Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) has demanded a fair and impartial investigation, ensuring justice and providing compensation to the affected family, over the death of a woman in police custody in Jessore.
Moreover, BLAST sent letters to the National Human Rights Commission Bangladesh to ensure proper investigations and justice in such incidents recently.
This incident raised suspicions of violations of the law and the directives of the High Court during her detention and interrogation at night. Additionally, there has been a breach of Article 35(5) of the Constitution and the UN Convention against Torture.
BLAST strongly demanded the application of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013, a prompt investigation into this incident, ensuring justice, and providing security and appropriate compensation to the deceased's family.
According to media sources, Afroza Begum, 40, a resident of Nawapara village in Abhaynagar upazila of Jessore district, was arrested by the police around 1:30am on Saturday.
Woman dies in police custody, family alleges tortureAfter her arrest, she was in police custody. A case was filed against Afroza on Sunday morning with Abhaynagar police station under the Narcotics Control Act.
On Sunday morning, Afroza fell sick at the police station and was taken to Abhaynagar Upazila Health Complex for treatment. She was brought back to the police station afterwards.
Then around 10:30am she fell sick again and was taken to the upazila health complex. The duty doctor suggested she be taken to Jessore General Hospital for better treatment. However, after being taken there, the emergency department doctor of the hospital declared her dead.
Afroza's elder son, Munna Molla, said: "At the instigation of some locals, ASI Silon Ali, Shamsul Haque and Constable Rabeya Khanam came to our house after midnight. They arrested my mother along with the yaba tablets they had brought with them and tortured her.
“Police took Tk1.8 lakh and demanded another Tk2 lakh in bribe. They killed my mother by torturing her in police custody over that. I want justice for this incident,” he claimed.
