Hindu leader of Bangladesh Janata Party missing: Family

The Hindu chief of newlylaunched Bangladesh Janata Party (BJP) representing minority communities in the Muslim-majority country has gone missing, his family claimed.

Mithun Chowdhury and another leader of the party, Ashik Gosh Asit, are missing since October 27 night, Chowdhury's wife Sumona claimed at a press conference on Wednesday.

She alleged that the two were picked up by some men in civilian clothes who introduced them as members of a law enforcement agency from Dhaka city’s Farashganj area at mid- night, prominent Bangla daily Prothom Alo reported.

She sought intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the home minister in ensuring her husband's safe return.

"I want my husband back. At the very least, I want to know where he is taken to,” Sumana said.

She alleged that the local police station did not register a general diary when she went to complain about abduction of her husband and the party leader. However, the office-in-charge of the Sutrapur police station, K M Ashraf Uddin, denied allegation that the police did not receive the complaint.

“None from the family came to us,” he was quoted as saying by the daily.

Chowdhury, 42, launched the Bangladesh Janata Party (BJP) on September 20 to represent non-Muslims in Bangladesh.

Chowdhury, also president of Hindu-Buddhist-Christian-Adibasi Party, led the process of floating the party bringing 50 different organisations under the BJP banner.

At the launch of the party, he had claimed that his party has been formed with the blessing of Bharatiya Janata Party, local media had reported.

He had said that his party would not be involved in any sort of religion-centric politics; rather, it would work on national issues.

He is also president of Hindu-Buddhist-Christian- Adi ba si Party, led the process of floating the party bringing 50 groups under the BJP banner.