A person named Sanaul Haque Bishash, 44, died after being detained by the detective branch of Chapainawabganj police. While his family claims that he died as he was tortured by the police, the police have denied their claim and insisted that Sanaul died due to a heart attack whilst in custody. The next day, another person, Abul Hossain Mollah, 48, died whilst being in the custody of the Detective Police in Faridpur. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is deeply concerned by the recent reports of torture and death in the custody of law enforcement agencies one after another and demands fair and just investigation into these allegations.

With this, there are now three instances where individuals have died whilst being in police custody this week. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is noting with deep concern that there are frequent allegations of torture and custodial death against the police, which is absolutely unacceptable. Even though in most cases, police have stated that the deaths in their custody were due to heart attacks, these claims always raise more questions. It is also worth mentioning that most times, it is not apparent of there being no fair and impartial investigations into these numerous complaints. Even though there are specific laws in place for such incidents, multiple obstacles and insecurities prevent victims from having the courage to seek help from the law. Those who take shelter from the law also have to go through multiple adversities before receiving justice. There is no alternative to rule of law in ensuring redress against violations of human rights by state agencies and for state agencies to be held accountable for their actions.

In accordance with the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) strongly demands a fair and impartial investigation into these allegations.

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