A report published in the New Nation on Tuesday said the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in Kashimpur High Security Prison was natural. The probe committee set up by Gazipur district authorities made the findings public on Monday. He was earlier arrested on May 5 under the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) which the administration is using to terrorise political dissent and free speech. Law enforcers always pick up the target people and some like Mushtaq have died, but the reason of death remained unknown while many others are languishing in jail.
As it appears, Gazipur district authorities had set up the two-member probe committee to investigate the cause of Mushtaq’s death as he was pronounced dead following his transfer to a hospital from the Kashimpur jail. The report said writer Mushtaq fell in the toilet and fainted and later he was declared dead at Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital.
It needs no mention that the committee findings have sidetracked the real cause of the death except saying it was a natural death. We would only say it is sad that his body bore marks of torture when he was taken to a magistrate court last month. His ear was bleeding and he was limping. He lost 10 kg weight during nine months in custody. We can’t understand how court rejected his bail prayers six times when the allegation against him was very personal in nature. As far is known in the midst shrouded truth is he was critical about a person who must be above criticism.
The circumstances as revealed showed he was tortured and died without treatment. In the atmosphere of torture and death outside law he was denied medical treatment for suppressing the truth. We do not say that facts we have relied on are confirmed truth but that is the reason why the matter should be judicially investigated to remove doubts about Mushtaq’s death.
Extra judicial killing is not unknown in Bangladesh. We cannot accept that lives of others have no value. No people’s government can think that way. The government is creating a situation not safe for anybody. The dangerous machinery created for torture and deaths without the need of black laws or the court, will be dangerous for the users when the circumstances take a different turn.
