Shillong court frames trespassing charges against BNP’s Salahuddin as he pleads not guilty

Charges have been framed against Salahuddin Ahmed in an Indian court, although the BNP leader pleaded not guilty of trespass.

Dilip Kumar Sharma, from Guwahatibdnews24.com
Published : 22 July 2015, 02:01 PM
Updated : 22 July 2015, 05:03 PM

He has been charged with illegal entry into India in a court in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state.
 
The court of Judicial Magistrate KML Nongbri framed charges of trespassing against Ahmed after a hearing on Wednesday.
 
It fixed July 30 as the day for deposition by prosecution witnesses.
 
A joint secretary general of the BNP, he went missing without a trace for two months and finally surfaced in Shillong.
 
He claimed he had been abducted in Bangladesh but has been unable to explain how he landed up in the Meghalaya capital.  
 
Before the framing of charges, Ahmed told bdnews24.com, “Whatever the court verdict, I want to return to Bangladesh.”
 
If his illegal entry is proved, Salauddin could face a prison term of a maximum of five years.
 
Public Prosecutor IC Jha said by telephone that “Salahuddin has pleaded not guilty.”
 
He said the court will now hear the prosecution witnesses and might need three to four hearings before reaching a verdict.
 
The court, he said, was keen to settle the case soon and, hence, was fixing hearings without long gaps.
  
Ahmed's lawyer SP Mahant said his client denied the charges because he had not wilfully trespassed.
 
He was booked under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act for entering India without valid travel documents after he was found moving aimlessly at the Golf Link area of Shillong on May 11.

A section of lawyers feel Ahmed’s decision to plead not guilty and face trial is aimed at prolonging his stay in India in order to avoid going back to Bangladesh, where he faces arrest in several cases of violence.  
 
They say had he admitted his guilt, the court may have given a light sentence involving only a few months of imprisonment, after which he would have been sent back to Bangladesh.
 
Bangladesh has issued a 'red corner' notice against Ahmed, a former state minister in the Khaleda Zia government.
 
After his arrest, he was kept in a jail hospital for treatment.
 
The court later granted him bail in view of his health condition.

The Meghalaya police had filed the chargesheet on Jun 3, forming the basis of the charges framed against him on Wednesday.
 
Ahmed told bdnews24.com in the court complex earlier in the day his health was now ‘good’ and that he had no one to fear in getting back to Bangladesh.
 
He had a cup to tea with a relative before going into the courtroom. 
 
The 54-year-old claims a group of unknown persons had abducted him from a house in Dhaka. He said he had no recollection of what happened after that.
 
In Meghalaya, police had first admitted Ahmed to a mental hospital because of his incoherent behaviour.
 
His wife Hasina Ahmed had rushed to Shillong after learning of his whereabouts. She appealed to the authorities to let her take her husband to Singapore for treatment.
 
Before his disappearance, the BNP leader had been issuing statements from an undisclosed location during the blockade and shutdowns being enforced by the BNP-led alliance and giving directions to the movement.  
 
He has been implicated in several cases of violence that took during the BNP-led agitation against the government.