Dhaka, Sep 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) As custodial deaths continue to rise in Bangladesh, at least 132 prisoners have died in the first eight and a half months of 2026 across the country, raising renewed questions about overcrowded jails, inadequate healthcare and official accountability, a report has highlighted.
Citing official statements and rights groups, it said prisoners have been dying almost daily in different parts of the country, with the number of reported deaths reaching four on some days, heightening concerns over healthcare, emergency medical treatment and prison conditions.
“For people entering Bangladesh’s prisons, the loss of liberty is supposed to be the punishment. But for families whose relatives have died behind bars, imprisonment can end in something far more final,” according to a report in Pressenza International Press Agency.
The report cited figures compiled by Dhaka-based human rights organisation 'Ain o Salish Kendra' (ASK), which documented 79 deaths between January and August. The death toll included 47 detainees awaiting trial and 32 convicted prisoners, with Dhaka division accounting for the highest number at 44.
Referring to media reports, Pressenza stated that at least 10 prisoners died from reported illnesses during the first 15 days of September alone, bringing the reported toll for the year to at least 132.
Among the latest custodial deaths were 54-year-old Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and 60-year-old Abdur Rahim, who died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday. A day earlier, two inmates of Dhaka Central Jail, Abdul Barek and Abdul Mabud, also died, the report mentioned.
“The differing figures reflect differences in reporting periods and sources, but the broader pattern raises questions about what happens when prisoners fall seriously ill, how quickly they receive treatment and whether their families are informed,” it noted.
According to the report, human rights activists argue that these cases underscore the need for every death in custody to be thoroughly scrutinised
“Prisoners may lose their freedom, but they do not lose their human dignity and fundamental rights,” said Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir, a senior coordinator at ASK, speaking to Pressenza.
Kabir stressed that the state remains accountable for the life, health and safety of everyone held in custody, including both detainees and convicted inmates.
He called for independent investigations into each death, with scrutiny of medical treatment, security arrangements and the role of prison authorities.
Touhidul Haque, a criminologist and associate professor at the University of Dhaka’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research, attributed wider human rights concerns in prisons to overcrowding, inadequate healthcare and poor food standards.
“The issue of human rights is being ignored in all these areas,” Pressenza quoted Haque as saying while speaking to Bangladeshi media Khabarer Kagoj.
Source: IANS
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