Death of Jubo League Leader in Police Custody After Arrest From Hospital
Rezaul Karim (36), a Jubo League leader and member of Ward No. 5 of Hnila Union Parishad in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar, has died while undergoing treatment in police custody. He passed away on Sunday (7 December) while receiving treatment at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
On 4 December, he was arrested at noon from Cox’s Bazar Union Hospital and handed over to the police by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
In a press statement issued after the arrest, RAB said that Rezaul Karim was a fugitive accused named in the widely discussed case over the murder of Union Parishad member Yunus.
On the night of 26 November last year, Teknaf police allegedly failed to find Rezaul Karim and instead detained his 14-year-old son Rafi, showing him arrested.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage. After spending nine days in jail, Rafi — a student of Hnila High School — was released on bail following a court order.
At the time, allegations were raised against Teknaf Model Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gias Uddin, accusing him of attempting to frame the teenager with illegal weapons because the father could not be found.
The family also claimed that the boy was forced to give a false confession after being threatened that his father would be killed in a “crossfire.”
Rezaul Karim had said then, “We are still living in fear. I don’t know when my little boy will recover from this trauma.”
One year after that incident, Rezaul Karim has died in police custody. His family says he was a heart patient. They claim he was taken into custody by RAB while he had gone to the hospital for treatment.
As his condition deteriorated, he was being treated at the district hospital under police supervision.
According to Teknaf police sources, after completing legal formalities, Rezaul Karim’s body has been handed over to his family.
