RMG union leader Babul walks out of jail after 69 days

Garment workers' union leader Babul Hossain was released from jail on bail in Gazipur tonight, 69 days after being arrested in a vandalism and arson case.

Babul, general secretary of Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity (BGWS), walked out of Gazipur District Jail around 8:00pm, BGWS President Tashlima Akhter told our Gazipur correspondent.

Although Babul secured bail from the High Court in the vandalism and arson case on January 10, he was not released from prison due to legal complications, sources at the Gazipur district jail.

Tashlima said Babul was supposed to be released from Gazipur jail last Wednesday.

On January 10, a High Court bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Md Khairul Alam granted ad-interim bail to Babul following a petition filed by his lawyers on behalf of him.

Later, Babul's lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told The Daily Star on that day that there is no legal bar for his client to get released from jail following the HC order.

During the hearing Baul's lawyer argued that his client was not mentioned in the first information report (FIR) of the case.

The lawyer had said Babul was arrested from Gazipur 15 days after the case was filed and there is no specific allegation against him.

Babul was picked up from Chandana Chowrasta under the jurisdiction of Basan Police Station in Gazipur on November 14 last year in the case filed on October 30.

On November 20 last year, a Gazipur court sent him to jail after a 24-hour remand.