Ex-Bangladesh Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen dies in jail, raises custodial death fears
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Dhaka: Former Bangladesh Water Resources Minister and senior Awami League leader Ramesh Chandra Sen died Saturday in Dinajpur District Jail after falling ill, fueling fresh allegations of political repression and custodial deaths under the Yunus-led interim government.
The 85-year-old, arrested August 16 amid three cases including murder, was rushed from jail to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital at 9:10am but declared dead at 9:29am, jail superintendent Farhad Sarkar confirmed. His body awaits handover post-legal formalities.
Born April 30, 1940, in Thakurgaon, Sen, educated at Rangpur Carmichael College, won five parliamentary terms, most recently in 2024 from Thakurgaon-1 before Awami League's ouster in the student uprising. A party presidium member, his career ended with Parliament's dissolution.
Sen's death adds to mounting Awami League custodial fatalities since the regime change, prompting rights groups to demand independent probes for accountability and justice system trust amid claims of targeted detentions.
(Inputs from IANS)