Senior Awami League leader and former Bangladesh water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, 85, died on Saturday after falling critically ill in custody at Dinajpur District Jail, prompting allegations of custodial neglect amid heightened scrutiny of the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
Sen, a five-time Member of Parliament and veteran Hindu leader, was taken to the emergency department of Dinajpur Medical College Hospital at 9.10 am and was pronounced dead at 9.29 am. He had been suffering from multiple age-related ailments.
The former minister, who last won the Thakurgaon-1 seat in 2024, had been lodged in jail since August 2024, when he was arrested following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. He faced multiple charges, including murder, amid what Awami League supporters have described as politically motivated cases.
Allegations that Sen was denied adequate medical care in custody have circulated widely on social media. Images from August 2024 showing Sen with his hands bound using cattle ropes while being taken into police custody resurfaced online following news of his death.
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Bangladeshis began describing the incident as a “custodial killing”, linking it to other deaths of senior Awami League leaders who reportedly fell ill while incarcerated. “I know that many falsehoods will be spread about him too. It will be said that he died of illness. But no, this is another killing. Part of the massacre that has been going on since 5 August 2024. In the list of those hundreds of killings, there is one more new namem, Ramesh Chandra Sen,” Dhaka-based content creator Prodip Kumar Choudhury wrote on Facebook.
Another post by Bashabi Sarker alleged: “Meticulously planned prison killing under Yunus regime continues. Ramesh Chandra Sen, who served as an MP five times, was arrested on a false charge. He was elderly and in poor health. Yunus denied him basic medical care.”
Born on 30 April 1940, Sen studied at Rangpur Carmichael College and entered Parliament through a 1997 by-election. He served as a minister between 2009 and 2014 and was a member of the Awami League presidium. Known for his mass appeal, he built his political career in contests against BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Reports suggest Sen’s body will be handed over to his family, though concerns remain over funeral arrangements as several Awami League and Hindu families are reportedly in hiding over security fears.
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