Dhaka: Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed was among those who disappeared during the Awami League-led government's tenure, in an incident that remains one of Bangladesh's most discussed cases of alleged enforced disappearance. On March 10, 2015, Salahuddin, then BNP joint secretary general and the party's spokesperson during the anti-government movement, was allegedly taken from an apartment in Uttara, Dhaka. After remaining unaccounted for nearly two months, he was found in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, on May 11. The incident has resurfaced on International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, observed annually on August 30.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a close associate of Salahuddin Ahmed and eyewitness to the events, Syed Habib Hasnat, a Chattogram resident who sheltered Salahuddin at his Uttara residence, has provided an account of those events. As government and intelligence agencies intensified their search for Salahuddin after he became BNP spokesperson, he frequently changed locations in Gulshan. Eventually, he decided to stay at Habib Hasnat's flat in Uttara. On the last day of February 2015, Habib Hasnat facilitated Salahuddin's move from Gulshan to Uttara, using a route designed to avoid police checkpoints.
On the night of March 10, Habib Hasnat returned to Uttara and noticed an unusual atmosphere, with several streets poorly lit, shops closed, and a heavy presence of law enforcement personnel. Upon entering the building, he discovered the apartment door broken open, and the cook and assistant informed him that Salahuddin had been taken away. Fearing detention, Habib Hasnat left the country, eventually reaching Dubai before traveling to the United States, where he contacted Salahuddin's wife Hasina Ahmed and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The government denied any involvement in Salahuddin's disappearance, suggesting he had gone into hiding. Despite being asked to hold a press conference abroad to disclose the events, Habib Hasnat refrained, citing threats from an intelligence agency warning him to remain silent.
Records and media reports from the period indicate that law enforcement agencies had been actively searching for Salahuddin in the days leading up to his disappearance. RAB detained his two drivers and personal assistant on March 7, 2015, and searched various locations associated with him. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a law enforcement vehicle near the residence before Salahuddin was allegedly taken away.
After 62 days, Salahuddin was found in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. The government continued to reject abduction allegations, with some leaders describing the incident as "self-exile." The circumstances surrounding Salahuddin's disappearance remain controversial, forming part of a darker chapter in Bangladesh's recent political history, marked by allegations of enforced disappearances involving opposition activists and political leaders.
Today, as the world observes the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Salahuddin's case has again drawn public attention, highlighting one of the most dramatic episodes in Bangladesh's recent political history.