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.
Speaking at a rally organized by the families of victims of enforced disappearances and murders in Khilgaon on Thursday, he made these statements while demanding justice for the alleged killer Saber Hossain.
The BNP leader said people in Saber’s constituency faced immense repression while many were maimed.
Rizvi stated: “Dr Muhammad Yunus is the head of the interim government. Advisor Asif Nazrul is a close associate of mine. How could a murderer get bail while he has been serving as a legal advisor? This area (Khilgaon) has faced immense oppression, torture, and brutality. Many have lost limbs. Young men like Jonny have sacrificed their lives. He was taken from his home and shot 16 times here.”
He emphasized that Saber Hossain Chowdhury is not free from responsibility, as it is under his directive that 11 individuals have fallen victim to enforced disappearances and murders.
The rally was also attended by BNP Executive Committee member Habibur Rashid Habib, city BNP leader Yunus Mirza, former councilor Liton, Vice President of the Volunteer Party Dr Zahidul Kabir, and others.
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 allegation.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.