Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed becomes emotional while recounting his 61 days in enforced disappearance

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed publicly recounted the harrowing 61 days he spent in enforced disappearance more than nine years after the ordeal, speaking at a gathering in Dhaka marking International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Addressing victims and families at the National Museum in Shahbagh on Saturday, Ahmed described the physical and psychological torment he endured while being held in an undisclosed location before being rescued in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, in May 2015.

The event was organized by Mayer Daak, a support group for families of the disappeared, to raise awareness on August 30, the UN-recognized day for victims of enforced disappearances. Ahmed, then a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was serving as joint secretary general when he went missing from Uttara in Dhaka on March 10, 2015. The BNP alleged that agents from a state intelligence agency were responsible for his abduction.

Ahmed told the audience he was confined in a cramped 8-by-4-foot room with minimal facilities—only a water tap, a narrow opening for sanitation, and a blanket on the floor. He said he received food twice daily and water but was never given medical care despite suffering from a heart condition. He recalled being kept in near-total isolation, with an electric fan running constantly outside his door to prevent suffocation. He described how captors discovered him in poor health only when they entered the room and found him unresponsive.

His release came after Indian police in Shillong rescued him on May 11, 2015, claiming he had been found disoriented and wandering in the city. Indian authorities initially detained him under the Foreigners Act for entering India without documents. After being hospitalized and questioned, Ahmed said he was transferred to a psychiatric facility despite insisting he was not mentally ill. He described being held among psychiatric patients, forcibly medicated, and having his glasses, hair, and beard removed.

It was during this time that Ahmed received a call from his wife—a moment that brought both to tears. He later recounted that it was the mass uprising in July 2024 that ultimately enabled his return to Bangladesh from India after years of legal and diplomatic efforts. Speaking at the event, he expressed gratitude to the protesters who had fought for justice and enabled his repatriation.

Ahmed has had a long political career, serving as assistant private secretary to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in 1991, later winning a parliamentary seat from Cox’s Bazar in 2001, and holding a state minister portfolio under the BNP government. His disappearance occurred amid a broader crackdown on opposition leaders following the controversial January 2014 elections, which the BNP boycotted.

During the discussion titled “Want Law, Justice, Accountability and Human Rights to Bring Back or Trace Missing Persons,” Ahmed emphasized the need for legal reforms and accountability in cases of enforced disappearance. He thanked Mayer Daak and the victims’ families for their continued struggle.

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