Autopsy finds injury marks on Chuadanga BNP leader’s body; organ samples collected for forensic test
The victim’s family members and party activists claim he died due to torture by army personnel.
The autopsy of Shamsuzzaman Dablu, general secretary of Jibannagar Municipality BNP, has been completed, with injury marks found on his body.
Doctors completed the autopsy at the Chuadanga Sadar Hospital morgue at around 5:30pm yesterday (13 January).
Besides, to determine the exact cause of death, samples from the lungs, heart, stomach, kidneys and liver have been collected from the body for forensic examination.
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According to locals, security force members picked up Shamsuzzaman from his business premises in front of Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex at around 10pm on Monday and took him into custody. He died shortly afterwards, they said.
The victim's family members and party activists claim he died due to torture by army personnel.
Dr Ehsanul Haque Tanmoy, surgery consultant at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital and head of a three-member medical board formed for the autopsy, said the autopsy findings matched the inquest report prepared earlier in the day by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Al Amin and that various organs had been collected for forensic testing.
He added that the actual cause of death would only be known after the forensic report was received, reiterating that no conclusions could be drawn before that.
Attempts to contact Superintendent of Police Md Monirul Islam by phone to ask whether a case had been filed were unsuccessful.
After the autopsy, police handed over the body to the late BNP leader's family.
His namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) was scheduled to be held at 11am today at the Jibannagar municipality Eidgah, followed by the burial at a nearby graveyard.
Since his death, BNP leaders and activists, along with those from its associate organisations, have been holding various protest programmes, demanding justice and punishment for those responsible.
Camp commander, others withdrawn
Yesterday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) described Shamsuzzaman Dablu's death during an operation as "unfortunate, regrettable and unacceptable."
It added that the camp commander concerned and all military personnel involved in the operation had been withdrawn to the relevant cantonment.
ISPR said security forces carried out a special operation to recover illegal weapons at around 11pm on Monday in Jibannagar Upazila of Chuadanga.
During the operation, they detained Shamsuzzaman, 50, from a pharmacy adjacent to Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex on allegations of possession of illegal arms, ISPR added.
Based on information provided by the detainee, a patrol team searched the pharmacy and recovered one 9mm pistol, one magazine and four rounds of ammunition, according to ISPR.
It said that after the operation, he suddenly fell ill and lost consciousness.
He was immediately taken to Jibannagar Upazila Health Complex, where the attending doctor later declared him dead at about 12:25am yesterday, ISPR added.
The death sparked a protest by BNP leaders and activists at the health complex.
Yesterday morning, protesters felled trees on a road and staged a blockade, halting vehicular movement and starting a fire on the roadway.
From the BNP, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday called for the army chief's intervention following the custodial death of Shamsuzzaman.
