The jail authorities have issued a high alert at all the 68 jails of the country, especially those having militant inmates, apparently in the face of murder of two foreign nationals and arrest of several militant leaders.
The officials concerned were asked to check national identity card of every visitor and not to allow anyone if they do not have blood relation with the inmates, according to sources in the Home Ministry.
When contacted, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin, the inspector general of prisons, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had intelligence information about possible terror attack in November aimed at destabilising the nation.
“So we have asked the jail officials to follow some instructions,” he said.
“We will give special attention on the areas surrounding the jails to avoid any unwanted situation,” the official added.
As intelligence agencies pointed fingers at militant outfits and extremist groups for the deaths of the two foreign nationals, the government decided to deploy additional law enforcers at the jails and also to increase patrol.
The jail headquarters also asked the top officials of the 68 jails to perform their duties properly.
Jail sources said that the country’s jails currently have nearly 400 militant inmates.
Jailer Nesar Alam of the Dhaka Central Jail told the Dhaka Tribune: “We always remain alert on the militant issue. A number of top militant leaders are now in jail, mostly at Kashimpur High Security Jail and Rajshahi Central Jail.”
Subrata Kumar Bala, jail super of Kashimpur jail, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had beefed up security measures a couple of days ago with special concentration on the cells having militant leaders.
Rajshahi Jailer Shahadat Hossain also said that they had increased vigilance on the militant inmates.
However, several law enforcement agency sources said that earlier the jail authorities had failed to prevent the top militant inmates from holding meetings inside the Kashimpur jail, using phones and internet, and meeting their leaders outside jail.
The detective branch of police last year arrested 107 members of different militant outfits and 38 in the first five months of the current year.
Based on information given by the arrestees, the police said the militant outfits were working together since last year to wage armed revolution with a view to uprooting the government and establish an Islamic state. The militants were also desperate to free their top leaders from jail or snatch them from the prison vans, the DB officials said.
Investigators dealing with militant cases also found that the militant inmates had held meetings inside the jail before the three leaders of JMB were snatched from Trishal last year.
DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said that they had alerted the jail authorities of possible subversive acts by the militants.
