Bangladesh: BNP youth leader tortured to death in military custody

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) youth leader, Touhidul Islam, has died after allegedly being tortured in military custody, his family has claimed.

The 42-year-old was taken from his home in Cumilla district in the early hours of 30 January by armed security personnel, who accused him of possessing weapons.

No warrant was presented as he was taken away, leaving his wife and children frozen in fear, relatives said.

Hours later, his body was found in a hospital, bearing signs of severe torture, including swollen limbs, deep bruises, and broken bones.

The Bangladesh Army has since removed a local camp commander and announced an investigation, but human rights groups say similar cases in the past have rarely led to accountability.

The BNP has called the incident a “targeted political killing”, accusing the government of using security forces to suppress opposition voices ahead of the country’s next election.

Touhidul’s wife, Yasmin Nahar, said armed men in military uniforms and plain clothes entered their home in Cumilla at around 2:30 a.m.

“They ransacked our house, took our phones, and kept asking about weapons,” she said. “But there were no weapons. Their only purpose was to take him.”

She recounted how armed men dragged her husband away, as their 14-year-old daughter wept in despair.

The next morning, Yasmin received a call asking her to come to a hospital.

“I saw his body on a stretcher. His legs were swollen, his chest was full of bruises, and his face was unrecognizable,” she said, breaking down in tears.

The BNP has condemned the killing, alleging that state security forces were directly responsible.

“This was not an accident. This was a political assassination,” a top BNP leader said seeking anonymity.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi slammed the interim government over the “extrajudicial killing” of Touhidul, saying that it occurred in the same manner as during the Awami League government.

“Our fears are growing day by day. A Jubo Dal leader, who was picked up in Cumilla, was returned by law enforcers as dead. Why is this happening during Dr Yunus’ tenure?” Rizvi said at an event yesterday. 

The Bangladesh Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that a camp commander had been removed following the incident and said an investigation was underway.

“We take this matter seriously. If found guilty, those responsible will face justice,” an ISPR statement said.

However, rights groups say such investigations rarely lead to convictions, citing a long history of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously accused security forces of using torture, secret detentions, and targeted violence against political activists.

Touhidul Islam was a prominent youth leader in the opposition BNP, which has long accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government of using security forces to silence critics.

Under Dr. Md Yunus’ rule in recent months, activists, journalists, minority leaders, and opposition figures have faced escalating threats, arrests, and repression across Bangladesh.

The United Nations and international rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over Bangladesh’s human rights record, urging independent investigations into alleged state abuses.

The BNP has called for protests over Touhidul’s death, vowing to “fight for justice”.

His daughter, Tasfia, said she still can’t comprehend the brutal killing of her father.

“My father was a good man. Why did the army take our beloved father from us in such a brutal way?” she asked, her voice breaking with heartache.