Dhaka: Lutfozzaman Babar, former state minister for home affairs under the BNP-Jamaat alliance government, was released from jail today after 17 years. He was cleared of all charges, including the 10-truck arms haul case and the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases, by the apex court. Babar, who had been incarcerated since 2007, exited the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj at 1:45 pm, according to jail sources.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, thousands of BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of the prison gate, holding national and party flags since dawn, to welcome their leader. They greeted Babar with flowers as he walked free. The scene was emotional, with many leaders and activists shedding tears of joy at the release of their leader after such a long period.
In immediate reactions, leaders and activists from Netrakona BNP expressed their happiness, stating, "We are happy, we are very happy." Lutfuzzaman Babar's political career includes being elected as a member of parliament from the Netrokona-4 constituency as an independent candidate in the fifth national parliament election of 1991. He was subsequently elected as a member of parliament from the same constituency as a candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the sixth and eighth national parliament elections in 1996 and 2001, respectively. He served as the State Minister for Home Affairs in the eighth parliament.