Bangladesh Awami League Hindu leader Ramesh Chandra Sen dies in jail, raising custodial treatment concerns

A veteran Bangladesh politician, Bangladesh Awami League senior leader Ramesh Chandra Sen died on Saturday while in custody at Dinajpur District Jail.His death, only days before the country’s general election scheduled for February 12, has heightened concerns over the treatment of incarcerated political leaders and renewed allegations of custodial negligence, as reported by ANI.Sen, 83, reportedly became unwell inside the jail early Saturday morning and was taken to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 9:29 am local time, according to prison officials. Jail Superintendent Farhad Sarkar said the body would be handed over to his family once all legal procedures have been completed.The veteran Hindu leader had been in custody since August 16, 2024, after being arrested by police in Thakurgaon.

"Bangladesh Police have arrested a Hindu leader of Awami League and put him on a farcical trial. Ramesh Chandra Sen, an octogenarian, was arrested from his house in Thakurgaon who was having his dinner. Surprisingly, he hails from Mirza Fakhrul's constituency," the Bangladesh Awami League had said, just days after his arrest nearly two years ago.A court subsequently ordered his transfer to Thakurgaon District Jail and later to Dinajpur.

There, he was facing three cases, including a murder charge linked to the political turmoil that followed a mass uprising against the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.Born on April 30, 1940, in Ruhia Union under Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila, Sen was elected multiple times from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency to the Jatiya Sangsad. A presidium member of the Awami League, he secured his most recent parliamentary victory in the 2024 general election, before the party was later barred from political activity by the current interim administration.Meanwhile, the interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and tasked with overseeing the electoral process for February 12 elections, has faced criticism at home and abroad over its human rights record. Opposition figures contend that deaths of prominent detainees, particularly former Awami League leaders, point to systemic failings and raise concerns about the adequacy of medical care in custody.His death comes at a politically sensitive moment in Bangladesh, with the Awami League excluded from the forthcoming polls and rival parties competing for advantage.