Ahmad Mostafa Khan Bacchu (80), President of the Enayetpur Thana Awami League in Sirajganj district and a resident of Chauhali upazila, died while under treatment at the Sirajganj District Jail. On Tuesday (October 28) around 10 a.m., he was taken to Sirajganj General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
According to his family, Bacchu was deliberately denied medical care and “murdered in a planned way” by what they called the “illegal Yunus government.”
Ahmad Mostafa Khan Bacchu was a long-serving president of the Enayetpur Thana Awami League and a resident of Enayetpur Darbar Sharif area in Chauhali upazila. He had been detained at Sirajganj District Jail since April 24.
Illness Before Death and Transfer to Hospital
Confirming the incident, Sirajganj Jail Superintendent S.M. Kamruzzaman said that Ahmad Mostafa Khan Bacchu suddenly fell ill around 9:50 a.m. He was immediately transferred to Sirajganj General Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead at 10:05 a.m.
According to jail authorities, preparations are underway to hand over his body to the family after an autopsy.
Bacchu Was an Accused in 15 Police Killing Case
Prison sources said that during the July Movement, Ahmad Mostafa Khan Bacchu had been charged in four murder cases, including one involving an attack on Enayetpur Police Station and the killing of 15 policemen. He had been imprisoned for over six months as a key accused in those cases.
Family’s Allegation: ‘Planned Murder by Illegal Government’
News of his death sparked anger among family members and local Awami League activists. The family directly accused the government of a “planned killing.”
“The illegal Yunus government killed my father in a planned way,” said a family member to the media. “He was denied any medical care. How can you keep an 80-year-old man locked up without treatment? This is murder.”
They also alleged that prison authorities delayed taking Bacchu to the hospital even after his condition became critical.
Deaths Without Medical Care: 35 Reported Cases This Year
Human rights activists have echoed the family’s concerns, saying that the number of deaths in prisons due to lack of medical care has risen significantly this year. According to available information, 35 inmates have reportedly died in custody across the country this year due to denial or absence of adequate treatment.
The death of an elderly leader like Ahmad Mostafa Khan Bacchu has once again raised serious questions about the safety and healthcare standards of prisoners under judicial custody in Bangladesh.
