Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore has shared horror stories of the torture he suffered while in custody.
"One of my eardrums was ruptured due to the torture. Now a special device has been placed in that ear. I still can't walk properly due to pain in my legs. I had an eye surgery recently... Not just signs of torture, I'm living with the pain of a monstrous blow," he told The Daily Star.
A three-member medical board of Dhaka Medical College Hospital has reported that "no sign of torture" was found on Kishore.
"What can I say here? I have nothing to say. At the time I was arrested, I was fine. I was physically well and was working hard. Now all my problems have developed due to torture. I already narrated the details of how I was tortured in front of the media after being released on bail. Not a single word I said is untrue. I was treated at Labaid Hospital. There, I was examined and treated with the best equipment," Kishore told The Daily Star over the phone when asked about the medical board's report.
"A special device has been placed in my torn ear. It still hasn't cured. Have you ever heard of placing such a device in a healthy person's ear? I'm still under treatment. I already had an eye operation and will probably need another. The medical board might be able to say why they did not find any sign of these injuries," he further said.
According to court sources, on March 20 the head of the ENT department at DMCH Professor Sheikh Nurul Fattah Rumi, head of Orthopedics Assistant Professor Fakhrul Amin Khan and Professor of Medicine Md Hafiz Sardar submitted the report. It noted that no signs of torture were found on the body of cartoonist Kishore.
In May last year, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and writer Mushtaq Ahmed from Kakrail and Lalmatia in the capital. A case was filed against 11 people including Kishore and Mushtaq at Ramna Police Station under the DSA.
After 300 days in jail, the court granted Kishore bail on March 3 of this year. Earlier, his bail application was rejected six times.
In an interview with The Daily Star, Kishore in detail spoke about the horrific torture he was subjected to after being released on bail on March 4.-The Daily Star
