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Jahangir Alam Chowdhury

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Jahangir Alam Chowdhury
SBP
জাহাঙ্গীর আলম চৌধুরী
Chowdhury in 2024
Adviser for Agriculture
In office
16 August 2024 – 17 February 2026
PresidentMohammed Shahabuddin
Chief AdviserMuhammad Yunus
Preceded byMd. Abdus Shahid
Succeeded byAmin ur Rashid Yasin
Adviser for Home Affairs
In office
16 August 2024 – 17 February 2026
PresidentMohammed Shahabuddin
Chief AdviserMuhammad Yunus
Preceded byM. Sakhawat Hussain
Succeeded bySalahuddin Ahmed
Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division
In office
8 June 2006 – 5 June 2007
PresidentIajuddin Ahmed
Prime Minister
Preceded byA. I. M. Mostofa Reza Nur
Succeeded byMasud Uddin Chowdhury
15th Director General of Bangladesh Rifles
In office
21 January 2003 – 18 February 2006
PresidentIajuddin Ahmed
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byRezaqul Haider
Succeeded byShakil Ahmed
Personal details
Born2 February 1953 (1953-02-02) (age 73)
Munshiganj, East Bengal, Pakistan
SpouseLaila Arzu
Children2
Alma materBangladesh Military Academy
OccupationMilitary officer
Awards
Senabahini Padak (SBP)
Independence Day Award
Military service
Allegiance Bangladesh
Branch/service Bangladesh Army
Bangladesh Rifles
Years of service
1975–2010
RankLieutenant General
UnitRegiment of Artillery
Commands
Battles/warsUNMIBH
UNAMIR
UNOMIG

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury[a] (born 2 February 1953) is a retired three star general of the Bangladesh Army and former director general of the Bangladesh Rifles.[1] He was also an adviser in the interim government of Bangladesh.[2][3]

A former principal staff officer of the Army of Bangladesh, he was elevated to the position of quartermaster general at the same time his military academy course-mate Moeen U Ahmed, the chief of the army staff, was made the first serving general in national military history.[4][5] He is widely credited with having gone to the Bangabhaban to ask the president of Bangladesh to declare the state of emergency which led to the events of 2008 that brought the military into power.[6]

Early life

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Jahangir was born on 2 February 1953 in Munshiganj, East Bengal, and was commissioned in the Corps of Artillery of the Bangladesh Army in 1975. Beginning his career as a gunner, he served in different artillery outfits in various capacities, including commanding two artillery brigades and a field artillery regiment.[7]

Career

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Chowdhury at Bangladesh Rifles in 2004

Jahangir had also been an instructor at the Bangladesh Military Academy. Later he served as a group testing officer (GTO) in the Inter Services Selection Board. He got the unique opportunity to serve as a United Nations military observer and staff in three different UN missions between 1994 and 1996 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, and Georgia. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Command and Staff College and Bangladesh National Defence College, Mirpur, Dhaka.[8]

Trained both at home and abroad, Jahangir served in a number of command, staff, and instructional assignments in the Bangladesh Army. Apart from artillery outfits, he commanded Bangladesh Rifles for a significant period – in the rank of major general as director general and in the rank of colonel as sector commander. He was assigned staff responsibilities in Bangladesh Army Headquarters as master general of ordnance, military secretary, director of the Inspectorate of Technical Development, and general staff officer – 1st grade in the Military Intelligence Directorate. He was also the assistant adjutant and quartermaster in HQ 66 Infantry Division and general staff officer – II (coordination) in the Bangladesh Military Academy. He served as the chairman of the Bangladesh Diesel Plant, an army-operated manufacturing company.[9] He was the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division.[10] He also served as quartermaster general and the colonel commandant of the corps of EME (electrical and mechanical engineers) of the Bangladesh Army.[11]

Relations with India

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Jahangir with the then Home Secretary of India Dhirendra Singh in 2004

Chowdhury exclaimed at a press briefing after talks with Indian Home Minister Swami Chinmayanand that India was harboring 90 terrorist camps of anti-Bangladesh separatists.[12] He played a controversial role in blaming India for the grenade attacks that took place on 17 August 2005. The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh said that the Indian newspapers presented a distorted version of his earlier statement and that he actually said that some Indian criminals might have been involved in the countrywide bomb blasts in Bangladesh.[13] Relations suffered between the two countries as the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying "Government of India is deeply shocked and dismayed at the remarks. This is a baseless and scurrilous allegation and is all the more shocking because it has been made against a friendly country[14] and particularly after the two countries have had useful and constructive talks between the Bangladesh Rifles and Border Security Force". He further claimed that Indian militants might have crossed into Bangladeshi territory to perform the acts.[15] In a separate incident reported by the BBC, India accused the BDR of intruding into their airspace with a few helicopters, which General Chowdhury denied and said that the BDR has one helicopter, which was then kept with the Bangladesh Army.[16] He accused the Indian Army of supporting Banga Sena, a banned militant group in Bangladesh.[17]

2009 mutiny

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In 2009, his immediate successor, the then Chief of BDR Major General Shakil Ahmed, was shot and killed along with his wife during the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt. As QMG, General Chowdhury headed the Army Enquiry Committee.[18][19] On 3 December 2009, he was transferred to the Foreign Ministry.[20] He retired from the army on 2 February 2010.[21]

Personal life

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Jahangir is married to Laila Arzu, and they have a son, Rishad Choudhury Robin, and a daughter, Rasna Choudhury Liz.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ SBP, ndc, psc

Citations

  1. ↑ "No infiltration from Bangla, says BDR DG". The Indian Express. 29 September 2004. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Lt Gen Jahangir new home affairs adviser, Brig Gen Sakhawat given charge of Textiles and Jute ministry". The Business Standard. 16 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "Four more advisers to interim government sworn in". The Daily Star. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Indian army chief leaves". The Daily Star. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "CA arrives in Jeddah". The Daily Star. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "1/11 changeover: How it happened and why". Dhaka Tribune. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারে যুক্ত হতে যাওয়া চার উপদেষ্টা সম্পর্কে যা জানা যাচ্ছে" [What is known about the four advisors who will join the interim government]. BBC Bangla (in Bengali). 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024.
  8. ↑ নতুন উপদেষ্টা কে এই জাহাঙ্গীর আলম চৌধুরী. Jugantor (in Bengali). 16 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Local eco-friendly motorbikes, auto-rickshaws soon". The Daily Star. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "New air chief adorned with rank of air vice marshal". The Daily Star. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "QMG stresses need to realign roles of army". bdnews24.com. 29 December 2007.
  12. ↑ "BDR: India sheltering anti-Bangla separatists". The Indian Express. 7 January 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Indian press twisted BDR DG's comment". The Daily Star. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  14. ↑ Bss, Dhaka (2 August 2008). "Indian army chief leaves". The Daily Star.
  15. ↑ "BDR chief blames it on Indian media". The Daily Star. 2 October 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  16. ↑ "Bangladesh accused of 'intrusion'". BBC News. 24 April 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Understanding India". The News International. Pakistan. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  18. ↑ "4 more bodies identified". The Daily Star. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  19. ↑ "Law and Our Rights". The Daily Star. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "Lt Gen Jahangir placed at foreign ministry". The Daily Star. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "নতুন চার উপদেষ্টা কারা?". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 16 August 2024.
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