Sheikh Hasina’s aide, 75, was handcuffed to hospital bed before death? Pics go viral
Senior Awami League leader Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, 75, handcuffed to hospital bed in Dhaka. Photograph: (X)
Many who shared the photo alleged that Senior Awami League leader Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, 75, was handcuffed to a bed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, with some even claiming that his hands remained shackled after his death.
The Muhammad Yunus interim government in Bangladesh is under fire for its gross insensitivity and human rights violations after the death of a senior Awami League leader. Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, 75, who served as Bangladesh’s Industries Minister in the Sheikh Hasina government, died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. After his death on September 24, images of Humayun cuffed to his hospital bed went viral on social media, triggering widespread outrage and condemnation from rights activists and legal experts. Some even claimed that his hands remained shackled after his death. Social media users shared the photo saying Nurul Majid was handcuffed to bed, while receiving treatment at the ICU in Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He had been suffering from several age-related illnesses and was admitted to hospitals multiple times during his detention.
Humayun had been in prison since he was arrested in connection with cases of murder and vandalism during the student-led protests in Bangladesh in 2024.
Prison authorities issued a statement on Wednesday insisting that the images were from an earlier stage of his hospitalisation, adding that they always act responsibly to protect the human rights and dignity of every inmate, with no exception in Humayun’s case.
‘Gross violation of human dignity’
However, lawyers and rights defenders described the act as a gross violation of human dignity.
“Keeping handcuffs on a dying or dead person is inhuman and a stark violation of human rights. This will remain as an example of the most extreme breach of dignity,” human rights activist Nur Khan Liton told a Bangladeshi daily, The Business Standard.
The controversy also revived discussion on a 2018 High Court ruling in response to a petition by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), which had directed authorities to refrain from the indiscriminate use of handcuffs on detainees and to exercise caution in such matters.
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‘Grave failure of state responsibility,’ says rights activist
Advocate Abu Obyaidur Rahman, who represented BLAST in that case, said the viral photos were a “clear breach” of the court’s directive. “How can a 75-year-old sick man be considered a dangerous or escape-prone prisoner?” he questioned.
“An old man, gravely ill and at the verge of death—a freedom fighter and former minister of the country—being subjected to such inhuman treatment is not only against human values but also a grave failure of state responsibility,” said rights activist Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir.
The incident comes after the Yunus-led interim government’s intensified crackdown on Awami League leaders and activists following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Many opposition leaders have since been jailed on what critics allege are fabricated charges, with several reported to have died in custody. They are demanding a proper investigation and said those responsible must be held accountable to prevent recurrence.
