Fakhrul, Abbas walk out of jail after a month

Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas Monday walked out of jail a month after their arrest on 9 December.
The two opposition leaders were released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 5:50pm.
They had been denied bail four times in the lower courts before the Appellate Division on Sunday upheld a High Court order granting them bail in a case filed over the clash between police and the party activists at Nayapaltan on 7 December last year.
Getting released from jail, Fakhrul came straight to the BNP’s Nayapaltan Central office. In an instant reaction,
 he said that the movement to restore democracy would continue against the autocratic government.
Earlier, hundreds of BNP leaders and activists were present at the jail gate to receive their party leaders at the time of their release. The party men were seen chanting slogan and brought out a procession soon after the release of Fakhrul and Abbas.
Later two leaders came with an open roof microbus to the Nayapaltan party office where a huge number of party men were waiting for them.
At the jail gate, Fakhrul said their struggle for restoration of democracy would be successful through people’s movement.
“A huge number of BNP leaders and activists are still in jail. The sad thing is that they are kept in inhumane condition. I am demanding their release soon,” he said.
Earlier, the documents of bail order by the higher court for BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Mirza Abbas reached the jail at 4:20pm on Monday.
The BNP leaders and activists thronged the Dhaka central jail area in Keraniganj and the court premises after receiving the news of bail of two leaders.
The jail authorities took special security measures in connection to the bail of Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas.
Relatives of jail inmates and visitors were being searched during their entrance to the jail premises. Mirza Abbas’ wife Afroza Abbas was waiting at the jail gate since the afternoon accompanied by several BNP leaders and activists.
Earlier, the bail order of Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas was submitted to the court. Their lawyers said they would be released after the bail order reached the jail.
Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas were arrested by the police late at night on 8 December from their homes. The next day, they were shown arrested in a case for being involved in the clashes between police and BNP leaders and activists on 7 December at the capital’s Naya Paltan area.
A Dhaka court turned down the bail plea of Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas for the four consecutive times since they were shown arrested on 9 December in cases pertaining to subversive activities.
On 3 January, the High Court (HC) granted Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas six-month anticipatory bail in a case filed over clashes between police and BNP leaders and activists on 7 December in the capital’s Nayapaltan area.
On 4 January, the state pleaded to the Appellate Division seeking stay on the bail granted to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas.
The Appellate Division on Sunday lifted the order issued by the Chamber Court restricting to file bail plea of BNP secretary general and the party’s standing committee member.
Therefore, the High Court’s order granting bail to the two BNP leaders was upheld.
According to sources, some 92 cases were filed against Mirza Fakhrul in the last 10 years.
Of these, 20 to 25 are now active and the BNP secretary general has served 350 days in jail since 2012, said lawyers handling his cases.