ARTICLE 19 has called on the authorities to ensure the safety of Hriday Mandal and his family after his release on bail, to reinstate him in service and to withdraw the case against him. The human rights organization focusing on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression expressed relief, as the Munshiganj additional district and sessions judge court today granted bail to detained science teacher Hriday Chandra Mondal of Binodpur Ram Kumar High School under Sadar Upazila in the district in a case filed over “hurting religious sentiment”. Earlier, Hriday was denied bail twice—once on March 23 and again on March 28. Also read: Hriday Mandal walks out of jailHe was arrested on March 22, 2022, for allegedly insulting religion after he discussed in the classroom the distinction between religion and science.Following the incident, the school authorities suspended him from his job as well. In a statement sent to the media on Sunday, Faruq Faisel, Regional Director for ARTICLE 19 South Asia, said the reason Hriday Mandal had to go to jail is very shocking. Also read: Hriday Mandal gets bail after 19 days in jail"This incident threatened the concept of academic freedom which included free thought, freedom of expression and dissent in educational institutions. This will create an atmosphere of fear in the minds of all teachers, and science-minded people in the country. At the same time, the reaction of the students to the incident shows that in the education system of the country, tolerance, reasoning, and respect for dissent are not given importance, which is essential for building an inclusive, knowledge-based, tolerant and democratic society. This suggests that the incident should be considered as a wakeup call.’’

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.

A Munshiganj court on Sunday granted bail to school teacher Hriday Mandal after 19 days of his arrest in a case over ‘hurting religious sentiment’. Additional District and Sessions Judge Motahar Akter Bhuiya passed the order. 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 Mandal, claimed that the false allegation was brought against him to oust him from the school due to previous enmity. Earlier on March 20, some tenth-grade students of Binodpur Ramkumar High School (science section), recorded a class conversation of Hriday Mandal on science and religion where he reportedly disrespected religions. On 22 March, 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. READ: Amnesty demands immediate release of school teacher Hriday Earlier, on Saturday, Amnesty International has urged the Bangladeshi authorities to "immediately and unconditionally" release Hriday Chandra Mandal. “Hriday Chandra Mondal’s detention is a shameful demonstration of the erosion of the human rights situation in Bangladesh. The authorities must take urgent measures to improve the conditions that allow people to express freely and safely, and ensure that teachers can speak freely in class without fear of reprisals,” said Smriti Singh, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, a UK-based global rights group. Meanwhile, eminent writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said he couldn’t believe the arrest of science teacher Hriday 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 the teacher.