Allegations of torture of Salauddin Tanvir in jail baseless: Prison authorities

Prison authorities have claimed that allegations of physically or mentally torturing NCP's expelled joint member secretary Gazi Salauddin Tanvir in jail are completely baseless and untrue. Bogura District Jail authorities conveyed this information in a statement on Saturday, September 26.

Prison authorities said Gazi Salauddin Tanvir was detained at Bogura District Jail after arriving there on August 5. Later, he was admitted to the jail hospital after falling ill.

Earlier, on Friday, September 25, former NCP leader Gazi Salauddin Tanvir came to a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in Segunbagicha on a stretcher. He alleged that he was subjected to "extreme torture" in police custody and in jail and was given at least 70 to 80 injections. He was seen receiving saline during the press conference as well.

However, denying the allegations, prison authorities said he was sent to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for treatment due to physical illness. He was sent to Bangladesh Medical University in Dhaka for advanced treatment on September 7. Later, he was released on bail from Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj on September 15.

Regarding the allegations he raised, prison authorities claimed that he was not subjected to any physical or mental torture while at Bogura District Jail and Dhaka Central Jail. No prison official or employee also misbehaved or treated him badly.

Additionally, authorities said no incident of taking any prisoner out of jail at night and bringing them back at dawn occurred at Bogura District Jail. They claimed such statements are baseless and devoid of reality.

Prison authorities said such statements create confusion among the public about the prison department and risk damaging the institution's image. The statement said that if there is any specific evidence, document, video, audio, testimony or other reliable information in support of Gazi Salauddin Tanvir's allegations, a request has been made to present it to the concerned authorities. At the same time, prison authorities called for not spreading misleading or untrue information against a sensitive institution like the prison without verifying the actual facts.