BNP Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday questioned how former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury was granted bail within just 24 hours of his arrest, despite allegations that he orchestrated the enforced disappearance and murder of 11 people.
“Law Adviser Asif Nazrul is very close to me. How could a murderer like Saber Hossain Chowdhury be granted bail while he (Asif) is in charge of the Law Ministry?” he said.
Speaking at a rally in the capital’s Khilgaon area, the BNP leader said people in Saber’s constituency faced immense repression while many were maimed.
He recalled that youths like Nuruzzaman Jonny, General Secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's Khilgaon unit, were picked up from his house and killed by being shot 16 times.
“Isn’t Saber Hossain Chowdhury responsible for this? Under his orders, 11 people in the area have been victims of enforced disappearance and killing. He cannot eschew this responsibility,” Rizvi said.
The families of victims of enforced disappearance and murder arranged the rally demanding action against Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
A team from the Detective Branch of Police arrested Saber from the capital’s Gulshan area on Sunday.
He walked out of jail the following day as a Dhaka court granted him bail in six cases, including four with the Khilgaon police station and two with the Paltan police station, mostly over murder allegations.
Saber is the first Awami League leader to be granted bail among many politicians and former cabinet members arrested on allegations of killings linked to the anti-discrimination student movement that resulted in the ousting of Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian regime on August 5.
Rizvi said five people were killed in the Khilgaon area during the student-led mass movement against Sheikh Hasina's regime.
“Sheikh Hasina has committed genocide, and Saber Hossain Chowdhury was her associate. He has been nurtured in Sheikh Hasina's ideology. During their time in power, no one could dare to speak in favour of democracy, the BNP, Begum Khaleda Zia, or Tarique Rahman. This is why he (Saber) has successfully implanted a programme of enforced disappearances and murders,” he said.
The BNP leader bemoaned that although the tears of the fathers who lost their sons haven't dried yet, Saber has been released on bail even in murder cases within 24 hours of his arrest.
Rizvi said the Chhatra League leaders and activists indulged in killing, occupying, and other misdeeds, but no cases could be filed against them during Hasina's rule.
“The interim government, led by Dr Yunus, is an administration supported by the people through the mass uprising. If they follow the footsteps of Sheikh Hasina, then what does that mean? With a person like Asif Nazrul in this interim government, how is it possible for Saber Hossain Chowdhury to be released on bail within 24 hours? So who is this government protecting?” he said.
Rizvi alleged that Saber Chowdhury was an MP for years without people’s votes. “Under his orders, many murders and extrajudicial killings occurred. If he is granted bail, then those involved in financial scandals and the police who engaged in crossfires—who made people disappear, tortured them, and shot them in the head—will likely be released within days. What will the interim government say in response to this?”
Later, a procession was held under the leadership of Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, demanding the arrest of Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
