Army pulls unit over BNP leader's death in custody
The Bangladesh Army has withdrawn the camp commander and all personnel involved in the operation that led to the death of BNP leader Md Shamsuzzaman, widely known as Dablu, while he was in military custody in Chuadanga’s Jibannagar.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the development in a statement issued on Tuesday, January 13, describing the incident as “unexpected, tragic and unacceptable.”
According to the ISPR, a joint force conducted a special operation around 11:00pm on Monday, January 12, in Jibannagar, acting on intelligence about illegal weapons.
During the operation, Shamsuzzaman, 50, the general secretary of Jibannagar Municipality unit BNP, was detained from a pharmacy near the Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex on allegations of possessing illegal arms.
The ISPR said a 9mm pistol, a magazine and four rounds of ammunition were later recovered from the pharmacy based on information allegedly provided by the detainee.
Shortly after the operation, Shamsuzzaman reportedly fell ill and lost consciousness. He was rushed to the Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead at 12:25am.
In its statement, the ISPR said the entire team involved in the operation has been pulled back to the cantonment and a high-level inquiry committee has been formed to determine the circumstances surrounding the death. The army also said that anyone found responsible will face appropriate legal action under army law.
However, Shamsuzzaman’s family and BNP activists have alleged that he died as a result of torture while in custody.
The death has sparked tension in Jibannagar and surrounding areas. Shamsuzzaman Dablu was a resident of the Hospitalpara area of Jibannagar town and a senior local leader of the BNP. His brother, Shariful Islam Kajal, alleged, “My brother has been killed.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has sought the intervention of the army chief over what he described as the “gruesome murder” of the Jibannagar municipal BNP general secretary. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mirza Fakhrul alleged that members of the security forces detained Dablu on Monday night and subjected him to inhuman torture under the pretext of recovering weapons, leading to his death.
Expressing deep shock and sorrow, the BNP leader said such an incident was “not auspicious for the country” and described the alleged extrajudicial killing as a grave insult to the rule of law. He added that the people expect those responsible to be brought to justice through the courts during the tenure of the current interim government.