6-month bail granted to Jubo League leader Saddam

The High Court has granted six months’ bail on humanitarian grounds to Jewel Hasan Saddam, president of Bagerhat Sadar upazila unit of the banned Jubo League, who recently lost his wife and nine-month-old child. The order was passed on Monday by a High Court bench comprising Justice J B M Hasan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan.

Lawyer Saeed Ahmed Raja represented Saddam during the hearing and said the court granted bail considering humanitarian reasons.

Saddam had been in custody at Jashore Central Jail in connection with multiple cases. On the evening of January 24, he was allowed to see the bodies of his deceased wife and nine-month-old son for just five minutes at the jail gate.

Prison officials said the ambulance carrying the bodies arrived in front of the jail around 7:00pm. At about 7:30pm, six close family members, along with the ambulance, were allowed to enter the jail gate. After a brief five-minute stay, they were asked to leave.

Eyewitnesses said 12 to 15 relatives arrived outside the jail in two microbuses. The scene turned deeply emotional as family members waiting outside broke down in tears. Several journalists were also present at the time.

Saddam was arrested from Gopalganj on August 5 and had remained in Jashore Central Jail since then. Earlier, the hanging body of his wife, Kaniz Survana Swarnali, was recovered from their home in Bekhedanga village of Bagerhat Sadar upazila. The body of their nine-month-old son, Nazim, was found nearby.

Police and family members believe that the wife, suffering from depression, killed her child before taking her own life. Widespread criticism erupted on social media after Saddam was not released on parole to attend the funerals.