The accusation was made by Khandaker Abdul Hamid Dablu, elder brother of Khandaker Akhter Hamid Paban, in a press release yesterday.

Dablu, a lawyer, said the jail authorities detained Paban 'illegally' even after receiving the release order on Monday.

Judge Mohammad Matiur Rahman granted ad-interim bail to Paban on Monday upon a bond of Tk 30,000 with two guarantors.

Later, Dablu, accompanied by advocates Gazi Towhidul Islam, Shafiqul Islam and Azizur Rahman along with a court peon, went to the Central Jail to submit the release order at 3:00pm.

But the jail guard Prodip informed them that Paban was placed on a 30-day detention as per the direction of the state minister.

They tried to get a copy of the detention order, but the on-duty officers at the jail gate said they were directed by the state minister not to supply it.

The press release claimed that the home ministry directed the jailer over telephone to detain Paban on Monday when the court granted him bail as his name was not in the first information report (FIR).

The preventive detention order on Paban by the home ministry was the first during the BNP rule, it added.