Dhaka: The High Court has granted a six-month bail to Jewel Hasan Saddam, the Bagerhat Sadar upazila president of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), on humanitarian grounds. This decision followed the tragic deaths of his wife and nine-month-old son.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the HC bench comprising Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan issued the order after hearing a bail petition filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Saddam’s lawyer, Sayeed Ahmed Raja, described the situation as ‘highly humanitarian,’ noting that all parties in the court supported the bail request, leading to the court’s decision to grant bail on humanitarian grounds.
Saddam has been in custody at Jashore Central Jail since his arrest in Gopalganj after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Despite his incarceration, jail authorities allowed him a brief five-minute farewell to his deceased wife and child at the jail gate, after his family faced difficulties securing his release on parole.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion and criticism on social media, with many arguing that Saddam should have been granted parole to attend the funeral. However, it was later revealed that the family had applied for parole to an incorrect authority.
Tragedy struck on Friday afternoon when police discovered the hanging body of Saddam’s wife, Kanij Subarna Swarnali, at their home in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila. Their nine-month-old son, Nazim, was found beside her. Police and family members suggest that Swarnali may have taken her own life after killing her infant son, possibly due to depression.