The High Court on Monday said that the nation might be called an uncivilised one if putting detained persons in bar-fetters continued arbitrarily.
The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah made the remarks while pro-Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawyer Kayser Kamal sought a suo motu order drawing its attention to a recent newspaper report that a jailed Chhatra Dal leader was put in bar-fetters while he attended his father’s funeral on parole as reported by a newspaper.
The court, however, instructed the lawyer to file a petition seeking orders to redress his grievance.
Nazmul Mridha, the joint convener of Chhatra Dal’s Mirzaganj upazila unit, was taken out of Patuakhali District Jail to attend the namaz-e-janaza of his father Motaleb Hossain Mridha, 62, at West Subidkhali village at about 3:00pm on January 14.
Although the jail authorities opened Nazmul’s handcuffs, the shackles on his legs remained.
Nazmul pleaded with the police to remove his shackles, but they refused. He could not even put soil on his father’s grave because of time restraints put on his release, his brother told journalists.
Nazmul’s father Motaleb was a former president of the BNP’s Deuli Subidkhali union unit and a member of the union parishad.
His funeral prayer was held in their village. He was buried at about 4:30pm on January 14, said family members.
Police said that Nazmul was freed on parole from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.
New Age
