Dhaka, Sept 5 (V7N): The High Court has directed the exhumation and DNA testing of a body buried under the name "Mahmudur Rahman" in a Savar graveyard to verify whether it is that of Harris Chowdhury, the former political affairs secretary to BNP chief Khaleda Zia.

The order, issued by the High Court bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam, came after a writ petition was filed by Chowdhury's daughter, Barrister Samira Tanjin, on Thursday.

Along with the exhumation, the court issued a rule questioning why the authorities should not proceed with the DNA testing to confirm the identity of the body. It also inquired why a death certificate should not be issued in Chowdhury’s name if the DNA test is positive, why the Interpol Red Notice against him should not be withdrawn, and why he should not be buried with due honor as a freedom fighter in his home district, per his last wishes.

The Home Affairs Ministry secretary, CID director, Dhaka's superintendent of police, and the officer-in-charge of Savar Model police station have been asked to respond to the rule.

In 2021, media outlets reported that Harris Chowdhury, who had served as Khaleda Zia's political secretary, was allegedly buried on September 4 under the name "Mahmudur Rahman" at a graveyard in Savar's Jalalabad area.

Chowdhury's daughter expressed frustration over the uncertainty surrounding her father's death, accusing the recently ousted government and intelligence agencies of perpetuating a narrative of doubt. "It is deeply painful to have doubts about my father's death. We are constantly harassed because of these rumors, so we sought justice from the court," she said.

Harris Chowdhury fled Bangladesh in 2007 after a state of emergency was declared, seeking to evade arrest. He was implicated in several high-profile cases, including the August 21 grenade attack, leading to an Interpol Red Notice in 2015 and a life imprisonment sentence in 2018. He was also sentenced to seven years for corruption related to the Zia Charitable Trust case and implicated in the ongoing Shah AMS Kibria murder case.

In January 2022, reports surfaced that Chowdhury had died in Dhaka months earlier, but the location of his burial remains unclear, and CID has yet to confirm whether he is alive or dead.

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