JMBF urgently calls for the independent investigation into the death of Nadia Begum due to alleged physical and psychological torture in police custody in Barishal.
According to reports published by various news outlets and information received from JMBF’s own reliable sources, police detained Nadia Begum at her residence in Krishnakathi village under Bharpasha Union of Bakerganj Upazila at approximately 3:30 a.m. on 9 September 2026 as part of an ongoing anti-drug operation.
Nadia Begum reportedly became seriously ill while being transferred to Barishal District Jail and died while being transported to hospital. Her husband, Enamul Haque Montu Gazi, alleged that she had been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture while detained at Bakerganj Police Station. However, the police have denied the allegations.
The circumstances surrounding Nadia Begum’s detention and subsequent death, together with her family’s allegations of custodial torture, raise serious concerns regarding the right to life, freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, safeguards against arbitrary detention, accountability of law-enforcement officials, and the State’s obligation to ensure an effective investigation into every potentially unlawful death in custody.
JMBF therefore calls for an independent, impartial, prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding Nadia Begum’s detention, treatment in custody and death, including the allegations made against the police officers concerned.
We urge you to write to the Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, copying the relevant authorities listed below, and call for an independent investigation; the preservation and forensic examination of all relevant evidence; accountability for any person found responsible; and protection of Nadia Begum’s family members and witnesses from intimidation, pressure or retaliation.
Your prompt support and solidarity would be greatly appreciated. Please find below the urgent appeal in English.
In solidarity,
EXACT LETTER SENT BY JMBF
Date: 19 September 2026
Subject: Urgent appeal for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the alleged custodial torture and death of Nadia Begum following her detention by Bakerganj Police in Barishal
Honourable Prime Minister,
Greetings from JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), an independent, non-profit and non-partisan international human rights organisation based in France and guided by the principles and values of the International Bill of Human Rights.
JMBF has learned with grave concern from media reports and its own reliable sources that Nadia Begum, a 38-year-old woman and the mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, died following her detention by Bakerganj Police in Barishal District, amid serious allegations by her family that she was subjected to physical and psychological torture while in police custody.
According to available information, Nadia Begum was the wife of Enamul Haque Montu Gazi and lived in Krishnakathi village under Bharpasha Union of Bakerganj Upazila. Bakerganj Police had reportedly been conducting an anti-drug operation in the area. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on 9 September 2026, police reportedly detained Nadia Begum at her residence.
Nadia Begum reportedly became seriously ill while being transferred to Barishal District Jail. She was subsequently taken to hospital but reportedly died on the way. Her body was later placed in the morgue of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal.
Nadia Begum’s husband, Enamul Haque, has made serious allegations concerning the circumstances leading to her death. He alleged that his wife had been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture while being held at Bakerganj Police Station. The police have denied the allegations.
JMBF stresses that allegations against any identified individuals must be established through credible evidence and due process and must not be treated as proven facts before the completion of an independent investigation.
The existence of conflicting accounts makes an independent investigation particularly necessary. A death occurring during or immediately following police custody cannot be adequately addressed solely through assertions made either by the family or by the law-enforcement agency whose conduct has been called into question.
JMBF believes that the reported circumstances surrounding Nadia Begum’s detention and subsequent death raise serious concerns regarding the right to life; the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; safeguards governing arrest and detention; access to medical care in custody; the preservation of evidence; and accountability for potentially unlawful deaths involving law-enforcement authorities.
An effective investigation must therefore examine the entire chain of events, beginning with Nadia Begum’s apprehension at her home; her transportation to and detention at the police station; her physical condition during custody; any interrogation or treatment to which she was subjected; the circumstances in which she became ill; the timing and adequacy of the medical assistance provided to her; and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Particular attention should be given to the preservation and independent examination of CCTV footage from Bakerganj Police Station and surrounding locations; police station registers; arrest and custody records; general diaries; seizure lists; duty rosters; mobile-phone records; relevant communications; medical records; and witness testimony.
The post-mortem examination and any necessary toxicological, histopathological or other forensic examinations should be conducted professionally and independently. The findings should be properly documented and made available to the competent authorities and, subject to applicable law, to Nadia Begum’s family.
The Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees equality before the law, the protection of the law, and the protection of life and personal liberty. Article 31 guarantees the right to the protection of the law, while Article 32 protects the rights to life and personal liberty. Furthermore, Article 35(5) expressly provides that no person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment. The allegations concerning Nadia Begum’s treatment in police custody therefore raise serious concerns regarding the State’s obligation to respect, protect and enforce these fundamental constitutional rights.
Bangladesh is also a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). These instruments impose obligations concerning the protection of life, liberty and physical integrity, as well as the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.
Allegations of torture by law-enforcement personnel must also be addressed in accordance with Bangladesh’s obligations under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013, and other applicable domestic laws.
Where a person dies during or shortly after detention by State authorities, the State bears a heightened responsibility to ensure that the circumstances are subjected to an effective, independent and evidence-based investigation capable of determining the cause and manner of death and identifying any individual responsibility.
In light of the above, JMBF respectfully requests that the Honourable Prime Minister:
- Ensure an independent, impartial, prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the detention, alleged torture and subsequent death of Nadia Begum;
- Ensure that the investigation is conducted by an authority that is institutionally and practically independent of Bakerganj Police Station and of any officers whose conduct is under examination;
- Ensure the immediate preservation and independent examination of all potentially relevant evidence, including CCTV footage, police station records, arrest and custody documents, general diaries, seizure records, duty rosters, mobile-phone and communication records, medical documents and witness testimony;
- Ensure that a comprehensive and professionally conducted post-mortem examination, together with all necessary forensic, toxicological and histopathological tests, is carried out to establish independently the cause and manner of Nadia Begum’s death;
- Ensure that the allegation of physical and psychological torture in police custody is investigated separately and effectively, including the conduct of every law-enforcement official who had custody of, access to, or responsibility for Nadia Begum between the time of her detention and her death;
- Independently investigate any allegations concerning the possible involvement or influence of third parties in Nadia Begum’s detention, while ensuring the presumption of innocence and the due-process rights of every person concerned;
- Determine precisely when Nadia Begum first showed signs of illness or injury; what medical assistance was requested or provided; who made the relevant decisions; and whether any delay or failure in providing emergency medical treatment contributed to her death;
- Ensure that any police officer or other person against whom credible evidence emerges of torture, unlawful detention, falsification or destruction of evidence, obstruction of the investigation, or other criminal conduct is subjected to an appropriate independent criminal investigation and, where warranted, prosecution in accordance with due process of law;
- Ensure that Nadia Begum’s husband, family members, witnesses and other persons cooperating with the investigation are protected from intimidation, threats, harassment, coercion or retaliation;
- Ensure that Nadia Begum’s family receives appropriate information concerning the progress and outcome of the investigation and has effective access to legal remedies, justice and reparation in accordance with applicable law;
- Ensure the full and effective implementation of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013, including accountability for law-enforcement personnel where torture or custodial abuse is established; and
- Take effective institutional measures to prevent torture, ill-treatment and avoidable deaths in police custody throughout Bangladesh, including strengthened custody documentation, independent oversight, prompt access to medical care and effective accountability mechanisms.
The credibility of the investigation will depend not merely on determining the medical cause of death, but also on establishing the complete circumstances surrounding Nadia Begum’s detention, treatment in custody and death, and determining whether any act or omission by State officials or other persons contributed to the outcome.
JMBF therefore respectfully urges your Government to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness and to ensure that the investigation is independent, transparent, evidence-based and capable of establishing individual responsibility wherever supported by evidence.
A prompt and credible response would help safeguard the rights of persons deprived of their liberty, combat impunity for torture and custodial abuse, and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law and the administration of justice in Bangladesh.
We respectfully request that information concerning any action taken in this matter be forwarded to the JMBF office for our records.
Yours sincerely,
Copies forwarded for information and appropriate action
Barishal Range
Office of the Range DIG
Barishal, Bangladesh
Email: digbarisal@police.gov.bd
7. Mr. A. Z. M. Mostafizur Rahman
Superintendent of Police (SP)
Office of the Superintendent of Police
Barishal, Bangladesh
Email: spbarisal@police.gov.bd
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