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Published : 29 Jan 2026, 11:31 PM
Jewel Hasan Saddam, a leader of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League who was released on bail from Jashore Central Jail, has accused the Bagerhat district jailer of demanding Tk 500,000.
Saddam made the allegation on Wednesday evening after returning to his home in Sabekdanga, Bagerhat Sadar, where he visited the graves of his wife and child.
Speaking to journalists, he claimed the jailer sought the money in exchange for keeping him at Bagerhat District Jail.
Bagerhat District Jail Superintendent Khondaker Md Al-Mamun, however, has denied the allegation, describing it as “completely false”.
Saddam was sent to Bagerhat District Jail following his arrest on Apr 5 last year, under a court order issued the next day.
On Jul 22, 2025, he was transferred from Bagerhat to Jashore Central Jail, reportedly for “administrative reasons”.
A video of Saddam alleging that the Bagerhat jailer demanded Tk 500,000 has since circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms.
He reiterated the claim while speaking to journalists on Wednesday night.
Declaring himself innocent, Saddam said: “My wife was deeply distressed. I was kept in a cell for three months. I was in solitary confinement.”
Jail authorities, however, said Saddam was placed in a cell due to security concerns, citing “aggressive behaviour”.
They said the cell was not a form of punishment but a controlled space to ensure safety.
Rejecting the bribery claim, Superintendent Al-Mamun told journalists: “He was transferred to Jashore due to his conduct. There is no other issue involved. A jail superintendent cannot transfer an inmate at will. I strongly protest these baseless allegations.”
According to Bagerhat Jail records, Saddam threatened and verbally abused a cell in-charge on Apr 12 last year and later assaulted another inmate on Jul 6.
Al-Mamun said, “Due to repeated prison offences, including threatening guards and assaulting another inmate, he was transferred to Jashore Central Jail on the orders of higher authorities.”
The jailer added that Saddam’s wife, father-in-law and other relatives visited him the day after his arrival at Bagerhat Jail and that his family visits continued regularly.
Calling the allegations part of a “campaign of misinformation”, Al-Mamun said: “A tragic incident occurred in his family. Using that, he is now spreading false, baseless and harassing claims about a Tk 500,000 bribe.
“If there were any truth to this, he could have raised the issue immediately after being transferred to Jashore.”
On Jan 23, the bodies of Saddam’s wife, Kaniz Subarna, also known as Swarnali, 22, and their 9-month-old son Sezad Hasan Nazif were recovered from their home in Sabekdanga village.
Initially, family members claimed Swarnali had drowned the child before taking her own life.
After postmortem examinations at Bagerhat District Hospital the following day, the bodies were taken to Jashore Central Jail.
As Saddam was not granted parole, he was only able to see his wife and child for the last time at the jail gate.
Images and videos of the incident circulated widely on social media drew backlash.
Human rights groups questioned why Saddam was not granted parole following the deaths of his wife and infant son.
