National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman described the condition of Dhaka Central Jail as “inhuman” after making a visit to the prison yesterday morning.
The reasons he cited were overcrowding resulting in acute shortage of living space for inmates and the quality of food.
Rahman said 586 prisoners in the country’s jails had already served their terms. The NHRC chairman told reporters that he had urged the home ministry to look into the matter.
About the scheduled shifting of prisoners from the Dhaka Central Jail to the newly built prison complex at Keraniganj across the Buriganga river, Rahman warned the jail authorities against any possible ‘trading’ to grant a few ‘benefits’ to the ‘influential’ prisoners in lieu of money during the transfer.
His visit came in the wake of complaints of overcrowded jails made recently after the arrest of a large number of people in the ongoing nationwide drive against militants.
The NHRC chief also took the opportunity to slam as “undesirable” and “indecent” the comments of the inspector general of police (IGP) made at a meeting in Chittagong on June 12, regarding his fear of the “arrest trade”.