Recently freed on bail, banned Chhatra League leader Juel Hasan (Saddam) has alleged that the Bagerhat district jailer demanded Tk 500,000 to keep him housed at the local facility rather than transfer him, a claim the prison authorities flatly deny.
Speaking to reporters in Bagerhat on Wednesday evening after visiting the graves of his wife and infant son, Juel said a video circulating on social media shows him asserting that Bagerhat’s jailer asked for “five lakh taka” to allow him to remain in Bagerhat jail. Juel also described himself as an “innocent” political detainee and said he was kept in a cell for three months.
Khondoker Md Al-Mamun, the Bagerhat jailer, rejected the allegation as “false and baseless,” saying a lone jailer cannot unilaterally order transfers and that Juel’s behavior prompted his move to Jashore Central Jail on July 22, 2025. Jail records cited by Al-Mamun note an April 12 threat and abuse directed at a cell in-charge and a July 6 assault on another inmate. Authorities said Juel was placed in a secure cell area “for safety,” not as punishment, and that family visits proceeded normally.
Juel was first remanded to Bagerhat District Jail on April 6, 2025, by court order. He was released on bail this week and returned to Bagerhat on Jan 28, 2026. His wife Kaniz Suborna (22) and nine-month-old son Sazzad Hasan (Nazif) were found dead at the family’s home on Jan 23; after autopsies, their bodies were brought to Jashore prison, where Juel viewed them under escort. Human-rights groups have since questioned why he was not granted parole for the funerals.
Al-Mamun said if any bribery had occurred, Juel could have raised it when he was transferred to Jashore. As of Thursday evening, no independent inquiry into the bribery claim had been announced.