Allegations have surfaced that ruling party leaders and activists were appointed to the honorary posts of non-official jail visitors of Chittagong Central Jail purely on political consideration.
Chittagong Divisional Commissioner Abdul Mannan appointed a total of 12 people as non-official jail visitors through an official order on November 28 last year.
The newly-appointed visitors are Salahuddin Ahmed, Sheikh Forkanul Haque Chowdhury, Shafiqul Alam Chowdhury, Aziur Rahman Aziz, MA Taher, Abdul Hannan, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Hannan Liton, Jinnat Sohana Chowdhury, Rehana Akter, Yamun Nahar and Jesmin Parveen Jessy.
Azizur Rahman Aziz is the president of ruling party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Chittagong Islamia Degree College. He also serves as the vice-president of the Student Council of the same educational institute.
This, however, did not stand in the way of being appointed as a non-official visitor to Chittagong Central Jail.
In conversation with the Dhaka Tribune, Osman Mohammed Jahangir, Chittagong focal person of Odhikar, a human rights organization, alleged that the appointments of non-official jail visitors were made on political considerations overruling other criteria.
“People with good track record such as lawyers, retired bureaucrats and judges, social workers and veteran public representatives used to be appointed to the post. Breaking away from the past practice, nowadays people having affiliations with the ruling political party get preference,” said the rights activist.
“The politically chosen visitors are not aware of their duties and responsibilities. They have no past experience in this field and they have no knowledge about the legal issues,” said Jahangir.
“The non-official jail visitors have the power to visit the prison any time, talk to the prisoners, see the relevant papers and recommend necessary action. They may call for books, papers and records of every departments of the jail. They are permitted to examine the punishment register and see that suitable punishment has been given and that they are properly recorded,” added Jahangir.
When asked for his comment, Iqbal Kabir Chowdhury, senior superintendent of Chittagong Central Jail told the Dhaka Tribune that they had nothing to do with the appointment of non-official jail visitors.
“Apart from the official visitors, there is a provision to appoint non-official visitors to oversee the condition in the prison, to monitor that the rules and regulations are properly followed and to ensure that the rights of the inmates are not violated.”
“As per the Jail Code, the non-official jail visitors are appointed through an official notification. The deputy commissioner or district magistrate proposes the names of the non-official visitors and the divisional commissioner gives the final nod to the appointees. Gentlemen and ladies of position wishing to take an interest in the welfare of the prisoners and willing to accept the duty, are appointed as non-official jail visitors,” said the Jail super.
Jesmin Parveen Jessy, appointed as a non-official jail visitor for the second consecutive time, claimed that political considerations did not matter for the appointment.
“I have been appointed for the second time due to my work. A non-official jail visitor may hold a post in a political party but that does not mean that he or she has been appointed for political considerations,” added Jessy, a ward councillor to the reserved seats for women and Awami League city unit’s agricultural affairs secretary.
When contacted, Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Zillur Rahman Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that the allegations raised over the appointment were baseless.
“It is true that I have received some DO (Demi Official) letters for the appointment to the post. You can level allegations of political considerations against one or two appointees. This time nine of the 12 people have been left out from the previous committee of jail visitors. So the allegations are unfounded,” said the deputy commissioner.
“I have already warned two newly-appointed jail visitors that I will monitor their activities. The non-official jail visitors are appointed for a period of two years and they are eligible for reappointment on the expiry of each term. A deputy commissioner or a district magistrate reserves the right of cancelling any appointment of any non-official jail visitor at any time,” he added.
Chittagong Central Jail is located in the city’s Laldighi area over an area of 16 acres of land. With its existing capacity of 1853 inmates, the prison accommodates 6000 prisoners daily on an average.
Monday, March 17, 2025
