A Correspondent:
Chattogram: A 38-year-old under-trial prisoner, who was an accused in a narcotics case, was allegedly tortured to death at Chattogram central jail on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Rubel Dey, son of Sunil Dey of Boalkhali upazila.
According to the relatives of Rubel, he was an inmate of No 3 Padma Ward inside the jail.
The relatives alleged that he was tortured by the jail inmates or prison guards as they found injury marks on his body.
Rajib Dey, a cousin of Rubel said when he was arrested on January 28 he was physically fit.
“On February 2, when we went to the Chattogram jail to visit Rubel he was brought in a chair with the help of four prison guards. Saliva-like thing was coming out from his mouth,” he said.
When we asked the prison guards, they did not reply to their question.
“Injury marks were also found on the body of Rubel and he was not able to talk to us,” he said.
According to the case statement, a team of Boalkhali Police arrested Rubel from Nandipara Harimohon area along with 200 litres of liquor.
A case was filed under Narcotics Control Act with Boalkhali Police Station. Since then, Rubel had been in jail.
Mohammad Manjur Hossain, Acting Senior Jail super of Chattogram Jail, said Rubel was a drug addict and he was mentally unstable due to taking drugs.
He was taken to No 3 Padma Ward where other jail inmates were kept also, said Manjur.
On Tuesday, Rubel complained of chest pain and was taken to jail hospital. Due to deterioration of his health condition, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead, said jail super.
However, he also denied the allegation of Rubel’s death due to torture.
Sub-inspector Musa, of Boalkhali Police Station, said Rubel was fit both mentally and physically and they did not see any unusual symptoms during his stay under the police custody.
Chattogram district Executive Magistrate Muhammad Alamin, said “An injury mark was noticed on the forehead of Rubel and several other injury marks on his body and wrists of his hands were found during postmortem.”
The actual reason behind the death could be known after getting the autopsy report, he said.
