YET another death in the custody of the joint forces is shocking, especially when reforms in law enforcement agencies are a priority policy concern for the interim government. A local leader of the Juba Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, died in the custody of army-led joint forces in Cumilla after he had been picked up from his home on January 31. Family members say that the victim was detained at about 3:00am on the day, and several hours later he was declared dead when the police took him to a public hospital. The family also said that the victim鈥檚 dead body bore marks of torture and injury. The police said that they were not part of the team that detained the victim and added that they received the victim from the custody of the army in an unconscious state. In a statement iterating their commitment to protecting human rights, the chief adviser鈥檚 office has condemned the custodial death and ordered an urgent probe. When one of the main public grievances against the ousted Awami League regime was rampant human rights violations in the hands of law enforcers, a similar incident in the changed political context has understandably sparked public protest. Public outrage is not misplaced given that there have already been eight reported cases of death in the custody of joint forces since August 2024.
The Inter-Services Public Relation Directorate has also issued a statement saying that they have withdrawn the commander of the army camp concerned immediately and formed a high-level committee to know the exact reason for the death. It is primarily assuring that the army has taken institutional steps and promptly formed a probe committee, which was not the case in the past. In a number of cases, when allegations of abduction, rape and murder were brought against errant members of the army, it did not address the incident with the seriousness that they required. Public perception is that the police investigation into the rape and murder of Sohagi Jahan Tanu, a college student, in March 2016, has been stalled for possible involvement of errant members of the army. Similar allegations are there about the case of Kalpana Chakma, a leader of the Hill Women鈥檚 Federation, who was picked up allegedly by a group of armed men, including a junior army officer, from her house in Baghaichari, Rangamati, in 1996. In April 2024, the case was dismissed without even properly interrogating the main accused. The dismissal or delay in investigation lends credence to the public perception that the army tends to take collective responsibility for a crime committed by an individual member and risks public trust in them.
In order for the government to prove their commitment to human rights, it should take the reported incidents of custodial death seriously and ensure judicious investigation and early action if the allegations are proved true. The army should also abandon its tendency to take collective responsibility for individual crime and lend support to investigations to maintain its institutional integrity and foster a positive image of the institution among the public.
