Wife of Bangla politico to arrive in Shillong today
SHILLONG: Extradition of Bangladeshi politician Salahuddin Ahmed, who is now in police custody in Meghalaya, is unlikely due to multiple reasons including his illegal entry into India and ongoing medical treatment.
While the Meghalaya police wanted to complete the legal process of producing the arrested Bangladeshi politician before the Court at the earliest as they have to concentrate in local law and order issues, several tests are yet to be completed in Civil Hospital before Ahmed is finally discharged.
Though there are press reports that Ahmed will be extradited soon, BSF, which is the nodal agency to hand over any arrested Bangladeshi intruder to its counterpart BGB, said on Sunday that they are yet to receive any information on extradition of Ahmed.
Ahmed was admitted to Shillong Civil Hospital on May 12, a day after he was lodged at Meghalaya Institute of Mental Health And Neurological Sciences (MIMHANS) after his arrest on May 11 under Foreigners Act for travelling without valid documents.
A senior lawyer well versed with cases related to violation of Foreigners Act said that after the police produces the Bangladeshi national before the Court, he will be placed under judicial custody which means that he will be lodged in jail.
The maximum punishment for illegal entry is imprisonment for five years.
“In the meantime, if the Government makes an appeal before the Court for his extradition, the matter will be examined by the Court”, the lawyer said
Meghalaya DGP Rajiv Mehta when contacted said that the Bangladeshi national will be produced before the Court by the police only once he is discharged from the hospital.
“We feel the quicker he is released, it is better for us since the Meghalaya police have other law and order duties both in Shillong and Garo Hills to be attended to”, Mehta said.
The police chief said that it was up to the Court to give its judgment regarding the violation of Foreigners Act or about his extradition.
“As of now, we will have to produce him before the Court and if there is any direction from the Government of India, we will bring it before the Court”, Mehta said.
As far as the demand for treatment in Singapore is concerned, this can happen only after he lands up in Bangladesh, the police chief said.
While stating that no direction has come from any quarters on the extradition of arrested Bangladeshi national, the BSF DIG SK Singh said that once a decision on extradition is made, the matter will be communicated to Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and subsequently he will be handed over to them in the border.
Meanwhile, Dr D. J Goswami of Civil Hospital, who is treating Ahmed said on Sunday that while the ECG test carried out to assess his heart condition is normal, the use of ultra sound to check the condition of kidney was not satisfactory which prompted the doctor to go for CT scan. “A surgeon has to give his opinion on his kidney ailment after the CT scan is conducted”, Dr Goswami said. Besides, a skin specialist has also been deputed to examine whether there are any complications in the skin.
“We have to sit together to compile the health status report of the patient before he is discharged”, the doctor said.
However, as per preliminary reports, Ahmed is responding to the treatment and the condition is more or less normal, the doctor said, adding that the patient is also taking food provided by the hospital.
Though the BNP leader Jony Abdul Latif who met Ahmed at Civil Hospital on Sunday claimed that the latter is suffering from memory loss, the doctor said that he was speaking normally and spontaneously.
In another development, Hasina Ahmed, the wife of arrested Bangladeshi politician Salahuddin Ahmed will arrive here on Monday to meet her ailing husband at Shillong Civil Hospital, sources said.
According to sources, Hasina has already boarded a flight and will stay at Kolkata on Sunday night.
