Anwarul Azim, a Member of Parliament from Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League, was found dead in Kolkata on Wednesday after allegedly going missing on May 18. The news was confirmed by Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan during a press conference in Dhaka.
Minister Khan disclosed that the MP was killed in Kolkata and that Bangladesh Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the case. “So far, we have come to know that all the killers involved are Bangladeshis. It was a planned murder,” Khan stated. He added that Indian police are cooperating with their investigation, although the whereabouts of Azim’s body are still unknown.
Azim, representing the Jhenaidah-4 constituency, entered India on May 12. He was last seen on the afternoon of May 13 when he visited a home in Bidhannagar, near Kolkata, for a medical check-up. According to a family friend in Bidhannagar, the MP had mentioned he would be traveling to Delhi, but there has been no physical presence or direct contact with him since May 13. Communication with his family in Dhaka and his friend in Bidhannagar was limited to mobile messages, indicating his intended journey to Delhi.
Concern arose due to the sudden cessation of communication. Gopal Viswas, a family friend in Bidhannagar, was informed by Azim’s daughter that she had been unable to contact her father. Subsequently, Viswas lodged a missing person complaint at the Baranagar police station in Kolkata on May 18.
“On the morning of May 16, he (Anwarul Azim) called his assistant, but could not connect. Later, when his PA called him back, he did not answer,” according to the complaint dated May 18, 2024. “His daughter called me (Viswas), and said, I can’t communicate with my father. Then I (Viswas) contacted all his (Anwarul Azim’s) acquaintances on the phone, but it was not possible to contact him,” the complaint further detailed.
Viswas reported to Baranagar police station on May 18 to register the missing person complaint. The ongoing investigation is expected to reveal further details regarding the circumstances of Azim’s death.
