Amnesty concerned over 'custodial torture' of Chhatra Dal leader

Amnesty International on Monday expressed deep concern over the allegations of custodial torture by the police on detained Chhatra Dal leader Mominul Islam Jishan.

In a statement shared on Amnesty International's official Facebook page, the organisation said that it had engaged with Jishan's family members and legal representatives. According to their accounts, the police are alleged to have subjected Jishan to torture, presumably in an attempt to coerce a "confession" related to the charges filed against him.

They fear that Jishan will be subjected to further torture in police custody, since the judge granted two days remand to the police, despite Jishan bearing visible signs of injuries on his body when he was produced before the court on Sunday, the post reads.

Jishan was implicated in cases filed under the Special Powers Act and Arms Act on Saturday.

The charges were pressed against him shortly after Amnesty International urged authorities to reveal his whereabouts, as well as those of five other missing Chhatra Dal leaders who had disappeared the previous night.

Amnesty called upon the Bangladeshi government to launch an immediate and impartial investigation into these allegations of custodial torture and ensure that Jishan, along with all those detained under police custody are free from torture and other ill-treatment, in line with Bangladesh's obligations under the UN Convention against Torture, according to the post.

The authorities must ensure that the judges do not ignore signs or allegations of torture when police request a prisoner's remand into custody and must rigorously uphold safeguards against unlawful detention, Amnesty International said.

Earlier on Saturday, Amnesty International expressed concern over the disappearance of six leaders of Chhatra Dal – the student wing of the BNP.

Citing family members, it then alleged that the leaders were picked up by a group of armed men in civilian clothes who identified themselves as members of the Detective Branch of the Police last night (Friday) from the Azimpur area in Dhaka and that they remain unaware about their current whereabouts, despite seeking information from the DB Office.

Hours later, DB came up with the information that 18 leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies, including six missing leaders of JCD, had been arrested for planning to carry out violence and anti-government activities.

The police also claimed to have recovered three firearms and 36 bullets from the JCD leaders which they allegedly collected from Pabna and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar.