Mushtaq Ahmed death: No proof of negligence found in jail authorities' probe

The probe committee formed by the jail authorities have found no evidence of negligence in connection with the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in custody, they said in their report.

Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brig Gen Md Mominur Rahman revealed the information on Wednesday, according to media reports.

Mominur said the three-member investigation committee submitted their report to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, another five-member probe body formed by the Home Ministry over Mushtaq's death submitted its report to the ministry on the same day.

However, the head of the probe body, Taruk Kanti Sikder, additional secretary to the Home Ministry, refused to make any comment on the outcome of their investigation, and said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan would brief the media later.

Mushtaq Ahmed, who was arrested in a Digital Security Act case, died at Kashimpur High Security Prison on February 25.

The 53-three-year-old writer had been behind the bars since May last year following his arrest in a case started by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

He was denied bail six times.

He was shifted to the Kashimpur prison in August last year, according to Senior Jail Superintendent Gias Uddin.

RAB arrested him along with cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore on charges of propagating disinformation against the government on social media under the Digital Security Act (DSA).

Mushtaq's death sparked outrage, leading to condemnations and protests.

Following his death, cartoonist Kishore was granted bail on Wednesday.