Party meeting in jail

The jail authorities yesterday issued show-cause notices upon detained former BNP ministers Moudud Ahmed, Nazmul Huda, Mirza Abbas and ex-MP Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan in connection with holding meetings in the prison cells of BSMMU with their party men and relatives violating the jail code.
The authorities also suspended 28 of their jail guards posted at the prison cells of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in connection with negligence of duty. They were also issued notices to explain as to why further actions would not be taken against them.
Inspector General of Prisons (IG-Prisons) Brig Gen Zakir Hassan told The Daily Star, "The three former ministers and the ex-lawmaker were asked to explain within 24 hours as to why their division status should not be cancelled and other punitive measures taken against them for violating the jail code."
Talking to The Daily Star, Superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail Towhidul Islam said, "I served the notices in the afternoon asking them to explain in writing by tomorrow afternoon [Saturday]."
"I have also talked to the Vice-chancellor of BSMMU about sending them back to the jail immediately," he said.
"The three ex-ministers and the ex-MP had been holding meetings with their party men who entered the prison cells claiming to be BSMMU staffers," the IG-Prisons said, adding, "It proves that the BSMMU authorities are not cooperating with the jail authorities."
The jail intelligence wing discovered the matter.
He said the jail code allows prisoners to meet their relatives once every 15 days but the four had been meeting their party men and relatives everyday.
"If the explanations of the former ministers and the MP are not satisfactory, their division statuses would be cancelled and other punitive measures would be taken against them," IG-Prisons Zakir Hassan said
Jail sources said among the 28 jail guards, 26 were suspended Friday and two others on Thursday in connection with arranging meetings between the VIP prisoners and their relatives and party men and for providing food to the prisoners skirting the jail code.
Earlier, the jail authorities requested BSMMU authorities to return 12 high-profile prisoners to jail as they had been overstaying there with fake excuses of sickness. They are former BNP lawmakers Hafiz Ibrahim, Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, Wadud Bhuiyan, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and former deputy minister Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, former secretary ANH Akhter, former chief conservator of forest Munshi Anwarul Islam, Janakantha Editor Atiqullah Khan Masud, Swechchhasebak League leader Pankaj Devnath, businessmen Giasuddin Al Mamun and Amin Huda.
Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, who was taken to jail from BSMMU prison cells after he assaulted a deputy jailer, was shown arrested in the case the jail authorities filed in this connection.