Dhaka (Bangladesh). Selina Hayat ‘Ivy’, a veteran leader of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party and former mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation, was released from jail on bail. The release of Celina, who was arrested in September last year, is the second major relief given to a senior Awami League leader after former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary.
According to Prothom Alo newspaper report, Selina Hayat had to stay in jail for more than a year. She was released from Kashimpur Central Women’s Jail in Ghazipur around 10:15 pm on Wednesday night.
At around 12:30 in the night she reached her house located in Devbhog area of Narayanganj. After receiving the news of his release, relatives, supporters and well-wishers started gathering outside his house from 11:00 pm onwards. People heaved a sigh of relief on his return after being in jail for a long time.
On reaching home, Celina first expressed her gratitude to the people of the country. She told reporters, “I am very grateful to the judiciary and also thank the government. I hope that a humane government will be formed which will take everyone along. There are many women like me in jail who are innocent. I hope that the government will show sympathy towards them too.”
Police had arrested Celina Ivy from her house in Narayanganj in the early hours of May 9 last year. After this, a total of 12 cases were shown against him. These included three cases of murder and two cases of attempt to murder related to the 2024 anti-discrimination movement. Although he got bail several times in many cases, he was repeatedly shown as arrested in newly registered cases.
Last month, on April 30, the High Court had granted him interim bail in two cases of murder registered at Sidghirganj police station. That decision cleared the way for his release. At the time of his release on Wednesday night, his lawyer and family members reached the jail gate and everyone became emotional as soon as he came out.
Celina was the mayor of Narayanganj from 2003 to 2011. In the 2011 elections, Ivy defeated influential Awami League rebel leader Shamim Usman by a margin of over 1,00,000 votes. Throughout his political career he openly raised his voice against terrorism and criminal violence in Narayanganj.
When Ivy reached home, she was welcomed by relatives, well-wishers and supporters. Convener of ‘Shontrash Nirmul Toki Manch’ Rafiur Rabbi, President of Narayanganj Press Club Abu Saeed Masood, lawyer Ziaul Islam and Shaheen Mehmood presented him flower bunches.
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