Khoda Baksh Chowdhury
Khuda Baksh Chowdhury is a former Inspector General of Police of Bangladesh Police. He served as Special Assistant with the status equivalent to a Minister of State of the Interim government of Bangladesh.
He also served as the Senior Police Advisor in UNAMA from June 2008 to April 2010. He is a former Director General of Rapid Action Battalion, an elite paramilitary unit.
Education
Chowdhury obtained B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Public Administration from University of Dhaka. He was a freedom fighter during the 1971 Liberation War.Career
Chowdhury joined the Bangladesh Police in 1979.Chowdhury joined U.N. Administrative Mission UNTAES on May 1996 and served the Mission first as Deputy Sector Chief and later Sector Chief of one of the two Sectors of the Mission. Few years later he joined UNMIBH, a Monitoring Mission, at Sarajevo in August 1999 and worked in the Mission as Deputy Regional Commander and Regional Commander, Sarajevo IPTF Region among a group of International Civilian Police Officers. In 2001, he as a superintendent of police, would be promoted to Inspector General in five years superseding many officers more senior than him.
Chowdhury was posted to CID as Additional IGP on January 9, 2006. Chowdhury served as the president of Bangladesh Police Service Association in 2006. On 31 October 2006, he was appointed the DG of Rapid Action Battalion. 2 days later, he was promoted to Inspector General of Police of Bangladesh Police by replacing Anwarul Iqbal. He was posted as O.S.D. in January 2007 after successor neutral Fakhruddin Ahmed led Caretaker Government took office and retired voluntarily in July 2009.
Chowdhury worked as Senior Police Advisor, UNAMA, as a UN Staff member from June 2008 to April 2010. He was elected as the 1st Chair of Senior Police Advisory Group of International Police Coordination Board. On completion of the tenure, UNDP Afghanistan contracted him as an International Consultant.
On 10 November 2024, Chowdhury was appointed the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
He was given executive power over Ministry of Home Affairs. Chowdhury resigned from the post on 24 December 2025 after failing to control the December 2025 Bangladesh violence which saw organized attacks targeting Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka, with law enforcement failing to intervene.
Controversies
2004 Dhaka grenade attack case
In 2007, after the military-backed government assumed office, fresh investigation into the case was launched on the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack.In July 2008, on completion of investigation CID prosecuted 22 accused and trial began. After Awami League formed government in 2009, prosecution filed a petition to launch further investigation into the incident in June 2009. In July 2011, 23 months after further investigation, CID submitted a supplementary chargesheet where Chowdhury, along with two other former inspectors general, was implicated. He appeared before the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and the Judge rejected bail prayer.
As Trial of the case resumed, Chowdhury was charged under Section 218 and Section 330 of Bangladesh Penal Code and granted bail.
Chowdhury was convicted in October 2018 by a Dhaka lower court but High Court stayed the conviction and granted bail in January 2019.
On 1 December 2024, he was acquitted by high court in August 21 grenade attack cases.