121 children freed from Tongi child development centre

The authorities of the child development centre in Tongi on Monday released 121 children who were jailed by the mobile court under the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)

Eleven children, aged below 12 years, were released while the rest between 12 and 18 years of age were granted bail.

The authorities handed over the children to their guardians on Monday night.

Superintendent Mohammad Ehiatuzzaman said the children were released as per the court order.

Earlier, the High Court directed the concerned authorities to immediately release imprisoned children, aged below 12 years, from the child development centres in Jashore and Tongi.

It also granted 6-month interim bail to children between 12 and 18 years of age.

A High Court bench comprising justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and justice Mahmud Hasan Talukdar passed the order taking into cognizance a Prothom Alo report titled ‘121 children sentenced ingnoring the law’.

Besides, the magistrates concerned have been asked to submit the documents of the cases to the apex court within seven working days.

The home ministry, the women and children affairs ministry, the public administration ministry, RAB director general, two magistrates and the child care centres in Tongi and Jashore were made respondents in the rule.

Referring to the HC rule, lawyer Abdul Halim asked why the conviction of the children as reported in the daily Prothom Alo shall not be declared illegal.

He also said the conviction by the mobile courts was declared illegal and all children sentenced by the mobile courts shall be released immediately on receipt of the order.

Respondents, he added, were directed to submit case documents to this court within seven working days.

According to the Prothom Alo report, between 3 May and 10 August of this year, 121 were sentenced by the mobile courts. The children are kept in the child development centre.

Of them, 28 are 17-year-olds while 26 are 16-year-olds, 20 children are each 15 years old, 16 are 14 years old, 11 are 12 years of old, 7 are 13 years of age and 12 of them are between 8 and 12.

The age of one of them was not mentioned while one child sentenced by the mobile court was kept in the Jashore child development centre.