"Govt Against Bail for Criminals, Not Specific Groups": Home Advisor

Home Affairs and Agriculture Advisor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that the government is against bail for criminals, not Awami League or Chhatra League.

He made this comment in response to questions from journalists at a briefing on the overall issue of agriculture at the Agriculture Ministry meeting room at the Secretariat on Sunday (January 25).

After presenting information on the increase in the production rate of various crops, journalists asked the advisor about the non-release of Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Chhatra League President Jewel Hasan Saddam on parole following the death of his wife and 9-month-old baby. This incident has gone viral on social media.

But the advisor was not willing to answer any other questions outside of agriculture. When journalists asked about Saddam's parole, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury replied, "No, I will not give any answer except agriculture."

A journalist then said, "You are also the Home Affairs Advisor."

At that time, the advisor said, "No, I will call you when I am home affairs advisor."

"You are responsible"—when another journalist said this, the Home Affairs Advisor said, "No, I am not responsible. Today I called you for agriculture. I will not talk about anything except agriculture. You will ask about agriculture. Since you do not talk about the problems of farmers. These are the problems."

There has been a commotion about not granting bail to anyone from the Chhatra League or Awami League—when attention was drawn to this, he said, "It is not the Awami League or Chhatra League, but the government that is against granting bail to criminals."