98 militants escaped from prisons, 15,000 granted bail amid unrest

Prison instability linked to Anti-discrimination Student Movement leads to massive jailbreak and bail for thousands, says prison chief

A total of 98 convicted and under-trial militants escaped from prisons across Bangladesh amid the unrest surrounding the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.

Around 15,000 prisoners, including top terrorists and militants, have been granted bail over the past month, according to Brig Gen Syed Motaher Hossain, inspector general of prisons.

Among the escaped militants, 70 were convicted, and 27 remain on the run, he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The prison chief said eight jails were attacked during the protests, and inmates in five prisons managed to flee.

More than 2,000 prisoners escaped, but many voluntarily returned, while others were arrested by law-enforcing agencies.

"However, 901 inmates are still at large," he said.

Since the Awami League government was toppled on Aug 5, 43 top terrorists and militants have been released on bail, he added.

There were nearly 70,000 inmates in the prisons, but that number has now dropped to 55,000, the prison chief said.

An additional inspector general of prisons confirmed that this figure is nearly double the usual number of inmates who are granted bail.