[3] In 1996, Chowdhury left his teaching role after receiving a fellowship from ICAB and began working at Kabir Steel Mill in Chittagong.

[13][14] In 2016, Chowdhury was arbitrarily arrested with 76 presumably false political cases, including allegations of being part of an Israeli plot to topple Hasina regime.

[15][16][17][18] These lawsuits were widely seen as baseless and politically motivated, and his arrest was condemned by human rights groups and activists around the world.

[8][7] In early 2024, Chowdhury was promoted from his long held position of joint-secretary to an adviser to the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Following the Student-People's uprising and the fall of dictator Sheikh Hasina, Chowdhury was released from prison on August 27, 2024, after eight years of unlawful imprisonment.