Sayera Khatun, mother of Samrat, came up with the request at a press briefing held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).
“Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, you’re the mother of humanity. Samrat is a patient of open-heart surgery. As a mother, I request you to free my son and save his life by ensuring better treatment,” she said.
Later, Samrat’s sister Farhana Chowdhury Shirin read out a written statement on behalf of her mother before the media.
The statement reads: “Samrat was arrested on October 6 but the elite force members didn’t get any arms and liquor at his possession. Later, he was taken to his Kakrail office where they conducted a drive for over four hours. But we through live telecast of media saw the elite force members entered the office carrying some bags but we didn’t see any bags when they came out of it.”
“Samrat is an activist of your party and he is also like your child. He is not an intruder into your party. He is a soldier of the ideals of Father of the Nation and also a tested grassroots activist of the Prime Minister. My ardent request is to release Samrat after forgiving his mistakes and save his life after providing necessary treatment to him,” it reads further.
Terming the recovery of Yaba pills and arms from Samrat’s office a planned event, Samrat’s mother claimed that he did not go to his office for 10 days before his arrest. There was no liquor, Yaba and arms at his office. He had been living elsewhere as he was sick.”
The statement also reads that Samrat is not a member of a managing committee of any club, and he has been implicated out of political vengeance.
Talking about Samrat’s six-month jail under the Wildlife Conservative Act, awarded by a Rab mobile court, his mother said, “We haven’t received any copy of the verdict yet. Kangaroo is not a wild animal of the country so the case cannot be filed under the Wildlife Conservative Act.”
Rab members arrested Samrat and Arman, also vice-president of Jubo League Dhaka South unit, from Chauddagram upazila in Cumilla on October 6.
A mobile court, led by Rab Executive Magistrate Sarwar Alam, sentenced Samrat to six months’ simple imprisonment under the Wildlife Conservation Act after the elite force recovered two hides of kangaroo from his Kakrail office.
He was then sent to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on that day.