A senior Awami League figure and ex-Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen has died in custody at Dinajpur Jail, sending shockwaves through Bangladesh’s polarized political landscape. The event, unfolding on a routine Saturday morning, has intensified accusations of vendetta politics under the Yunus-led interim administration.
According to reports, Sen complained of illness around 9:10 AM and was immediately transported to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital’s emergency ward. Doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival. He had been detained since mid-August last year over multiple charges, one involving homicide.
Sen’s political career was illustrious: a five-time parliamentarian from Thakurgaon-1, he rose through the ranks after studying at Rangpur Carmichael College. His 2024 re-election was cut short by the dramatic fall of the Awami League government amid nationwide uprising.
This is not an isolated case. A string of custodial deaths involving Awami League affiliates has raised alarming questions about prison oversight and potential foul play. Human rights groups are urging independent probes, while the jail superintendent assured procedural compliance for body handover.
Public outrage is palpable, with protests erupting in Dinajpur and Dhaka. Social media is abuzz with claims of ‘extrajudicial targeting,’ putting pressure on the interim regime to address these grave concerns. As Bangladesh navigates its post-Hasina era, such incidents threaten to erode fragile democratic gains and prolong instability.
Experts call for reforms in custodial care and judicial processes to prevent future tragedies. Sen’s family mourns a dedicated leader whose contributions to water management and local development will be remembered, even as his death casts a long shadow over national politics.