South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional network of human rights defenders, is alarmed about the number of deaths in the custody of law enforcement agencies and deaths in prisons in Bangladesh. The recent incidents, like the one that took place on the Turag riverbank show that many of these deaths are of persons with political affiliations to the Awami League (AL) of whose activities are now banned in the country. They also point to the excessive power of the police which has been acting without public accountability to these losses of human life.
SAHR has learned through the regularly documented statistics by Ain o’ Salish Kendra (ASK) that deaths occurring in prisons have been a recurrent rights violation in Bangladesh. Accordingly, statistics reveal 61 deaths occurring in jails from January to June 2026. These statistics also point to the dire effects of the politicizing of public institutions in the country. The need for structural reforms to the prison system has long been identified.
When examining the cause of this high recurrence of custodial deaths and deaths in prisons, the allegations of torture by the law enforcement agencies, including the police, and the immense authority held by the police and other law enforcement agencies to detain any person and arrest them even in the absence of a case are well reported. Due to the same reason, public apprehension in filing a case against the police may be well justified. It was also reported that due process, such as conducting post mortems with regard to the deceased as in the Turag river incident and providing relevant information about the dead family members to the families has not been properly carried out by the police. This lack of institutional accountability towards the public on the part of the police force in their duty of maintaining civil disobedience lucidly indicates the extent of failure of the institutions of law enforcement and detention systems, leading to severe gaps and setbacks in the rule of law in the country.
In the aftermath of the mass uprising in July 2024, people aspired for a holistic political, social, economic, and cultural transformation in Bangladesh that would lead to a smooth democratic process. The ambitious reformation plan through 11 independent commissions during the Interim Government indicated many positive outcomes. SAHR firmly urges the Government of Bangladesh to take immediate measures to strengthen the rule of law, initiate prison reforms, and police reforms with allocated funding to train the police officers and reforms in the judiciary. It is crucial to build the public confidence in the police force and promote and protect the rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution with adherence to the State party obligations to the International Human Rights Instruments. Moreover, SAHR advocates to the civil society of Bangladesh to actively and persistently collaborate in advocating for these reforms. It commends the civil society representatives and organisations that have struggled to protect and promote the human rights of the people amidst numerous challenges, harassment, and intimidation.
On behalf of the members of the South Asians for Human Rights
Dr. Roshmi Goswami
Co-Chair Person
Dr. P. Saravanamuttu
Bureau Member