Bangladeshi official says 700 prisoners, who escaped during uprising, remain at large

Brigadier General Syed Mohammad Motaher Hossain, chief of the prison department, said 70 of the unaccounted prisoners were classified as 'high-risk'.

Addressing a press conference, he said 174 prisoners have been released on bail or otherwise discharged since the incident, among them 11 high-profile criminals.

"The matter of release is entirely under the jurisdiction of the court," he was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

He said: "We are bound to comply with court orders."

He said efforts are currently going on to detain the prisoners who escaped during the uprising.

Motaher said that 17 out of Bangladesh's 69 jails are categorised as highly vulnerable, raising serious concerns over security and infrastructure.

He made the comment at a time when Bangladesh is once again witnessing turmoil since Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested recently, triggering massive protests by minority community members in the country.

Bangladesh has been struggling for the past several months since a massive anti-job quota demonstration forced former PM Sheikh Hasina-led government to topple, ending her new term prematurely and leaving the country amid a political crisis.

It is suspected that foreign hands were at play in orchestrating the unrest and planning her ouster.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led government took charge of the country just three days after Hasina exited the country. Yunus, known for his closeness to the US Democrats, also accepted later in an event in America that there was “design and conspiracy" involved in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.