Meghna Alam’s arrest wasn't illegal, says CA's special aide

The use of the Special Powers Act for arrests is nothing new, says Khuda Baksh Chowdhury

Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, special assistant to the chief advisor, says that the arrest of model Meghna Alam was carried out lawfully, noting that detentions under the law invoked in her case are not uncommon in Bangladesh.

His remarks came in response to questions from journalists during a media briefing at the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Home Affairs Advisor Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury was also present at the time.

The press conference began with Jahangir thanking the various ministries, organisations and journalists for successfully organising Pohela Boishakh festivities.

Khuda Baksh, a former inspector general of police, expressed his surprise when the first journalist in the question-and-answer session asked why Meghna was arrested under the Special Powers Act on Apr 9, questioning whether it was necessary after such a joyful occasion.

"Today's meeting was meant to thank you, but from your question, it seems that the government has done something illegal," he said. "Given that there was a good programme on Pohela Boishakh, and everyone is happy, couldn’t the subject have been avoided," he asked.

"This law has been used before. It is not that this law is only being used in this one case. It is not an illegal act. A complaint has been received against her. It is being worked on. The matter has gone to the High Court. It would not be right to talk about a pending case. Let's see what comes out of it. However, one thing is certain -- action has been taken under the existing law, so nothing illegal has been done against anyone here."

He continued, "An order has been executed through a court. As the action was taken in line with a court order, you should direct your questions to the court. And now the matter has gone to the High Court. It would not be right for us to comment here."

On Sunday, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul had commented that the arrest of Meghna did not follow proper procedure. When a journalist asked Khuda Baksh about this, he replied: "We do not know the context in which the law advisor made the remark. He has not even asked us anything about it. He did not ask to inform us about what context he was referring to. So, if I answer now, it will not be in the proper context. Now the matter has gone to court."

Both the home affairs advisor and the special assistant to the chief advisor appeared reluctant to take questions about Meghna.

Later, another journalist drew attention to a recent controversial statement made by Jahangir. At an event in Sunamganj on Apr 10, he reportedly said that the people wanted to see the interim government remain in power for five years.

When asked about the context of that statement, the home affairs advisor said: "I did not say that the government wants to stay in power for five years. This is what the people have said. The government has said that elections will be held between December and June. I am not a politician. There is no question of me saying anything like this."

The issue of removing Additional Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mallick from the post of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch chief was also raised by the media.

When one reporter asked about recent discussions regarding whether he was removed due to Meghna’s arrest, Jahangir said: "These are routine matters. He was not removed because of the Meghna Alam incident. It could be because he is ill."

Khuda Baksh said that the interim government is in the process of taking general diaries (GDs) and first information reports (FIRs) online.

A trial run for online GDs will first be conducted in two districts, followed by online FIRs, he said. Eventually, it will be expanded, he added.