Freedom fighter and former minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun was in good health when the Rapid Action Battalion arrested him on September 24 last year. After a year of agonies in jail, he fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with dengue.
It was too late when the 74-year-old politician was brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on September 27, in poor health. He remained handcuffed all the time. Yet, he was not given due attention. Initially, he was lying on the floor of the medicine department.
Later, he was shifted to a bed. However, he had to be admitted to the ICU the following day as his condition deteriorated.
Family members told the media that Humayunโs death was caused by neglect and a lack of proper medical care. They said that the jail authorities failed to provide timely treatment. They refused to admit him for dengue treatment.
On the other hand, the jail authorities claimed that the former minister had uncontrolled bowel and bladder complications.
Mohammad Ali Arafat, former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, has criticised the Yunus regime and questioned the silence of the UN bodies and other rights organisations in responding to such violations.
He said that Humayun had been under custody since September last year, as part of one of more than 1,500 politically motivated cases filed over the past 13 months in connection with the JulyโAugust 2024 unrest.
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โDespite his advanced age, fragile health, and the lack of any progress in investigations, his bail applications were repeatedly denied due to pressure from the Yunus administration,โ Arafat said in a post on X.
On Tuesday, thousands of people met at Narsingdi’s Monohardi to join the funeral prayers (Namaz-e-Janaza). Leaders and workers from the Awami League, members of freedom fighter groups, and regular people all took part. To stop anything bad from happening, the administration tightened security measures. But people in the area said that barriers were put up at some spots to keep a lot of people from getting in.
Activists say the number of extrajudicial killings and deaths in custody has sharply increased. Since last year, at least 72 Awami League leaders and activists have been killed extrajudicially by the law enforcers and inside prisons, say rights groups.
On September 22, former chairman of Kanjipara Union Parishad and Awami League leader Abu Bakkar Siddique Munna (Munna Chairman) of Fulchhari Upazila of Gaibandha died in Gaibandha District Jail.
On September 28, three people were shot dead by the army and law enforcers in Khagrachhari during a protest against rape.
Earlier, on July 16, five Awami League supporters were shot dead by the army and law enforcers during a peaceful protest in Gopalganj.
Humayun was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1986 parliamentary election as an Awami League candidate. He was re-elected in the 9th parliamentary election in 2008 and served on the Standing Committee for the Ministry of Defence.
He was re-elected as an Awami League MP in 2014, 2018 and 2024. He served as Chairman of the Standing Committees for Expatriatesโ Welfare and Overseas Employment, as well as the Ministry of Commerce, and was also a member of the Standing Committee on Public Institutions.
He served as Industries Minister for the first time in 2019 and was reappointed to the post in 2024.
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Condemning the custodial deaths and extrajudicial killings, the Awami League said that the people of this country are witnessing how the illegal usurper, killer, fascist Yunus and his cohorts are murdering Awami League leaders and activists through various means. By filing false and harassing cases, they are unjustly detaining Awami League leaders and workers, leaders of the central 14-party alliance, and people from various professions for days on end.
โAlthough prisons are considered one of the safest places in the world, detainees are being subjected to hellish suffering there. They are enduring indescribable physical and mental torture. As a result, the procession of deaths in custody grows longer every day. Recently, custodial killings have taken place in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Gaibandha districts. Despite public concern and the cries of bereaved families, the illegal usurper government remains unmoved.
โEven now, Awami League leaders and activists are being killed through various forms of torture. False and harassing cases are filed against everyone. When bail is granted in one case, the accused are shown arrested in another to keep them detained unjustly. In this way, alongside physical torture, psychological torture is also being carried out to kill Awami League leaders and activists.โ
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