New faces, old wounds: Bangladesh's custodial deaths outlast every government

The deaths of a college student in police custody in Faridpur and a Jubo League leader in prison custody in Chittagong have once again drawn attention to Bangladesh's long-standing problem of custodial torture and deaths.

The cases have surfaced barely months after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's BNP government took office. Rahman's party came to power on the promise of bringing sweeping institutional reforms. But the issue of custodial torture and deaths continued to thrive.

Human rights organisations say the pattern shows that political transitions have done little to change how security agencies treat people in their custody.

Fresh cases revive old concerns

Mirza Ishtiaq Ahmed Pranto, a law student from Faridpur, died a day after police detectives took him in for questioning. His family says he was tortured, but the police insist he fell sick and want the post-mortem completed before conclusions are drawn.

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Days later, Jubo League leader Nurul Alam died after being rushed from Chittagong Central Jail to hospital. His relatives say he was in good health when arrested. Jail officials, however, say he developed an illness behind bars.

A problem older than any single government

Figures compiled by the rights body Odhikar, and cited by Dhaka Tribune, put the scale of the issue in stark terms: at least 486 people have died in Bangladeshi custody between 2001 and June this year, alongside 4,289 alleged extrajudicial killings over the same stretch.

This comes despite multiple constitutional safeguards present in Bangladesh constitution, an international anti-torture pledge, and a dedicated 2013 law meant to prevent exactly this.

No administration has been spared. Odhikar's tally shows 184 deaths under the BNP government of 2001–2006, six during the short caretaker period that followed, 42 under the 2007–2009 military-backed caretaker government, and 213 under the Awami League's rule from 2009 to mid-2024.

Since the uprising, 29 deaths occurred under the Yunus-led interim government, and at least two more have already been recorded under Rahman's government between February and June this year.

Laws exist, implementation remains weak

Bangladesh has constitutional protections guaranteeing the right to life and freedom from torture. The country ratified the UN Convention Against Torture in 1998, enacted the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act in 2013 and signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) in 2025.

Despite these legal safeguards, rights groups say implementation remains weak because of delayed investigations, prolonged court proceedings, limited independence of inquiry mechanisms and inadequate protection for victims and witnesses.

They argue that investigations should not rely solely on post-mortem reports but also examine interrogation methods, access to lawyers and family members, medical treatment, CCTV footage and custody records.

The latest custodial deaths have once again underscored a troubling reality of Bangladesh: though country's political leadership has changed and promises of reform have been made, but meaningful progress in ensuring due process and protecting the rights of detainees remains elusive.