Juba Dal leader dies after being 'picked up by joint forces' in Cumilla

A local Juba Dal leader died in a hospital after allegedly being picked up from his home in Cumilla by individuals identifying themselves as members of a joint security force. 

The deceased, Touhidul Islam, 45, was the convenor of Panchtubi Union Jubo Dal unit in Cumilla�s Adarsha Sadar upazila.  

According to his brother, Abul Kalam Azad Tipu, the incident took place early Friday morning. He stated that their family was already grieving the recent passing of their father, whose funeral was scheduled for Friday. Around 2:30 AM on Thursday night, three army vehicles and a red car arrived at their house. Several uniformed and plainclothes personnel accused Touhidul of possessing illegal weapons and conducted a search of his room. Despite the family's repeated assurances that he had no weapons, they took him away.  

The family searched for him at local police stations but found no information about his whereabouts. Later, around 12:30 PM on Friday, Kotwali Model Police Station sub-inspector Morshed informed them by phone that Touhidul had been found near the Gomti Bilash area on the banks of the Gomti River and was taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital. 

Upon reaching the hospital, the family found him dead, with visible injuries on his body. They claim he died due to torture and are demanding a proper investigation.  

SI Morshed stated that Touhidul was still alive when they placed him in a vehicle near Gomti Bilash, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.  

Cumilla Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Mohammad Saiful Malik said that the army personnel handed over Touhidul to the police while he was in a critical condition. He was then taken to the hospital, where he passed away. 

The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy, and the cause of death will be determined once the autopsy report is available. While no formal complaint has been filed yet, the authorities are investigating the incident, he said. 

Anwarul Haque, convener of Cumilla South District Juba Dal, described Touhidul as a dedicated and honest party member who also worked for a private company. He added that Touhidul had two daughters who are studying to become Hafiz-e-Quran. If he had committed any crime, legal action could have been taken instead of such an outcome.

He demanded a full and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death.