Sultana’s Death In Custody: She had head injury, cause still unknown

GBNEWS24DESK//

Sultana Jasmine, a union-level land employee in Naogaon who died in the custody of Rapid Action Battalion on Friday, had suffered a head injury along with brain haemorrhages but what caused it all remains unexplained.

Forensic doctors at Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) conducted an autopsy a day after her death that triggered a barrage of criticism from human rights groups with the High Court asking questions.

“Sultana Jasmine suffered an injury to her head apart from haemorrhages in her brain,” said Associate Prof Kafil Uddin, who led a three-member board formed to conduct the autopsy.

The team sent her heart sample to RMC’s pathology department for a histopathological report.

“We will know the ultimate cause of her death after the report is available,” added Kafil Uddin, head of forensic medicine department at the college.

Sultana, 38, an office assistant of Naogaon Municipality-Chandipur Union Land Office, was picked up by a Rab-5 patrol team on Wednesday while she was walking to her office from home.

Later in the day, she was taken to Naogaon Sadar Hospital and then to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where she breathed her last on Friday, according to hospital authorities.

In her death certificate, the cause of death is stated as “irreversible cardio-respiratory failure due to intra-cerebral haemorrhage” and the time of death is 10:00am.

Meanwhile on Thursday, she was sued under Digital Security Act with Rajpara Police Station in Rajshahi city.

‘BROUGHT UNCONSCIOUS’ TO RMCH

Sultana was admitted to the Naogaon hospital at 1:15pm on Wednesday, according to Dr Zahid Newaj, superintendent of the hospital, which means she was taken there within one hour and 25 minutes of her detention.

She was then showing symptoms like dizziness, nausea, physical weakness and vomiting. At 3:05pm, her condition started deteriorating when she developed breathing problems, the doctor said.

Doctors then referred her to RMCH or Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura at 3:55pm, and she was taken out of the hospital for RMCH at 7:00pm.