Bogura district Awami League Organising Secretary Shahadat Alam Jhunu died last evening in jail custody.

Along with this, at least three AL leaders died in Bogura jail custody in the last 16 days.

Jhunu, also the former principal of the Police Lines School and College, Bogura was arrested on August 24 in murder, vandalism, and explosives cases.

The cases were fled after the July uprising, said Bogura Jail Super Faruk Ahmed.

He said, “The Jhunu [the deceased] went through sudden cardiac arrest around 11:30am today in the jail hospital. Later we sent him to the Bogura Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH). When his condition worsened we sent him to Dhaka for better treatment but he died on the way in Sirajganj.

Earlier, on November 25, Bogura Shibganj upazila AL treasurer Abdul Latif died in jail custody.

He fell ill on November 23. The jail authority sent him to the SZMCH where he died on the morning of November 25 while undergoing treatment, said the jail super.

On November 11, AL leader Shahidul Islam died in Bogura jail Custody. He was a general secretary of a ward Awami League unit in Bogura town.

When asked about so many deaths of AL leaders in jail custody, Faruk said, “They came here with various diseases. We tried to provide them with better treatment in the jail hospital.”

Wishing anonymity, a district AL leader said that three AL leaders died in jail custody in the last two weeks.

“This is very mysterious. AL leaders are dying in Bogura jail because of the negligence of the jail authorities,” he added.