Another death in custody

Pranto Chandra Dey, 21, of Mymensingh town's Golpukurpar area, died after suffering a heart attack, claimed Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mymensingh Police Station. Photo: Star

The death of a young man in police custody in Mymensingh remains shrouded in mystery due to contradictory statements by the OC of Mymensingh Police Station and a doctor of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. The former reportedly said that Pranto Chandra Dey, 21, was an addict and drug peddler who was detained with 15 yaba pills on Friday, suffered a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. The doctor told this newspaper that he was already dead when brought to the hospital.  

Five people have died while in custody of law enforcement agencies in the first five months of this year, according to a rights organisation. Have the police launched any investigation to find the causes of these deaths? What happened to the autopsy reports? Why has the public outcry for accountability elicited nothing but an eerie silence from the law enforcement agencies? What does it say about the state of governance when the police evoke more fear in the minds of people than criminals? Without transparency, can trust be rebuilt?

We hold the police accountable not to throw mud at them but to impress upon them that it their duty to protect citizens, not put them in harm's way. The point is not to criticise them, but to help them become an accountable, efficient and well-reputed force. If democracy has to flourish, policing should be more pro-people. The police represent an established organisational culture with deep systemic roots in society and. Therefore, the only way to reorient the police force to be more conscious of human rights is to effect comprehensive reform in the criminal justice system of the country.