Who is Hindu politician Ramesh Chandra Sen? Ex-Minister during Hasina's regime dies in Bangladesh jail before polls

According to local media reports, Sen became unwell on Saturday morning and was shifted to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. The on-duty physician declared him dead at around 9:30 am.

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Dinajpur District Jail Superintendent Farhad Sarkar told The Daily Star that Sen had been sent to the jail on August 17, a day after being arrested from his ancestral home in Ruhia Ramnath. He was classified as a division prisoner and had been suffering from health complications, the jail official said.

“At around 9:00 am today, his condition suddenly worsened. He was then taken to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, where we later received news of his death,” Sarkar said.

Sen served as Bangladesh’s Minister for Water Resources from 2009 to 2014 during the Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was first elected as a lawmaker from Thakurgaon-1 in a by-election on February 18, 1997, and was subsequently re-elected in the 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections.

Following the violent protests in 2024 against the Sheikh Hasina-led government, Sen was arrested and sent to Dinajpur District Jail. He was facing three cases, including one related to murder.

The Awami League criticised the interim government over Sen’s death, alleging negligence. In a statement posted on X, the party said the incident reflected a broader pattern of mistreatment of political detainees.

“The prison authorities have called it a ‘natural death,’ but the reality is entirely different. An 83-year-old former minister, detained in a serious case, was provided no advanced medical care. This is not merely a failure of the state. It is a clear case of deliberate neglect,” the party said.

The party further added: “The death of Ramesh Chandra Sen is not an isolated incident. It is a message: inside prisons now, there is no justice, only death waiting.”

Bangladesh Watch, a rights monitoring platform, said Sen’s death had intensified concerns regarding the treatment of detained politicians under the current interim government. It stated that he was the 40th Awami League-affiliated individual to die in jail custody since the interim administration assumed power.