National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked for a report from the home ministry in connection to the death of a woman named Sultana Jesmin (45) in RAB custody following her arrest.
The commission confirmed the matter in a statement issued Monday.
The commission has branded custodial death like this as a severe crime and a human rights violation.
Sultana Jesmin was detained from Naogaon city on Wednesday morning (22 March). It was said on behalf of RAB that she had been detained for interrogation in connection to fraud allegations.
RAB said Sultana Jesmin died Friday morning while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as she fell ill from severe brain hemorrhage following her detention. But her relatives alleged she died as she was tortured under the RAB custody.
The human rights commission in its statement said, “Rajshahi Medical College Hospital director FM Shamim's statement, which was published in the media outlets, is that the woman fell during RAB’s interrogation and got injured in the head. Such statement is irresponsible and inadvertent."
“He wasn’t an eye-witness and isn’t supposed to know how did the diseased receive head injuries. The incident of the deceased falling and getting injured during RAB interrogation and dying from brain hemorrhage appears to be unusual, which evokes enough suspicions,” it continued.
The commission’s statement said that the senior secretary of public security division under the home ministry has been asked to submit a detailed report after conducting an investigation by an another police unit except RAB regarding the allegation of death in custody.