Detained ex-AL leader dies in ICU with handcuffed

Former Patuakhali Sadar Upazila vice chairman and banned Awami League (AL) leader Md. Mizanur Rahman Khan, widely known as Monir Khan, has died while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Monir Khan, who had been arrested in connection with multiple cases, died at around 3:30pm on Wednesday (August 5).

Hours before his death, a photograph showing him handcuffed to a hospital bed inside the ICU while critically ill circulated widely on social media, triggering intense public criticism over the treatment of prisoners receiving life-saving medical care.

His family said that following the public outcry, courts granted him bail in all pending cases. However, his health had already deteriorated beyond recovery, and he died before he could be released.

A resident of Bohalgachhia village in Patuakhali Sadar, Monir Khan previously served as general secretary of the Sadar Upazila Jubo League, organising secretary of the Patuakhali district Jubo League, and vice-president of the Bangladesh Rural Development and Cooperative Federation.

He was laid to rest on Thursday morning after funeral prayers at the Patuakhali Sadar Upazila Parishad grounds, followed by burial at his family graveyard.