.”

Had the law enforcers picked up Salahuddin, they would have produced him before the court within 24 hours as per law, he mentioned.

PRESS BRIEFING

Hours after the HC ruling, Hasina Ahmed spoke to the press at the office of Law Reporters Forum at a High Court building.

Under any circumstances it is not acceptable that a man would go missing after being arrested by law enforcers, she said. “I want that he [Salahuddin's] immediately returns to my family safe and unhurt.”

Hasina also alleged that law enforcers last Saturday picked up two drivers and a personal secretary of Salahuddin without any specific charges and tortured them in custody. Later, they were sued for blasting bombs.