Following the massive prison riots during the July 2024 terrorist uprising, Bangladeshโs prison system plunged into unprecedented chaos.
โ ๏ธ 2,240 inmates escaped from five major prisons during violent riots and armed attacks.
โ ๏ธ Among them, 700 prisoners โ including militants, death row convicts, and life-term criminals โ remain missing even now.
โ ๏ธ 20 firearms, including Chinese rifles and shotguns, are still missing.
โ ๏ธ Prison online systems were destroyed, erasing critical inmate data.
๐จ In Narsingdi alone, 826 inmates escaped after mobs broke open gates and set fire to facilities.
๐จ Gazipur High Security Jail saw 202 inmates flee, mostly militants convicted under anti-terrorism laws.
๐จ In Satkhira, attackers freed 596 inmates by breaking through security walls and gates.
๐จ Sherpur witnessed 518 prisoners escape and 9 weapons looted.
๐จ Kushtia saw 98 prisoners break free after internal riots.
The authorities admit that many escapees, especially the 69 high-risk inmates (60 death-row convicts and nine militants), may have fled abroad.
Senior prison officials describe the situation as a grave national security threat, yet they claimed it is still “under control” despite the alarming number of escapees and missing weapons.
Investigation uncovers structural flaws, weak leadership
A government-commissioned inquiry has found major structural and operational flaws in five of Bangladeshโs prisons that experienced riots, arson, jailbreaks, and weapons looting during the July Uprising and after the fall of the Awami League government, a BDNEWS24 report reveals.
Custodial death: 27 Awami League leaders, activists killed in 10 months
Extrajudicial killings: GCDG lists 47 deaths since September 2024
July Conspiracy: Gazetted lists contain many fake martyrs, injured fighters
The findings, submitted recently to the government, identify โbroad causesโ of the prison security breakdown and outline steps to prevent future incidents, according to a senior official at the Department of Prisons.
The prison unrest began during student protests and escalated after the interim administration took over. Inmates in several prisons became agitated, with authorities inside overwhelmed by limited personnel and violent mobs both inside and outside prison walls.
โThere was no scope to bring in additional guards or receive help from external law enforcement at that moment,โ the official said.
โWe had to resist for a long time with what little equipment and personnel we had. In some prisons, guards hesitated and lacked clear instructions on what actions to take.โ
The probe report noted such indecisiveness and administrative weakness as key findings.
724 still on the run, 29 weapons missing
The Uprising ended the ruling Awami Leagueโs nearly 16-year tenure. As unrest swept across the country, prisons came under attack, leading to escapes, looting, and arson.
Thirteen prisoners were killed by guards during the chaos, including seven in Jamalpur and six at the Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail in Gazipur. Over 200 guards were injured. Looted items ranged from firearms and ammunition to basic food supplies.
A total of 17 prisons saw incidents of rebellion, with five of them โ Kashimpur, Satkhira, Sherpur, Kushtia, and Narsingdi โ experiencing large-scale jailbreaks. More than 2,000 prisoners escaped.
Shia Muslims observe Ashura while militants enjoy impunity
Bangladeshi militants reach to Malaysia to promote jihad at home
Holey Artisan Carnage: Why is Yunus patronising Islamic State jihadists?
Among those who fled were death-row inmates, convicts serving life sentences, and members of outlawed militant groups. While some later surrendered or were recaptured, a significant number remain unaccounted for.
On Mar 10, Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Md Motaher Hossain said about 700 prisoners were still at large, including 69 convicted of terrorism, capital offences, or life sentences.
He reiterated the same numbers on Jun 15, saying 724 prisoners remained in hiding.
Though the exact number of escaped militants has not been disclosed, authorities said at least nine of them were among the inmates who fled from Narsingdi prison.
A prison headquarters official stated that both Narsingdi and Sherpur jails suffered significant structural damage during the unrest, including the destruction of servers, resulting in the loss of inmate records.
Of 94 weapons looted from various prisons, 65 have been recovered. The remaining 29 are still missing.
Breakdown of fugitives by facility
Narsingdi: over 150
Kashimpur: over 100
Kushtia: 20
Sherpur: around 350
Satkhira: at least 50
The first major prison attack occurred in Narsingdi on Jul 19, during the peak of the student protests. Mass jailbreaks followed on Aug 6, a day after the previous government was toppled.
On that day, 202 inmates escaped from Kashimpurโs high-security facility after launching an internal rebellion. As guards tried to regain control, inmates retaliated violently, using electric pipes and physical force to overpower them. Some scaled walls, others broke through structures.
The military intervened with a commando operation to quell the mutiny. Six prisoners were killed in the firefight, and at least 25 security personnel were injured.
According to jail superintendent Abdullah Al Mamun, 56 inmates from that facility have been rearrested, while 146 remain at large.
Inmates also set fire to prison furniture, destroyed CCTV cameras, and burned key documents, including the inmate registry and sentencing records.
Kashimpur is considered Bangladeshโs most secure facility, housing high-risk inmates, including militants. The number of militants who escaped, however, is still unclear.
Thousands storm Sherpur jail
The attack on the Sherpur District Jail occurred immediately after the fall of the government. On Aug 5, thousands of jubilant residents marched through the town. From that procession, a large crowd stormed the jail.
The attackers broke through the main gate, looted cash, food, weapons, and ammunition, and set the facility on fire.
Within hours, the prison was reduced to rubble, and guards fled to save their lives. The prison reopened only after four months, on December 12.
According to prison authorities, 518 inmates escaped. The attackers took nine firearms, 864 rounds of Chinese rifle ammunition, and 336 shotgun rounds. Most of the weapons and ammunition were later recovered.
They also burned key records, vehicles, and prison buildings. Then-superintendent Lipi Rani Saha filed a case against 10,000 to 12,000 unnamed individuals. That investigation remains incomplete.
Sherpur Jail Superintendent Md Shafiul Alam said 286 escapees had been recaptured, 72 of whom were later released on bail. Still, 232 prisoners remain missing.
Of them, 65 were convicted inmates, including 40 sentenced by mobile courts; others were serving various prison terms, while the remaining inmates were under-trial detainees.
Shafiul added that six out of 11 prison buildings have been fully restored by the Public Works Department, and work on the remaining five is 80โ85% complete. All buildings are now operational, with furniture in place and CCTV installation ongoing.
Despite having a designated capacity for 125 inmates, the prison is currently housing 426.
Mass escape, destruction
During the student movement on Jul 19 last year, the worst attack on the Narsingdi District Jail took place. As many as 826 prisoners, including militants, escaped.
A total of 85 weapons were looted, and 29,000 documents were burned.
Jail authorities reported that out of the 826 escaped prisoners, 646 surrendered in court following a district administration campaign.
Among the remaining 180 fugitives, 35 have been arrested, while 145 remain at large.
In addition, 65 looted weapons have not been recovered.
The situation after the attack was so severe that prisoners had to be relocated to nearby district jails.
After some days, the jail was repaired, and the prisoners were brought back.
Narsingdi Jail Superintendent Md Shamim Iqbal said 29,000 case files were destroyed in the fire during the attack.
This has caused confusion in prisoner records, including sentence durations and case details.
Identifying which prisoner is accused in which case is currently difficult. Efforts are underway to recover these records from the courts and through technological means.
He added that although the damaged jail infrastructure has been repaired, the structure is deteriorating again.
As the adjacent roads are gradually being raised, the jail walls appear low and unsecured from othe utside.
Moreover, with a prisoner population three times above capacity, conditions have become extremely difficult.
The jail, with a capacity of 344 inmates, currently holds 910 prisoners.
โJudicial process not affected despite lost filesโ
Despite the loss of files, a senior officer from the prison headquarters claims that the judicial process for prisoners is not affected.
The officer said: “We only receive a single paper for each prisoner. All case and trial documents remain with the courts and investigating officers.
โAccordingly, prisoner records are being gradually reconstructed.”
He explained that when the court requests an inmate, prison officials call the name. Sometimes the inmate is found already in custody, possibly re-arrested in another case.
In such cases, the individual is re-added to the return list.
According to him, although official figures remain largely unchanged, minor fluctuations in inmate numbers occur regularly.
It is also possible that some escapees are in other jails under separate charges, he added.
When asked about fresh cases and arrest warrants against fugitives, Inspector General of Prisons Syed Motaher Hossain said they are searching in various locations, but no new arrests have been made yet.
He noted that in court summons, officials are saying the exact date of escape and treating the person as an escaped convict.
No evidence of โinternal collusionโ found
Among those who escaped were several militants, either convicted or on trial. Previous incidents include militant snatching in Trishal and Dhaka court areas.
The inquiry committee found no link between those and the prison attacks during the JulyโAugust movement.
A senior prison headquarters official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: “Once a prisoner leaves the jail, his security is the police’s responsibility. The jailโs security is not related to this.”
The inquiry committee could not find evidence of โcollusionโ by any prison official.
Another official said: “The committee found nothing suspicious. They also could not determine which prisoner led the incidents.”
To prevent similar incidents in the future, the panel recommended โstructural improvementsโ and increasing manpower.
It suggested a three-layered wall system: the first a transparent iron wall for visibility, the second a security wall, and the third a solid RCC (reinforced cement concrete) barrier.
The official noted that building such walls immediately is not feasible due to time and cost constraints, but increasing manpower may be possible gradually.
According to another senior prison official, separate internal inquiry committees were formed in every prison where attacks or โrebellionsโ occurred.
These committees investigated the causes and submitted recommendations.
All findings and proposals were consolidated and forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs, he added.
When asked, Additional Secretary Md Shamim Khan of the ministry said: โProposals have come from the prison headquarters. Weโre working on these.
โEfforts to make our prisons more modern and responsive to present needs are ongoing.โ
Shamim said most jails are holding several times more inmates than their designated capacity. Many of these inmates are legally entitled to bail.
Advancing such legal processes would ease pressure on the prison system, he added.
English