Indian Shillong Judge Court upholds acquittal of BNP leader Salahuddin

UNB, Dhaka :

The judge court in India’s Shillong has upheld a magistrate court’s verdict that acquitted BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed in a case filed against him over trespassing into India in 2015.

“A Shillong magistrate court earlier acquitted me. Later the Indian government appealed against the verdict. The judge court acquitted me disposing of the appeal on Tuesday,” Salahuddin told UNB over the phone.

In the short order, he said the judge court also asked the Indian government to take necessary steps to send him to back to Bangladesh.

Replying to a question, the BNP leader said he is eagerly waiting to return home.

He hoped that the Indian government and local administration will take immediate steps in line with the court order.

Earlier on October 26, 2018, the court of the first class judicial magistrate, DG Kharshiing, acquitted Salahuddin Ahmed in the case and asked the state government to take necessary steps for his immediate repatriation.

After remaining missing for around two months, Salahuddin, a former state minister, was found in Shillong, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya on May 11, 2015.

He was arrested for entering India without any valid documents. A case was filed against him under the Foreigners Act.

Later, Shillong police pressed charges against him in the case.

However, BNP claimed that Salahuddin was picked up from a house in the city’s Uttara area on March 10, 2015 allegedly by unidentified men who introduced themselves as detectives..