Companyganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Usman Gani confirmed the release, saying Zubayer had been questioned over his Facebook post.
TBS Report
14 October, 2026, 02:25 pm
Last modified: 14 October, 2026, 02:31 pm
A stone trader in Sylhet's Companyganj, who was handed over to police by two local BNP leaders over a Facebook post demanding the reopening of stone quarries, was released on bail on the guarantee of the same party leaders about 12 hours after his arrest.
Zubayer Ahmed was released around midnight on Tuesday, with Companyganj upazila BNP Senior Vice-President Shawkat Ali Babul and BNP leader and upazila vice-chairman Lal Miara standing as guarantors.
The release came amid criticism over his arrest.
Companyganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Usman Gani confirmed the release, saying Zubayer had been questioned over his Facebook post. After verification, he was released on the guarantee of the two leaders.
Asked why Zubayer was released on the guarantee of someone who had brought him to the police station, the OC said, "He brought him to the police station, so he was released on his guarantee."
Asked whether the verification had established any wrongdoing by Zubayer, the OC said he had been released on their guarantee after the matter was checked.
On Saturday, Zubayer, a stone trader from Kalabari village in Companyganj upazila, posted a message on Facebook featuring Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury and calling for the reopening of stone quarries.
"Everything was supposed to return to normal on the 13th, the day after the election on the 12th. But nothing has been fixed. The honourable minister has made our lives increasingly difficult," he wrote.
Two days after the post, on Tuesday afternoon, upazila BNP Secretary Ali Akbar and Senior Vice-President Shawkat Ali Babul brought Zubayer to the police station and handed him over to police. He was subsequently detained.
At the time, OC Usman Gani described the incident as a surrender, saying Ali Akbar had brought Zubayer to the station to surrender. The OC said police had not yet determined the reason for the detention.
Following the arrest, Zubayer's Facebook post was no longer available. The two BNP leaders declined to comment, saying the matter was being handled by the police.
Asked why police needed to question him over his remark that things should have returned to normal after the election, the OC said, "We can question him in accordance with the law. There is an offence. We are checking whether he committed it or whether someone else used his mobile phone."