They demanded immediate release of Faruque and withdrawal of the cases against him and his colleagues at Proshika, one of the largest non-governmental organisations in Bangladesh that employs about 9,000 people and has over one crore beneficiaries.

They vowed to continue with their movement for his release till the last drop of their blood.

"The government is harassing Proshika and Faruque by bringing baseless charges against them since it took office and blocked Proshika funds used for poverty alleviation," Faruque's wife Shahana Ahmed told reporters yesterday at Dhaka Reporters' Unity office in the capital.

Faruque's son Qazi Rubayet Ahmed, daughter Rifat Jabin Banni, brother Selim Ahmed, a retired colonel, and some Proshika staff attended the press.

The National Security Intelligence arrested Faruque from near the High Court on May 22.

Shahana said inquiry committees by Bureau of NGO Affairs, Bureau of Anti-corruption and Prime Minister's Office probed Proshika affairs for over a year, but they could not prove any allegations.

Even the donor agencies at a meeting with the finance minister and the Bureau of NGO Affairs on February 25 rejected government reports on Proshika as 'baseless' and 'politically motivated', she added.

Rubayet denied his father's having any links with main opposition Awami League. "Rather, my father filed a case against the AL government on charges of its evicting slum dwellers from the city," he said to a questioner.

He claimed the government is hostile to Proshika because it spoke out against what he said were the government misdeeds.

Rifat Jabin alleged jail authorities refused to let her meet Faruque when she had gone to Dhaka Central Jail yesterday morning. "The jail authorities told me that 'the high command' ordered them not to allow any of the family members to meet my father," she said.

Proshika staff Manjunnahar said some sacked Proshika employees are conspiring to destroy Proshika.