Ekhlasur Rahman alias Ekhlas, one of the six charge-sheeted accused in journalist Belal murder case, was released on bail from the Khulna district jail on Thursday evening.

A High Court division bench comprising Justice Khademul Islam and Justice Imdadul Huq Azadi gDranted him ad interim bail on ecember 15.

Police arrested Ekhlas, a cadre of Islami Chhatra Shibir, on July 10 last year from his village home at Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat district. He made statement to the Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqul Haque under Section 164 on July 13 confessing to his involvement in Belal murder.

While in jail, Ekhlas submitted a petition to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) through the jail superintendent to retract his judicial confession.

The investigating officer of the case forced him to make such statement under Section 164 threatening him with 'crossfire', he mentioned in the petition.

The CMM later forwarded the petition with case docket to the High Court.

Shaikh Belaluddin, Khulna bureau chief of the Dainik Sangram was injured in a bomb attack on February 5 last year and died on February 11 while he was under treatment at Dhaka CMH.