Abul Barkat walks out of jail after securing bail in July Uprising murder case

Economist Professor Abul Barkat has been released from prison after securing bail in a murder case filed over the death of businessman Abdul Wadud during the 2024 July Uprising.

Assistant Inspector General of Prisons (Development and Media) Jannat-ul Farhad said today (21 June) that Barkat was released after the prison authorities received the necessary documents related to his bail.

Barkat walked out of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on Thursday (18 June) at around 6:30pm.

Earlier, on 16 June, the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman granted bail to Barkat until submission of the police report. State lawyer Shamsuddoha Suman said the court granted bail on a bond of Tk5,000.

Two days earlier, Barkat had been shown arrested in a case filed over the murder of businessman Abdul Wadud in the capital's Nilkhet area during the July Uprising.

On 10 July last year, members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police arrested Barkat from his residence in Dhanmondi. 

He was later sent to prison in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations of misappropriating Tk297 crore obtained as a loan from Janata Bank in the name of AnonTex Group through forgery.

On 7 June, the Appellate Division granted him bail in the ACC case on the condition that he surrender his passport to the court.

However, before he could be released, he was shown arrested in the murder case linked to the July Uprising.

According to the case statement, Abdul Wadud was shot dead in the New Market area's Nilkhet neighbourhood on 19 July 2024 during the July Uprising.

Wadud's brother-in-law, Abdur Rob, later filed a murder case with New Market Police Station, naming 130 people as accused, including Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader.