Jamaat Leader Major (Retd) Akhtaruzzaman Released from Jail
Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former lawmaker Major (Retd) Akhtaruzzaman has been released from jail in a case filed over allegations of obstructing official duties at the airport, behaving rudely with officials and assaulting a security officer.
He was released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Tuesday morning (November 3). Central leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were present at the prison gate to welcome him.
Earlier, a High Court bench led by Justice KM Zahid Sarwar granted him interim bail on Sunday (November 1). However, the state filed an application seeking a stay on the bail order. On Monday (November 2), Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque disposed of the state’s application and upheld the High Court’s bail order. As a result, there were no further legal obstacles to his release.
Senior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir represented him in court.
Mr. Akhtaruzzaman was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) from his residence in the Cantonment area of the capital on October 2. He was arrested in a case filed with Airport Police Station over allegations of creating disorder at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, obstructing official duties and assaulting a security officer on duty.
The following day, a court granted police one day’s remand for questioning. After the remand, he was sent to jail on October 4. His bail petitions were rejected twice by the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, prompting him to seek bail from the High Court.
According to the case statement, 34 representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami and their family members returned to Dhaka from Madinah, Saudi Arabia, on October 1. Their flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:55am.
After completing immigration formalities, the passengers went to the designated baggage belts to collect their luggage. However, a shortage of trolleys and long waiting times arose due to the large number of passengers. Some passengers became frustrated over delays in receiving their luggage and the unavailability of Zamzam water.
The case statement further alleged that when the airport’s executive director, Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, arrived to manage the situation, Akhtaruzzaman behaved inappropriately towards him and issued threats.
He was also accused of verbally abusing and physically assaulting Warrant Officer Mohammad Kamal Uddin, a security supervisor on duty at the airport.
Mohammad Shahriar Alam Sajib, an airport security officer, filed the case over the incident. The judicial proceedings over these allegations are still ongoing.
Mr. Akhtaruzzaman was involved in BNP politics for a long time. He was expelled from the party for the fifth time on February 20, 2022, over allegations of violating party discipline. Later, on December 13, 2025, he joined Jamaat-e-Islami ahead of the 13th parliamentary election.
