Staff Reporter :
BNP Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday raised concerns over the swift bail granted to former Awami League minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, questioning how he secured release within just 24 hours of his arrest.
“Despite accusations that Saber Hossain Chowdhury orchestrated the enforced disappearance and murder of 11 people, he was granted bail in record time. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, who is very close to me, is overseeing the Law Ministry.
How could someone like Saber, accused of such serious crimes, be granted bail while he (Asif) holds this position?” Rizvi asked.
Speaking at a rally in Khilgaon, Dhaka, the BNP leader accused Saber of overseeing immense repression in his constituency, where many were maimed or disappeared.
He recalled the murder of Nuruzzaman Jonny, General Secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Khilgaon unit, who was reportedly taken from his house and shot 16 times.
“Isn’t Saber Hossain Chowdhury responsible for this? Under his orders, 11 people were forcibly disappeared and killed in the area. He cannot evade this responsibility,” Rizvi said.
The rally, organized by the families of enforced disappearance and murder victims, demanded action against Chowdhury.
A Detective Branch of Police team had arrested Saber in Gulshan on Sunday, but he was released the next day after a Dhaka court granted him bail in six cases, four with the Khilgaon police and two with the Paltan police, mostly related to murder allegations.
Saber is the first Awami League leader to receive bail after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5 following a student-led anti-discrimination movement.
Rizvi alleged that five people were killed in Khilgaon during the mass movement, which ultimately led to Hasina’s removal from power.
“Sheikh Hasina has committed genocide, and Saber Hossain Chowdhury was her accomplice, deeply ingrained in her ideology.
During their regime, no one dared to speak for democracy, BNP, Begum Khaleda Zia, or Tarique Rahman. Under Saber’s orders, enforced disappearances and killings flourished,” Rizvi claimed.
He expressed frustration that despite the ongoing grief of families who lost loved ones, Saber was released on bail even for murder cases, within just 24 hours of his arrest.