Staff Correspondent, Narayanganj

Controversial former Chhatra Dal leader Jakir Khan has been released from jail in Narayanganj. He was freed from Narayanganj District Jail at around 10:30 AM on Sunday confirmed the prison superintendent, Muhammad Forkan Wahid. Jakir Khan had originally been sentenced to 14 years under the 1994 Anti-Terrorism Act. Following an appeal, the High Court reduced the sentence to eight years, and later, the Supreme Court further reduced it to five years through a review petition. After completing the five-year sentence, Jakir Khan was released this morning.Supporters gathered in front of the district jail with motorcycles and private cars to welcome him, causing a traffic jam in the area. Thousands of his followers had gathered from early morning to greet the much-talked-about leader. Upon his release, he was greeted with flowers by his supporters and then proceeded to his home in Deobhog.According to eyewitnesses, from early morning, Jakir Khan’s followers assembled in front of the jail with motorcades of motorcycles and private cars. Loud music was played through sound systems mounted on trucks. The crowd of party activists in front of the district jail created a traffic snarl on the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road. Around 10:30 AM, Jakir Khan emerged from the jail and was warmly received by supporters with flowers. He then rode through the city in an open-roof vehicle toward his home in Deobhog, Narayanganj.Jakir Khan was reportedly accused in 33 cases, including murder. After being on the run for a long time, he was arrested by RAB-11 in the capital on September 3, 2022. Subsequently, he was granted bail in several cases. On January 7 of this year, Jakir  and other accused were acquitted in the Sabbir Alam murder case.Sabbir Alam, a businessman and political activist who had openly spoken against terrorism and extortion, was gunned down by assailants on February 18, 2003, in the Masdair area of Fatullah. His elder brother, Taimur Alam Khondokar, filed a case at the Fatullah Police Station. Former BNP MP from Narayanganj-4 (Fatullah) Gias Uddin was named the prime accused in the case, along with Jakir  and his two younger brothers—Mamun Khan and Jiku. After a 34-month-long investigation, the CID submitted a chargesheet against eight people on January 8, 2006. Gias Uddin was dropped from the chargesheet, making Jakir  Khan the prime accused. A red notice was issued against him by Interpol. Jakir later provided evidence in court that he was undergoing treatment in India during the time of Sabbir’s murder. After that, he went into hiding and stepped away from active politics in Narayanganj.According to police sources, Jakir Khan was accused in 33 cases, including four murder charges. He had been imprisoned at various times in relation to these cases. Following his release from prison, Jakir reportedly became active again, establishing a strong group in Deobhog. He allegedly created unrest in the area by killing local criminal Dayal Masud. After Sabbir Alam's murder in 2003, Jakir fled the country to Thailand.After spending years in hiding abroad, he secretly returned to Bangladesh and started living in the capital’s Bashundhara Residential Area with his family under a concealed identity. On September 3, 2022, RAB conducted an operation in Bashundhara and arrested Jakir Khan with a foreign pistol. Since then, he had been incarcerated in Narayanganj Jail. On January 7 of this year, Jakir  and all the accused were acquitted in the Sabbir Alam murder case.Regarding the matter, Superintendent of Police (SP) Pratyush Kumar Majumder said, “Jakir  Khan has been released after completing his sentence. He has been acquitted in 26 cases, and three cases are still under trial in court, in which he is currently on bail.”