Santhia Upazila Chairman not released despite bail: DIG’s office’s ‘special instructions’ under discussion

Local representative

Pabna’s Santhia Upazila Parishad Chairman and Municipal Awami League General Secretary Sohel Rana Khokon has not been released from prison despite being granted bail by a Dhaka court. After serving a long seven-month sentence, his bail letter reached Kashimpur Jail gate, but he was sent back to prison after being shown a show arrest in a new case.

This incident occurred at a time when a letter (Memorandum No.-Raj-Range/Operations/1197 (8)) containing a ‘special instruction’ from the Rajshahi Range DIG’s office was being circulated on social media.

The letter, signed on February 24, 2026, stated that if influential leaders of certain political organizations are able to strengthen the party after being released on bail, they should be arrested in other cases.

Sohel Rana Khokon’s lawyers said that he was supposed to be released today after getting bail in all the cases through legal process. But he was not allowed to leave the Kashimpur jail gate and was shown arrested in a new case.

According to the family, this is a tactic to keep him away from political activities.

The letter issued by the Rajshahi Range DIG’s office mentions two specific instructions:

1. If the leaders released on bail are able to demonstrate activity at the field level, they will have to be arrested (show-arrested) in other cases.
2. For those who do not possess such ‘characteristics’, there is no need to re-arrest them for the time being.

This culture of re-arrests from jail gates even after getting bail has led to mixed reactions among the general public and human rights activists. While law enforcement agencies have been talking about their regular procedures, the leaked letter has raised big questions in the public mind about the impartiality of the administration.

In particular, the criteria for arrest based on ‘fascist organization’ and ‘field activity’ set out in the letter are being extensively analyzed to what extent they are consistent with the country’s existing laws and judicial system.

The re-arrest of the Santhia Upazila Chairman is no longer just a local issue, but has become a major test of the country’s judicial independence and administrative goodwill.