Following the violent 33-hour mutiny at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters on February 25 and 26, which saw more than 70 persons killed, the government has been swift to act. However the rising death toll of those under suspicion in custody is a cause for grave concern.
The government¡¦s first steps were promising and within the boundaries of the constitution: they announced a general amnesty to the rebel soldiers and held meetings with their representatives. They then rescued those held inside the BDR compound and announced one million Taka compensation for the families of officers killed, along with assistance in education and accommodation. They also pledged to investigate the incident thoroughly, formed and reshuffled a probe committee and invited international investigators to assist with the process.
In response to the demands of officers in the Bangladesh army, the government then formed ¡¥Operation Rebel Hunt¡¦ to catch perpetrators who fled after the carnage.
According to our information around 500 BDR soldiers have so far been arrested, detained and interrogated as part of the operation, which unites officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police, the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI), the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Bangladesh army and a team of bureaucrats led by a former additional secretary of the government.
However in less than a month five of these suspects have died in their compound, which is under the control of the armed forces and police.
Of those killed, the first person to be identified is Mr Mozammel Haque, a naik subedar (soldier) of the BDR. The authorities claimed that Haque committed suicide on 9 March at the BDR headquarters by hanging himself from the ventilator of a toilet, on the third floor of the Orchestra bhaban (building).
On 11 March Mr Siddiqur Rahman, imam of the BDR Headquarters Central Mosque, allegedly died of a heart attack. Rahman reportedly recited from the Qur’an at the start of the mutiny and was a key witness of the incident. His reported heart attack occurred during interrogation and he was pronounced dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
In Joypurhat district, around 300 kilometres north of Dhaka, a soldier called Mr Waheduzzaman reportedly committed suicide at the barracks of Battalion No. 3 on 15 March.
Two days later another BDR soldier, Mr Monir Hossain, is reported to have unexpectedly collapsed, unconscious, while he was on duty at the BDR headquarters. Doctors pronounced him dead on the scene.
Finally on 22 March Mr Mobarak Hossain, a lance naik (soldier) of the BDR was declared dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He had been delivered to the BDR or military hospital by RAB members after an interrogation session, and when his condition deteriorated he was moved to the public hospital by local police. Executive magistrate Mr Nurul Karim Bhuyan found signs of blood clotting in both hands, the legs and on his back, and mentioned as such in the inquest report, which is unusual in non-violent deaths.
Relatives of the detained have been reporting the use of torture since the arrest of BDR soldiers began, and each of these was recorded as an ¡¥Unnatural Death¡¦ by the relevant authorities at local police stations. The AHRC suspects that violent, unlawful methods of interrogation are being used on these suspects.
The deaths of persons in the custody of Bangladeshi law-enforcement agencies are a frequent and denouncable phenomenon. What makes these deaths remarkable is that they are occurring in spite of a promise from the new prime minister of Bangladesh that they will be kept safe and will receive a fair trial.
The AHRC questions whether this promise had any truth behind it, and if it did, how much the investigators respect the authority of the head of government. The deaths are transmitting a message to the public that the security forces can be both jury and executioner; that extra judicial murder is sanctioned.
The nation, including the government and the civil society, should widen avenues of discussion on how a suspect can be kept safe while under interrogation by the law-enforcement agencies. Under these circumstances it is essential to take all necessary steps to ensure protection to all.
