Fourteen hospitalized inmates of the Juvenile Correction Centre in Jessore say they were severely beaten by correction centre authorities, which led to the death of three inmates there on Thursday.
However, correction centre authorities say the three were killed when a clash broke out between two groups of inmates.
The injured inmates claimed that after they were beaten by correction centre authorities and their followers, they were not immediately given medical attention. They were sent to Jessore General Hospital only after three of them died at the centre.
Amiyo Das, a doctor at the hospital, on late Thursday night, said: "The deceased inmates died before they were brought to the hospital. The cause of their death could not be given before we got the autopsy report."
Additional Deputy Inspector General AKM Nahidul Islam Khan of Khulna Range police said the correction centre authorities' version of the incident is one-sided, and they are giving priority to accounts of injured inmates. "A case will be filed in connection with the matter (inmates’ claim). If a member from their families or a third party cannot be found as a complainant, police will play the role."
One of the injured inmates, Pavel of Chuadanga, said the chief guard (a member of Bangladesh Ansar) of the centre, Noor Islam of the Bangladesh Ansar), asked him to cut his hair on August 3.
"That day my hand was hurt as I had cut the hair of around 200 people. So I told him I would do it later when he fumed at us and began to call us names. At one point some of us hit him.
"He reported the matter to the correction centre's office, falsely claiming that we had beaten him after taking narcotics. We were called to the office around 12pm on Thursday and at one point during interrogation, Masum Billah (assistant supervisor) sir, Mushfiq (probation officer) sir, and a few other sirs beat us."
Another injured inmate, Jabed Hossain, of Noakhali, said: "Sirs and other inmates beat us like dogs with iron rods. When some of us fell unconscious, we were beaten again when we regained consciousness."
Ishan, another injured person hospitalized, of Jessore's Basundia, said: "Deceased Rasel and I were roommates. He was supposed to get bail next month. But he died because our sirs severely beat us and he was deprived of treatment."
Ishan also claimed that they were threatened with "crossfire," a term often applied to extrajudicial killings in the country.
The deceased in the reported clash were identified as Parvez Hasan Rabbi,18, Rasel alias Sujon,18, and Nayeem Hossain,17.
Meanwhile, 10 officials of the correction centre including Supervisor Abdullah Al Masud, Assistant Supervisor Masum Billah and Probation Officer Mushfiqur Rahman, were taken into police custody.
Golam Rabbani Sheikh, additional superintendent of Jessore police said no case has been filed yet in connection with the matter.
He said the 10 officials were taken into custody for interrogation upon the directive of the Department of Social Services of the government and its also risky to keep them at the centre at the moment.
Jessore’s Deputy Commissioner Md Tamijul Islam Khan said: “The Department of Social Services instructed us to form a probe committee with the local administration regarding the death of the three and details could be disclosed after that.”
The correction centre has currently been kept under police supervision.
