Indian court delays trespassing verdict on ‘kidnapped’ BNP leader

A Shillong court has deferred the pronouncement of the verdict on BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed, who is accused of trespassing in the Indian state of Meghalaya, to October 15.

A Court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) in Shillong, the capital of Northeast Indian state Meghalaya, gave the order on Thursday, September 28. The verdict on BNP leader Salahuddin was originally scheduled to be delivered on the day.

On May 11, 2015, Salahuddin Ahmed was spotted in the Golf Link area at Shillong. Locals reported him to Meghalaya police saying he was wandering “suspiciously and aimlessly.”

Salahuddin was initially not speaking coherently, and he was first taken to the Meghalaya Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (MIMHANS) for examination. After he was declared mentally sound, the BNP leader was transferred to Shillong Civil Hospital.

On May 12 that year, Meghalaya police arrested and filed a case against Salahuddin, as he did not have proper travel documents. The court has framed charges against the BNP leader under Section 14 of India’s Foreigners Act 1946.

Salahuddin claims he was kidnapped in Bangladesh on March 10, 2015, but he said he has no idea on how he ended up in Shillong on May 11.

The BNP leader was granted bail on June 5, 2015, under the conditions that he appears before the court or superintendent of police, does not abscond or leave the jurisdiction of the court, and provides his complete residential address to the superintendent of police.