Death in custody: Army camp commander withdrawn
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has announced the formation of a high-level investigation committee to determine the cause of death of Jubo Dal leader Touhidul Islam in Cumilla.
The armed forces' press wing also said that legal action would be taken against those found guilty as per military law.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Appropriate steps have been taken to investigate this unexpected and regrettable incident. In the meantime, the commander of the army camp in question has been withdrawn with immediate effect," read the ISPR statement issued yesterday.
Meanwhile, the government has also ordered an urgent investigation.
In a statement issued by the CA Press Wing, Muhammad Yunus condemned any form of custodial torture and extrajudicial killings, stating that upholding human rights in all aspects of national life remains a core mission of the administration, which includes some of the country's top rights activists.
Touhidul was buried at his family graveyard after his funeral around 2:30pm yesterday.
He was the convener of Jubo Dal's Panchthubi union unit.
Touhidul used to work at a shipping company in Chattogram. He returned home on January 26 after his father's death. The family was supposed to hold a qulkhani on Friday.
In the early hours of Friday, Touhidul was picked up from his home in Ittala village by men who identified themselves as members of the joint forces, said his wife.
Later in the morning, Touhidul was found dead at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.
Speaking to this newspaper on Friday, Mohinul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said, "The joint forces informed us around 11:00am that an injured man was found in Jhakunipara on the banks of the Gumti River. Police took Touhidul to Cumilla Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead."
His body bore marks of trauma and injuries, according to an inquest report prepared by the Kotwali Police Station. However, Touhidul's family has yet to file a case.
CONDEMNATIONS
Different political parties and human rights organisations, including BNP, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BASOD), and Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) have expressed concern and outrage over Touhidul's death.
They stated that such incidents are a violation of human rights and the rule of law. They emphasised the need to identify those involved in the killing and ensure justice through a proper investigation.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "It's unfortunate that such extrajudicial killings are taking place during the tenure of an interim government supported by political parties participating in the democratic movement after the fall of the Awami fascist government in the student-public movement. This brutality reminds us of the Awami fascist era"
"No government forces have the right to torture and kill anyone. No matter how powerful the perpetrator is, bringing them under the law and ensuring exemplary punishment is one of the conditions of the rule of law," Fakhrul said in a statement issued yesterday.
Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) also expressed concern over Touhidul's death. It demanded a trial of the culprits involved after a neutral probe.
"It's the state's duty to ensure the safety of a person detained by the state," ASK said in a statement, adding that such a kind of death is not acceptable at all.
ASK urged authorities to take proper steps to ensure justice for the family and provide them with compensation.
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