A high profile Bangladeshi activist has claimed he is in hiding and in fear for his life after being summoned by Bangladesh’s intelligence agency at the height of a violent stand-off between the government and students protesting poor road safety in the capital, Dhaka, last week.

Pinaki Bhattacharya, a prolific blogger and government critic, whose personal Facebook page had over 150,000 followers until it was closed down on Monday, told The Telegraph that he is afraid he may come to physical harm if he emerges from his hiding place.

“Am I being targeted to become another victim of enforced disappearance? I am very scared for my life,” he said in an interview.

Mr Bhattacharya has long used his Facebook and Twitter accounts to highlight alleged corruption, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. He has received many online death threats, including some in the past week.

In early August he backed students who were demonstrating en masse for the reform of Bangladesh’s unregulated and dangerous transport sector.

The protest became a catalyst for an outpouring of anger against the government and more than 100 people were injured after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, according to witnesses and doctors. Alleged pro-government activists were also reported to have attacked the young demonstrators.