Abdul Latif. — Collected photo.
A leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami died in jail custody in Rajshahi Saturday morning, twelve days after he had been arrested in a sabotage case.
Abdul Latif, 66, ameer of Damkura Thana unit of Jamaat in Rajshahi Metropolitan area, died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital at about 7:40am on Saturday, said Md Abdul Jolil, senior jail super of Rajshahi central jail.
He said that they admitted Abdul Latif, who had been in jail since December 18 in a case filed under the Special Power Act and the Explosive Substances Act, to RMCH at about 4:00pm on Friday as he fell sick.
The jail superintendent said that the doctors in the death certificate mentioned that Abdul Latif died of heart failure and kidney disease.
At least eight leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party died in custody since the party’s thwarted October 28 Dhaka grand rally.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by Rajshahi city Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Keramot Ali and general secretary Keramot Ali alleged that Abdul Latif, who was arrested in a ‘false case’ without any warrant, was taken to RMCH at about 7:00am on Saturday after he had died in the jail.
‘Arresting an innocent elderly sick man without a warrant and leaving him to die without treatment in prison is a form of murder. We want justice for the murder’, the release read.
According to the Ain o Salish Kendra data, 93 prisoners died between January and November this year in police custody, marking the highest toll in recent years.
New Age
