Three prisoners receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after falling ill in custody have died at different times on Sunday. Two were detainees awaiting trial, while the third was a convicted prisoner. The deaths of the two detainees occurred just one hour and 40 minutes apart.
The deceased have been identified as Abul Bashar, 58, Abdul Qaiyum, 62, and Mohammad Shahadat Hossain Liton, 52. All three had been held at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj before being taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Abul Bashar was brought to the emergency department on Sunday morning by several prison guards, including a guard identified as Md Shahid. After undergoing medical examinations, he was pronounced dead by the attending doctor at 7.25am.
Bashar was from Kutia Laxmipur village in Kachua upazila of Chandpur. His father was Sekander Ali. He had been detained in connection with a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at Kachua police station.
Another detainee, Abdul Qaiyum, was taken to the emergency department in the morning on the instructions of the prison authorities. Several prison guards, including Hemayet Hossain, accompanied him. Doctors examined him before declaring him dead at 9.05am, exactly 100 minutes after Bashar’s death.
Qaiyum was from Golai Padabazar village in Chauddagram upazila of Cumilla. His father was the late Dudu Mia. He had been detained in connection with eight separate cases.
The third deceased prisoner, Shahadat Hossain Liton, had been receiving treatment at the hospital for several days. He was admitted to Ward 502 of the Medicine Department on 28 August after becoming unwell in prison. Despite treatment, he died at around 8.45am on Sunday.
Liton was from Pabla village in Daulatpur, Khulna. His father was the late Abdul Kader. He had been held in connection with a case before a speedy trial tribunal and another case registered with Uttara Police Station under Sections 302, 34 and 201 of the Penal Code.
The deaths occurred while all three men were under medical care, but the immediate causes of death were not disclosed in the information available. Their medical histories and the circumstances surrounding their illnesses were also not detailed.
Deaths of prisoners undergoing treatment are subject to legal and administrative procedures, particularly when the circumstances require clarification. In this case, the bodies have been preserved for post-mortem examinations, which are expected to help establish the medical causes of death.
Inspector Mohammad Habibur Rahman of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost confirmed that the three bodies had been kept in the hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.
The deaths have drawn attention because three prisoners died at the same hospital on the same morning, with the two detainees dying within a notably short interval. However, the timing alone does not establish any connection between the deaths. The post-mortem examinations and relevant medical findings will be important in determining the precise circumstances in each case.
