75 people died in jail custody in Bangladesh from January to December of the previous year, according to a recent report of the rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).
Of them, 45 were under trial prisoners and the rest were serving jail terms after conviction, ASK’s data revealed.
Jails in Dhaka division saw the highest 39 deaths in custody. Of them, 22 were in the jail while trial proceedings in the cases were going against the others in the court, the rights body said in the report.
Earlier on January 1 of this year, a 30-year-old law student died in custody four days after he was arrested by the Detective Branch of police in Barishal.
Earlier on September 9, a Dhaka court sentenced three police officials including Sub-Inspector Zahidur Rahman Zahid to life imprisonment over a case filed in connection with the custodial death of Ishtiaque Ahmed Jony in 2014.
This was the first-ever verdict in Bangladesh under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act 2013. This was also the first case filed under this Act.
The other two cops handed over with life sentence are -- Pallabi police station Assistant Sub-Inspectors Kamruzzaman Mintu and Rashedul Islam.
Besides, two other accused in this case, Sumon and Russell, the informants of the police were awarded seven years of imprisonment each.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Emrul Kayesh passed the order after hearing the arguments of the defence and the prosecution on September 9.
nh/wi
