Cartoonist Kishore: Medical board finds ‘no signs of torture’
The Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) medical board that was tasked with doing a physical check-up of cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore told the court yesterday that they did not find any signs of torture.
The three-member medical board had submitted a report to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka on March 20, 2021, said the court sources yesterday.
According to the report, the physical examination of Kishore revealed "nothing out of the order", court sources told our correspondent. The court sources said that the board did not find any signs of torture.
For further evaluation and confirmation, it needs some investigation, the board said in their report.
The Daily Star has obtained a copy of the report.
Kishore's health check-up was done following a court direction given by the Judge's Court last March 15, when Kishore filed a case under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act alleging that a group of unidentified people arbitrarily detained and tortured him between May 2 and 4 last year.
The judge also recorded his statement.
On March 16, the authorities of DMCH formed the medical board with Prof Sheikh Nurul Fattah Rumi of the ENT department, Prof Mohammad Hafiz Sardar of the medicine department, and Assistant Prof Fakhrul Amin Khan of the orthopedic department.
According to their report, the medicine specialist observed multiple hyper-pigmentation and skin lesions all over the body.
About Kishore's complaint of hearing impairment and discharge, the ENT specialist said, "There is a presence of a ventilation tube that indicates surgery. Hearing impairment present in both ears, it may be due to chronic ear disease and some investigation needed."
The orthopedic specialist observed that Kishore has bilateral plantar fasciitis with DM (diabetes mellitus), which refers to an inflamed heel.
"Heel tenderness over both heels and mild tenderness over the dorsal spine," he commented.
He also noted "extensive hyperpigmentation over the whole body". "On examination, skin diseases over all the back and the limbs," were observed by the doctor.
The orthopedic specialist said that "there is no sign of trauma in muscle or skeletal system" but he ordered x-rays of the lumbar spine and torso which are yet to be conducted.
He also said that movement of the joints is normal.
In total the ENT specialist ordered five tests for Kishore's ears, the orthopedic specialist ordered 3 tests, and the medicine specialist ordered 2 tests.
Kishore, who was prosecuted under the controversial Digital Security Act, languished in jail for around 10 months. He got out on bail on March 4.
After his release, he spoke to The Daily Star about how he was brutally tortured before he was shown arrested on paper in the case.
He showed the correspondents of this newspaper a perforated ear that was oozing pus even 10 months after the cartoonist was released from jail.
He said that one of the people interrogating him about his cartoons got up, and slammed both sides of his head with his palms.
He said that that is when Kishore felt a searing pain shoot through his left ear and felt his eardrum burst.
Kishore also had numerous scars on both his legs.
"The jailer took photos of my legs, the day before yesterday. The inspector general of prisons also met me and told me, 'You will get out in two days, please get your ear treated outside'," Kishore had told The Daily Star.
The medical board had inspected Kishore on March 18 at DMCH.
Immediately before the medical inspection, Kishore had undergone ear surgery called "Tympanic Membrane Repair Myringoplasty" surgery for the wound in his right ear. A machine was installed in his ear.