Official figures on deaths in prison custody over the last three years reveal the deplorable state of our jails. As per data from the Prisons Directorate, 270 inmates died in 2025, 261 in 2024, and 290 in 2023. The majority of these deaths occurred while inmates were receiving treatment at hospitals, but a significant number also died en route to hospitals—111 in 2025, 120 in 2024, and 101 in 2023. In addition, deaths by suicide over these three years numbered four, one, and two, respectively.
These statistics clearly indicate that whether under a politically elected government that turned authoritarian or a non-political interim administration, no meaningful reforms have been carried out to reduce deaths in prison custody. A report published in this daily points at the shortage of round-the-clock doctors and nurses. Of the 75 prisons across the country, only two have full-time doctors, while most are served by part-time doctors from the civil surgeons’ office. At least 15 prisons do not even have nurses; trained guards perform that role instead. Moreover, only 27 prisons have ambulances, which explains the high number of inmate deaths occurring en route to medical facilities with doctors.
Former Water Resources Minister and Awami League MP, Ramesh Chandra Sen, 84, died under similar circumstances this Saturday. He was at Dinajpur District Jail when he fell ill, and by the time he was taken to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, about seven kilometres away, the attending doctors declared him dead. His relatives alleged that he had not received proper treatment during his detention at the facility since August 17, 2024. Similar allegations were raised by the relatives of Awami League leaders and activists in the past. In fact, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, at least 31 AL men died in prison custody, according to data collected by The Daily Star.
The prisons have been overcrowded for quite some time now. The Operation Devil Hunt, launched on February 8, 2025, alone led to at least 86,000 arrests, as per a recent Human Rights Watch report. The large-scale arrests have only worsened the already overcrowded conditions in our prisons. The situation has been compounded by the low-quality food often provided there. What’s more, autopsies are sometimes not carried out following inmate deaths, and investigations are rarely initiated, even when demanded. For example, last year rights activists called for a judicial probe into the deaths of three Bawm men at Chattogram Central Jail, but to date, the government has taken no action.
No large-scale changes from the interim government can be expected at this stage, with only a few days remaining in its tenure. However, the next government has the opportunity and responsibility to implement genuine prison reform, including making prisons more humane, being transparent and accountable regarding custodial deaths, and putting an end to arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention without trial.
