School teacher Hriday Mandal was released from Munshiganj jail after securing bail in a case over ‘hurting religious sentiment’ on Sunday. Hriday was freed from Munshiganj jail around 5pm, said Jailer Abul Bashar. “We received the bail papers of Hriday Mandal at around 4pm,” the jailer added. His arrest sparked protests from rights group from home and abroad calling for his immediate release. Also read: Hriday Mandal gets bail after 19 days in jail The rights groups denounced his arrest as an attempt to curtail freedom of expression and science education in the country After his release, Hriday said the allegations brought against him are false. He said, “I was teaching science in class that day. They were purposely questioning me about religious feelings. I didn't say anything that could be an issue. I didn't even notice that they were recording on mobile.” He said, “Some misguided students  who do not study have done it together with misguided teachers. I can't name anyone at the moment. They might have done this with me over private tutoring.” Besides, he sought security from the state. Earlier in the day, Additional District and Sessions Judge Motahar Akter Bhuiya granted the teacher bail after 19 days of his arrest in the case. Hriday Mandal, a Science teacher of Binodpur Ramkumar High School, was arrested on March 22 after Asad Mia, an electrician of the school, lodged a complaint with Sadar Police on charge of hurting religious sentiment. However, Babita Haldar, wife of Hriday, claimed that the false allegation was brought against him to oust him from the school due to  enmity with some colleagues. Also read: Amnesty demands immediate release of school teacher Hriday Earlier on March 20, some tenth-grade students of Binodpur Ramkumar High School (science section), recorded a class conversation of Hriday on science and religion where. On March 22, some students staged demonstrations outside the school calling for punishment for Hriday. Later that day, an office assistant (electrician) of the high school filed a case with police against the teacher, who was subsequently arrested.

Eminent writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said he couldn’t believe the arrest of science teacher Hriday Mondol in Munshiganj for answering a question raised in the classroom logically. The former professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) said this in a human chain rally held in front of National Museum around 5 pm on Saturday protesting the arrest of Hriday Mondol. Demanding the release of Hriday Mondol, he said, “I couldn’t believe that a teacher has been arrested by the government for giving the most rational answer to a question of his student.” Also read: Amnesty demands immediate release of school teacher Hriday Nipironer Biruddhe Shahabag, a human rights organisation, formed the human chain protesting arrest of Hriday Chandra Mondol, a science teacher who was arrested on charges of “hurting religious sentiment” after he discussed in the classroom the distinction between religion and science Dr Zafar Iqbal said, "We have to teach our children science with utmost care for the sake of the development of our country because development is impossible without science. Science teacher Hriday Mondol has been made the scapegoat of communal people for doing his duty of teaching science."