TDS Desk:

Former Bagerhat Sadar upazila unit president of the banned Chhatra League, Jewel Hasan Saddam, has been granted bail by the High Court three days after the death of his wife and child.

The court on Monday, 26 January, granted him six months’ bail on humanitarian grounds.

Meanwhile, criticism emerged on various platforms over not allowing Sadddam parole following the deaths.

In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement on Sunday, 25 January, clarifying its position.

The ministry said Sadddam’s family did not submit any application for parole to the Jashore district administration, the district magistrate, or the Jashore Central Jail authorities. According to the family’s verbal request, the authorities decided to allow Sadddam to see the bodies of his wife and child at the Jashore jail gate.

The statement added that the Jashore district administration and the jail authorities extended maximum cooperation considering humanitarian aspects.

The ministry also clarified that reports published in some media outlets and on social media claiming that an application for parole had been submitted to the Jashore district administration or the central jail authorities were incorrect.

On Friday afternoon, police recovered the hanging body of Saddam’s wife Kaniz Subarna Swarnali from a house in Sabekdanga village, Karapara Union, Bagerhat Sadar. Her infant son, Nazim, was found lifeless beside her.

Police and family members said that, in a state of despair, Swarnali first killed her child and then took her own life. The family and local authorities completed the burial on Saturday evening.

Saddam was arrested in Gopalganj on 5 April last year, following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August. He remains in custody at Jashore Central Jail.