Masudul Hasan Masud, Bhuiyapur (Tangail)

Former Deputy Minister Adv Abdus Salam Pintu, who was released from prison, will return to his constituency after 17 years.

He will attend a public reception at the Bhuiyapur Government Pilot High School grounds in Tangail on Friday.

In January 2008, BNP Vice Chairman and former Deputy Minister of Education Advocate Abdus Salam Pintu was arrested in a false and fabricated case related to the August 21 grenade attack. Since then, he has been in prison for 17 consecutive years. He was sentenced to death in this false case. While in prison, he had to endure physical and mental torture in the name of remand. No one from his family was allowed to meet him even on Eid or special days. Recently, Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on August 5 and fled to India in the mass uprising of students and the public against discrimination. After that, fate favored the prisoners who had been in prison for years in false cases. Numerous prisoners were released.

On Tuesday at around 11 am, death row convict Advocate Abdul Salam Pintu was released from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur. Two months after his release, Abdus Salam Pintu is scheduled to return to his home area of Gopalpur Upazila, adjacent to Bhuiyapur Upazila in Tangail, on Friday, February 28. Bhuiyapur Upazila and municipal branches of BNP have arranged to give him a reception at the Bhuiyapur Government Pilot High School ground at 3 pm today. BNP and its affiliates are undertaking extensive campaigning and preparations in 6 unions and a municipal meeting of the upazila to make the reception a success. Upazila BNP General Secretary Selimuzzaman Talukder Selu said, "Our beloved leader Abdus Salam Pintu, who was released from prison after 17 years, will come to Bhuiyapur on Friday. We have arranged a public reception for his arrival. He is also scheduled to visit his home area. Preparation meetings are being held in various unions, municipalities and wards of the upazila around the public reception program. Leaders and activists from all levels of the central and district-upazila will participate in it.

Incidentally, Tangail District BNP founder General Secretary Advocate Abdus Salam Pintu was elected as a member of parliament from the Bhuiyapur-Gopalpur constituency in the 1991 and 2001 national elections. Then he was given the responsibility of Deputy Minister of Education in 2001. In January 2008, he was arrested in a false case of the August 21 grenade attack. He has been in prison since then.