Five days after the death of his wife and infant son, banned student organisation Chhatra League leader Jewel Hasan Saddam returned home in Bagerhat today.

Earlier in the day, around 2:00 pm, Saddam was released from Jashore Central Jail after the High Court granted him six months’ ad-interim bail on Monday.

Locals said Saddam reached home in Sabekdanga village of Bagerhat’s Sadar upazila on Wednesday night. Soon after reaching home, he went to the graves of his wife and son, accompanied by his father-in-law Ruhul Amin Hawladar, brother-in-law Shahnewaz Amin Shubho, and neighbours.

Standing next to the graves, Saddam broke down in tears -- touching the soil and offering prayers for his wife and child.

Saddam then went to his father-in-law’s house, where he stayed briefly before leaving the area, they added.

Speaking to journalists before leaving, Saddam said, “After I was sent to Jashore jail, my wife believed I would never be released.”

“I applied for bail many times but was denied. I could not hold my son even once. I was released on bail only after my wife and child died. I did nothing wrong,” he added.

Saddam, son of Ekram Hawladar and Delwara Ekram, is the president of Bagerhat Sadar upazila unit of BCL.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024, Saddam went into hiding. He was arrested in Gopalganj on April 5, 2025, and had been in jail in several cases since then.

On January 23, the bodies of his wife Kaniz Suborna Swarnali, 22, and their nine-month-old son Sejad Hasan Nazif were recovered from their house in Sabekdanga village.

Saddam was allowed to see his wife and son for the last time under police supervision at the gate of Jashore Central Jail. Family members said they had applied for his release on parole but then had to arrange for the bodies to be taken to the jail gate instead.

The authorities’ refusal to grant Saddam parole immediately after the deaths sparked criticism across the country.