Heart patient Jubo Dal leader lies in bar-fetters in hospital

Aminur Rahman, vice president of Jashore district Jubo Dal and a college teacher by profession, was arrested from his college on 2 November, under a sabotage case filed by the police after the BNP’s 28 October mass rally in Dhaka.

He felt heart complications while serving time in the Jashore central jail and was taken to hospitals in Jashore and Dhaka. Despite the critical health condition, the authorities allegedly refused to remove the bar-fetters during his 13-day stay in the hospitals.   

Relatives alleged that the authorities did not release him from bar-fetters even while taking a meal, let alone allowing them to visit him. 

The incident came to the fore as a picture showing the bar-fettered Jubo Dal leader in a hospital bed is making rounds on social media platforms. 

His fellow activists alleged that the authorities violated the basic standard of human rights by treating a 'politically imprisoned' teacher like a top criminal.  

However, the jail authorities declined the allegation, saying he was kept under bar-fetters as per the prisons act and there is no issue of human rights violation. They take action as per physician’s suggestion when an inmate falls sick. 

According to family and jail sources, the police filed a total of four cases against Aminur Rahman at Kotwali police station in Jashore, following the 28 October grand rally. 

He was arrested from Amdabad College in Sadar upazila on 2 November and sent to the Jashore central jail. He felt heart complications while serving in the jail, prompting the prison authorities to take him to Jashore General Hospital. Later, he was shifted to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in Dhaka. 

Aminur received treatment in the hospital for 13 days, but remained in bar-fetters. The police did not even unfold the handcuffs while taking a meal.

In a conversation with Prothom Alo, his wife Nahida Sultana claimed that her husband has no connection with sabotage activities, but the police picked him up from his college. The police are treating him like a top criminal due to his political affiliation.

It is quite impossible for a heart patient to run away, but the police did not remove the bar-fetters, she added.

Nahida also alleged that the police restricted her from taking care of her husband. However, she sometimes provided him food by bribing the on-duty policemen. 

Anindya Islam, organising secretary of BNP for Khulna division, said Aminur maintains a social status as a college teacher, but the police are treating him like a top criminal. It is a blatant violation of human rights.

Contacted, Belal Hussain, additional superintendent of police (crime) in Jashore, refused to make any comment over the issue. 

Shariful Alam, jailor of the Jashore central jail, said Aminur has a history of heart complications. When he developed heart complications in the jail, he was first taken to Jashore general hospital and later to Dhaka.

However, he has been taken back to Jashore from Dhaka central jail on Tuesday after days of treatment in Dhaka, he added.