Rajshahi, July 6 (V7N)- Based on confidential information, a surprise inspection was conducted by a team comprising the district jailer of Rajshahi Central Jail, Deputy Jailer Hanif, Sergeant Instructor Abdul Bari, Sergeant Instructor Kabir, and several other prison guards and civil staff. 
 
They discovered and seized six types of illegal items hidden under the socks of DMS boots worn by a prison guard named Monirul Islam during the inspection. The duty team at Rajshahi Central Jail found these illegal items in the DMS boots of the said prison guard. 
 
The senior jail superintendent of Rajshahi Central Jail, Additional District Magistrate Md. Imam Uddin, was informed of the matter. The next day, a report was written and the accused guard was presented. The Additional Magistrate heard the guard's statement regarding the allegations against him. 
 
The accused guard denied the charges, sought unconditional forgiveness, and promised not to repeat such actions in the future. Since the allegation involved illegal items, which is an unforgivable offense, a departmental case was filed against him. Subsequently, the Rajshahi Central Jail authorities immediately transferred prison guard Monirul Islam to another jail. Currently, the accused guard is stationed at Chapainawabganj Jail.
 
Angered by the transfer, the guard engaged in spreading false, fabricated, and baseless information against the DIG Prisons, Jail Superintendent, and Jailer, and undertook various harassing actions.
 
On June 14, a search of the guard's trunk in the Tin Shed Barracks did not yield any illegal items. However, following the discovery of illegal items from his DMS boots, he was immediately transferred as a disciplinary action to Chapainawabganj District Jail.
 
Former Senior Jail Superintendent Abdul Jalil, former Jailer Md. Nizam Uddin, and Rajshahi Division DIG Prisons Md. Kamal Hossain fell victim to the guard Monirul Islam's falsehoods, harassment, and defamatory and baseless written and video statements. 
 
Investigative inquiries by the reporter and conversations with the relevant authorities found no truth in the allegations made by guard Monirul. When questioned, the accused guard could not provide any evidence or satisfactory responses. Rather, due to the intensive oversight by DIG Prisons Kamal Hossain since his joining, the quality of food for inmates in the eight prisons of Rajshahi Division has improved, and now, according to general inmates, they can eat rice with just lentils. 
 
Additionally, items sold in the prison canteen, both dry goods at market prices and wet items like fruits at fair prices according to canteen policy, are sold to inmates.
In his allegations, Monirul Islam claimed that DIG Prisons and the former Senior Jail Superintendent were using prison guards to farm cattle, sheep, and ducks inside the prison, growing grass for cattle, and breeding dengue mosquitoes, engaging in transfer business, violating jail code by searching guards, denying death row inmates cigarettes, providing various illegal facilities to inmates in exchange for money, forcing helpless inmates to bring large Pakistani fans by closing small fans, spreading propaganda that the honorable Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation would provide a large Pakistani fan for each cell in the name of the former superintendent and jailer, providing illegal facilities to BNP leader Abu Sayeed Chand and various drug lords detained in drug cases, farming fish in ponds, pocketing profits from vegetables grown on prison land and items sold in the canteen both inside and outside the prison, keeping powerful healthy inmates in place of sick ones in the prison hospital in exchange for money, and not providing the entitled food to inmates, and arranging non-duty visits for relatives of inmates in exchange for facilities.
 
Prison authorities believe that the guard is presenting false information solely for harassment and to tarnish institutional and personal reputations. They view the guard's accusations as entirely premeditated and aimed at fulfilling petty personal interests. DIG Prisons Kamal Hossain believes that such unrealistic and imaginary allegations were raised due to the direct and indirect incitement of some conspiratorial group. 
 
He expressed his opinion that thorough analysis of each allegation would reveal the true nature of the accuser. He requested interviews with everyone involved in these false, fabricated, unrealistic, and imaginary allegations. He also requested that guard Monirul Islam be questioned to verify the authenticity of the accusations he raised.
 
Regarding the business of admitting healthy influential inmates in place of genuinely sick prisoners in the prison hospital, the assistant surgeons at the prison hospital, Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Dr. Arefin Sabbir, and Dr. Zubayer Alam, stated that Monirul Islam's accusations are incorrect and that he is lying. They asserted that the prison hospital is operating according to rules.
 
Former Jailer Nizam Uddin, regarding allegations of unethical privileges for inmates and business activities at the prison hospital while keeping healthy individuals in the hospital, said, "I have been transferred from Rajshahi Central Jail. It doesn't matter what anyone says now. However, these allegations have no basis. Guard Monirul Islam is lying."
 
Despite multiple calls to former Senior Jail Superintendent Abdul Jalil regarding allegations of inmate abuse and lack of food provision, he did not answer, making it impossible to get his statement.
 
Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Dr. Abu Sayeed, in response to allegations of not admitting genuinely sick inmates in the prison hospital while admitting healthy inmates and BNP leader Abu Sayeed Chand, said, "There is no benefit in spreading these false propagandas. I regularly visit there. Three doctors regularly see patients. There is no opportunity for healthy individuals to stay there."
 
When asked about the six illegal items recovered during the search from guard Monirul Islam, Additional District Magistrate Imam Uddin did not answer multiple calls, making it impossible to get his statement.
 
Ultimately, when the issue was raised with the accusing guard Monirul Islam, he stated that all the incidents were true and that he had evidence. However, he mentioned being under pressure due to these incidents. He claimed that the accusations against him were not true and that he was a victim of conspiracy.
 
Regarding the issue of allocating PCR houses built in the prison area whimsically and other alleged irregularities, DIG Prisons Kamal Hossain said, "The matter of house allocation is entirely within the jurisdiction of the prison authorities. It would be appropriate to take their statement on this matter.
 
END/MRA/SMA/