Jewel Hasan Saddam, the Bangladesh Student League ( BSL) president of Bagerhat Sadar upazila, was denied parole despite the deaths of his wife and nine-month-old son.
Instead, prison authorities arranged for him to see their bodies briefly at the main gate of Jashore Central Jail on Saturday evening.
Saddam, who is currently in custody in multiple political cases, was given only five minutes to see the bodies of his wife, Kaniz Suborna Swarnali (22), and their infant son, Sejad Hasan Nazif. The bodies were brought to the jail gate in an ambulance from Bagerhat, accompanied by six family members.
According to prison officials, Saddam was arrested in Gopalganj following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 and has since been detained in Jashore jail in connection with several cases.
Earlier on Friday afternoon, police recovered Swarnali’s hanging body from her residence in the village of Sabekdanga in Bagerhat Sadar upazila. The body of her nine-month-old son was found lying on the floor.
Jail officials said they allowed six relatives to enter the jail premises with the ambulance on humanitarian grounds. After five minutes, the family members were asked to leave.
Saddam’s cousin, Sagar Farazi, expressed disappointment over the refusal to grant parole.
“He is not an accused in any murder case. He is in jail in political cases. From a humanitarian perspective, he should have been released on parole,” he said.
Family members said they had contacted the authorities seeking temporary release for Saddam so he could attend the funeral, but their request was denied. They also said the poor road conditions caused delays in transporting the bodies from Bagerhat to Jashore, pushing the funeral rites late into the night.
Jashore Central Jail Superintendent Abid Ahmed said, “Even without formal permission, when a prisoner’s close family member dies and the body is brought to the jail gate, we allow a brief viewing on humanitarian grounds. The tragic incident has sparked debate over the humanitarian treatment of prisoners in politically sensitive cases and the mental health support available to families of detainees.
That is what we did in this case.”
Meanwhile, Swarnali’s father, Ruhul Amin Howladar, filed a case on Saturday at Bagerhat Sadar Model Police Station against unknown person.
