228-yr-old Dhaka jail opens today

The 228-year-old Dhaka Central Jail on the Nazimuddin road, which is significant for many important historical events for the nation, is now open for all and will remain so until Saturday. People will be able to visit the jail by paying Tk 100 as entry fee from today.

"We already decorated the Bangabandhu memorial museum and the four national leaders' memorial museum inside the jail. The government planned to make it a place for the people's attraction for historical and entertaining events," said Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin yesterday when addressing as the chair an inauguration of a five-day long photo exhibition inside the jail, arranged by the jail authorities.

In their political careers, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the four national leaders -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Capt M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamaruzzaman -- spent many years in captivity in the jail.

The jail is historically significant as the four Liberation War heroes were brutally killed by some army officers inside it on November 3, 1975 after the assassination of Bangabandhu along with most of his family members on August 15 the same year. It is also where some of the top war criminals were imprisoned and hanged.

With the old jail being recently shifted to the newly built central jail in Keraniganj outside the capital, the government plans to set up a training institute, a park and a museum on the premises of the old jail. In addition, schools and shopping malls will be constructed there.

While addressing yesterday's inauguration programme as the chief guest, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith recalled his memories of staying in the jail in 1955 when he was a student of Dhaka University.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, too, addressed the programme as its special guest.

Meanwhile, the jail has been decorated with rare photographs of Bangabandhu, the four national leaders and some other political leaders for visitors.

Right after the entrance, the visitors will see replicas of Bangabandhu's spectacles and smoking pipe. Then they will find the photographs hung onto the walls of four rooms.

They could also see a wallpaper exhibiting letters and documents written by the father of the nation during his jail life.

The authorities are thinking of giving the people an opportunity to have a taste of life behind bars for a day or two with a nominal fee, Iftekhar had told an press conference earlier on October 28.