Shackled, cuffed while hospitalised: Jubo Dal leader’s treatment sparks outrage

The photo of a Jubo Dal leader getting hospital treatment in police shackles has gone viral on social media and drawn criticism from various sources. 

The leader, Aminur Rahman Madhu, vice president of Jashore Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the BNP, was being treated at the National Heart Institute when the photo was taken. 

Aminur is also an assistant professor of Management Department of Amdabad Degree College in Jahsore and Literary and Publication Affairs secretary of the Central Committee of Bangladesh College Teachers Association.

The photo captures Aminur lying on the hospital floor, his legs shackled, with handcuffs hanging from one hand.

BNP leaders and activists called the treatment of a college teacher arrested in a political case as a "violation of human rights."

However, prison authorities said the shackles were worn as per the prison rules for security. 

There was no violation of human rights, they said, adding that if any accused is sick, then they are taken to hospital as per doctor's advice.

According to family and prison sources, the police filed four cases under the Special Powers Act against Aminur at the Jashore Kotwali police station after the BNP rally in Dhaka on 28 October. On 2 November, he was arrested from Amdabad Degree College and sent to Jashore Central Jail. 

Later, when he developed heart disease in prison, he was first admitted to the coronary care unit of Jashore General Hospital and later, when his condition worsened, he was admitted to the National Heart Institute in Dhaka. He was under treatment there for 13 days. 

Aminur's wife Nahida Sultana said her husband was not involved in any sabotage incident. "Because of politics, the police treated him like a criminal in the hospital." 

BNP's Khulna Divisional Organising Secretary Anindya Islam Amit said Aminur's denial of bail and lack of medical treatment is a stark example of the deterioration of the rule of law and human rights under the current government. 

"Treating an emergency patient in this manner poses a significant risk to his life," he added.

MA Gafur, former General Secretary of Jashore Lawyers Association, expressed that the situation is deeply emotional. "It is entirely inappropriate to subject a person suffering from heart disease to such treatment, especially with the use of shackles."

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, a human rights activist, said, for violent terrorists or individuals sentenced to death or life imprisonment for serious crimes, they are often brought in shackles. 

"However, our constitution prohibits subjecting anyone to unnecessary hardship. This practice, viewed in the context of the constitution and human rights, is oppressive and legally untenable. The use of shackles during medical treatment is a violation of various laws," he added