Medical board finds ‘no signs’ of torture on Kishore

A medical board set up for physical check-up of cartoonist Kishore, who languished in jail for around 10 months, found no signs of torture on him.

The medical board has already submitted its report to the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's court, said Prof Dr Shaikh Nurul Fattah Rumi, one of the members of the board of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Asked why the examiners could not find any injury when Kishore's eardrum was badly injured, he declined to make further comment.

The Business Standard also reached the other two members of the board – Dr  Fakhrul Amin Khan and Dr Hafiz Sardar, but both of them refused to make any comment.

The three-member medical board submitted the report to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka on 20 March this year after Kishore's check-up following a court direction, sources at the court said on Sunday.

According to the report, physical examination of Kishore reveals "nothing out of the order."

For further evaluation and confirmation, it needs some investigation, the board said in its report.

Kishore's elder brother Ahsan Kabir told The Business Standard, "We have the medical reports and other documents of a private hospital where Kishore was admitted for treatment and went through an ear surgery after he was released from the prison."

Kishore's lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said they have not yet received a copy of the medical report as the regular activities of the court have been limited due to the pandemic.

"We have heard about the matter. We will take further legal action once we can get the full medical report," he added.

Earlier, in March, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore had to undergo ear and eye surgeries as he suffered major damage to the organs during custodial tortures.

The doctors prescribed the operations after assessing several medical reports, his brother told TBS at that time.

Quoting the doctors, Ahsan Kabir said, "The complications in Kishore's right ear are severe. Kishore might be forced to use a hearing aid for the next few months."

"Kishore's diabetes is getting under control to some extent. The pain from his leg injuries is also reducing, but his ears damage show no signs of a major recovery," said the elder brother.

"Kishore does not have proper eyesight and he cannot hear," Ahsan added.

After his release on 4 March, Kishore was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital and doctors monitored his condition for at least two weeks. 

On 10 March, the cartoonist filed a case before the Dhaka Senior Special Judge's Court under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act and described the torture he was subjected to.

He did not mention the name of any law enforcement agency or officials, instead choosing to file charges against a group of unidentified people. The judge also took the case into cognisance and recorded his statement that day.

Following the case, the court asked the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate the alleged torture of cartoonist Kishore in custody following his arrest in May 2020.

The court also asked the DMCH authorities to form a three-member medical board to examine the cartoonist's health.

Kishore was released from jail on bail on 4 March this year, about 10 months after his arrest in a case filed against him and 10 others under the Digital Security Act (DSA) with the capital's Ramna police station in early May 2020 for criticising the government.

One of the accused in the case, writer Mushtaq Ahmed, died in jail on 25 February after he was denied bail six times in the DSA case.