Dhaka, Feb 18: Another Awami League leader has died in custody in Bangladesh, raising concerns over a growing pattern of custodial deaths.Shamikul Islam, 60, president of the party’s Palashbari Upazila unit, fell seriously ill at Gaibandha District Jail and died Sunday while being transferred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
He had been arrested in December 2024 after multiple cases were filed following the fall of the Awami League government and was later re-arrested despite securing bail.
Earlier, former minister Ramesh Chandra Sen died in Dinajpur custody. The Awami League accused the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of political repression, alleging deliberate neglect and using prisons to target opposition leaders.