JCD president, BCL secy freed

Police stop a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal procession, left, in front of Shishu Academy in the capital yesterday on its way to the home ministry to submit a memorandum demanding BNP chief Khaleda Zia's release and better medical treatment of her son Tarique abroad. The law enforcers also stopped a Chhatra League procession in front of the mathematics department of Dhaka University as it was heading towards the home ministry to submit a memorandum demanding the release of its president.Photo: STAR

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) President Azizul Bari Helal and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton were released yesterday following a three-day-long demonstration by the two student organisations.
Helal was released from Dhaka Central Jail at about 10:25am while Roton was freed from the prison cell of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital at about 4:05pm.
Plainclothes policemen arrested Helal from his residence in the capital on August 24 last year while army personnel detained Roton on the Dhaka University (DU) campus on January 16 last year The leaders and activists of both JCD and BCL had been staging demonstrations on the university campus for the last three days demanding the release of the two student leaders.
DU Vice Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz on Wednesday night assured the leaders of BCL and JCD that the government would release the two student leaders by yesterday night.
Roton was arrested twice soon after his release from the Mymensingh Jail on May 4 and on Tuesday while Helal was arrested again on December 13 last year after his release from the Dhaka Central Jail.
The High Court (HC) on August 4 granted Helal bail and asked the law enforcement agencies not to detain or harass him without any fresh arrest warrant.
Shortly after his release, Helal demanded immediate release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and judicial investigation into the alleged torture on Tarique during remand.
"Any issue rather than their release is immaterial to us," he told The Daily Star.
He also urged the party's district unit leaders to strengthen the movement to free Khaleda and Tarique.
The JCD president also demanded immediate withdrawal of the state of emergency and holding of the parliamentary polls first.
Meanwhile, police in the morning produced BCL leader Roton before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Nazrul Islam Hawlader who ordered the authorities concerned to release him.
"I demand permanent release of our party chief Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of the state of emergency immediately" Roton said after his release.
He also said the BCL would realise the demands through tougher programmes across the country soon.
The HC on July 29 declared Roton's detention illegal following a writ petition filed by his father.
Meanwhile, police yesterday intercepted two processions of BCL and JCD on DU campus at 12:00noon when they were marching towards the home ministry separately to lay siege to it demanding the release of the two student leaders.