'Papia incident' exposes irregularities in Kashimpur women's jail

After the 'Papia incident' at the Kashimpur Women's Central Jail in Gazipur, all sorts of irregularities have been exposed.

Two inquiry committees are probing the incident.

While the investigations are still ongoing, the home ministry on Thursday transferred the prison's jail superintendent. Earlier, six female prison guards of the prison were transferred.

The National Human Rights Commission on 3 August sent a letter to the home ministry in this regard, stating that it was not possible for such inhuman and unethical activities to take place within the jail without the direct or indirect support of the prison authorities.

The commission issued directives for a proper and unbiased inquiry to be carried out and the inquiry report to be submitted by 14 August.

Sources at the home ministry have said that in response to the human rights commission's letter, an inquiry committee has been formed, headed by the additional inspector general of prisons.

The committee from morning till night on Thursday questioned over 50 persons including prison guards, prison inmates, the jailer and the jail super. Another inquiry committee of the directorate of prisons is also carrying out a separate inquiry into the incident.

Jubo Mahila League leader, Shamima Nur Papia, would hire rooms in five-star hotels of Dhaka and use these for unethical purposes. Tipped off about an impending raid by the law enforcement agencies, Papia tried to flee from the country, but was arrested along with her husband on 22 February 2020 from the Dhaka airport.

She was then expelled as the general secretary of Narsingdi district Jubo Mahila League. The same year, she and her husband were handed down 20-year prison sentences in an arms case. There are several more cases against her under trial.

Sources of the prison directorate and Kashimpur jail say that there had been all sorts of irregularities carrying on for long in the jail. Aided and abetted by the higher authorities, Papia had created a criminal ring within the jail. Sentenced for 20 years, Papia would behave arrogantly and, along with her assistant inmates, would torture the common women prisoners. It was a part of these criminals activities that the trainee lawyer Runa Laila was tortured in June in the jail.

Prison sources say that senior officials had lent direct or indirect support for the criminal ring to be formed within the jail. The officials would make no objection to all this so that they could avail all sorts of benefits from the influential convicts, and would not take any punitive action. All these irregularities and misdeeds came to light after the 'Papia incident'.

Various misdeeds of Papia have been recorded in the Kashimpur Women's Central Jail record book. It is stated there that Papia had abused and assaulted several inmates including Runa. She would raise objection if other prisoners were assigned to the Rajanignadha building. Papia tried to bribe the prison guards to allow her to meet with relatives at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College in Gazipur. Without permission from the authorities, she would change the prison cells of the inmates as she wished. A smartphone and charger were recovered during a search of her room. All these irregularities were possible with the support of the jail authorities.

Trainee lawyer Runa Laila had been taken to Kashimpur Women's Central Jail on 16 June in a case of Dhaka's Kotwali police station. During a body search, the matron found Tk 7,400 in her possession. Papia and her associates on 19 June tortured Runa in order to get hold of that money.

There are allegations that they had beaten Runa up severely and threw her to the ground. Arbitration was held in the jail over the incident and three-sided clashes broke out among the prisoners and the jail officials and employees. After the incident, Papia was shifted to Cumilla Central Jail in July.

Six prison guards were transferred on 30 July over the Papia incident. They say that while senior officials were responsible for the incident, they were the scapegoats. They were not even present during the incident. They called upon the home minister at his home, demanding that their transfer orders be deferred and an inquiry carried out into the irregularities in prison.

A prison guard told Prothom Alo, "If the investigations prove that we have done wrong, we can be dismissed from service, but we still want an investigation to be carried out. The senior officials are responsible for all the wrongdoings in jail, but we small fry get the punishment." They claim that they weren't even present during the incident.

The recently transferred senior jail super Obaidur Rahman and jailer Farhana Akhter told Prothom Alo that none of these six were involved in the Papia incident. Their transfers are completely the jurisdiction of the higher authorities.        

Senior jail super Obaidur Rahman was asked whether he had been transferred due to the Papia incident. He said, "I came to this jail only five months ago and took action whenever there was any irregularity. I see no justification in transferring me immediately before the investigations into the Papia incident."

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, speaking to Prothom Alo, said that the investigations were on. Whoever is proven guilty in the investigations will be sternly punished. When asked if the female prison guards of Kashimpur jail had met with him, the home minister replied, "They came to me. They complained that they were being transferred even though they were not involved in the Papia incident. I have asked the secretary to look into the issue and consider the matter accordingly."