‘Why would she have a stroke in Rab custody?’

An employee of a union land office in Naogaon, who was accused in a Digital Security Act case, died in the custody of Rapid Action Battalion-5 after suffering bleeding in her brain.

Rab told doctors she suffered a fall.

However, family members of 38-year-old Sultana Jasmine said it was unacceptable that a healthy person walking to work would just die after being arrested by Rab.

Rab picked up Jasmine around 10:00am on Wednesday and she died at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital at 10:00am on Friday.

RMCH Director Brig Gen FM Shamim Ahmed said Jasmine was brought in by Rab in a critical condition around 9:20pm on Thursday.

"She was in an unconscious state and was immediately rushed to the neurology ward. From there, she was transferred to the intensive care unit, because her condition continued to deteriorate. We conducted a CT scan and found multiple intracranial bleeds across her head," he said.

She deteriorated too fast for the doctors to be able to revive her, he said, adding that they found an external bruise on her head.

Jasmine's uncle Nazmul Haque Montu, a former councillor of Naogaon, said, "My niece was on her way to work on Wednesday morning when she was intercepted at Muktir More by a white microbus carrying Rab officers. We were looking for her in various [Rab] camps but failed to locate her. Around noon, we heard that she is under treatment at the Naogaon hospital."

Her family rushed there to find that she was unresponsive. Later that night she was moved to the RMCH.

"Rab said that she suffered a stroke but she was so young and in perfect health. Why would she have a stroke in Rab custody?" questioned Montu.

Rab's officials concerned did not pick up phone calls of The Daily Star despite repeated attempts.

Enamul Haque, the local government director of the Rajshahi divisional commissioner's office, sued Jasmine "for siphoning money off from job seekers using her Facebook account" under the Digital Security Act with Rajpara Police Station, said Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Ruhul Amin of the station.

Interestingly, the case was recorded at 5:10pm on Thursday, more than 31 hours after Jasmine had been picked up by Rab and when she was unresponsive in a hospital bed.

Jasmine was an office assistant at the Chandipur Union Land Office.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Naogaon Rafiqul Islam said, "Jasmine has been working for a year in my office and I have not heard of any accusations of corruption against her."

Enamul, plaintiff of the DSA case, said he had been receiving complaints from people who were defrauded through his Facebook account which was hacked in 2017. This continued when he was serving in Natore, Chapainawabganj, and Rajshahi.

He said he filed general diaries with police stations in Natore and Chapainawabganj.

Enamul joined the Rajshahi divisional office and sought the help of Rab in November last year after receiving similar complaints. He said he filed the case taking help from the Rab investigation.