THE July 17 custodial death of a 35-year-old Bawm man suspected of being member of the Kuki-Chin National Army, marks a troubling addition to an already distressing pattern. Van Lal Rual Bawm, held in the Chattogram central jail since May 2024 after his arrest during a sweeping crackdown on the Kuki-Chin National Front, reportedly fell ill and died later in Chattogram Medical College Hospital. Jail authorities cited low blood pressure as a reason yet failed to provide a definitive time of death or any medical history. This is the second such death in recent times. Lal Tleng Kim Bawm, another man from the community died in custody in the same jail this May 15. They both had been detained for more than a year without trial. Their families and the Bawm Students鈥� Association allege that the deaths were not natural, suggesting prolonged neglect and mistreatment, calling for investigation.
The growing list of death, with Lalsang Mawi Bawm who died on June 1 three days after his release on bail, has triggered condemnation and renewed demands for the disposal of the case and the accountability. The broader context heightens the gravity of the deaths. The Kuki-Chin National Front came into prominence after a series of violent incidents in early April 2024, including attacks on banks and security outposts. In response, joint operations by the army and the police resulted in the arrest of about hundred individuals, many of whom, including women, children and the medically vulnerable, were from the Bawm community. More than a year later, a large number of the detained remain imprisoned, often without formal charges or access to timely legal processes. While the interim government has expedited many politically sensitive cases, those involving the Bawms have remained stagnant. Allegations of medical negligence, prolonged pretrial detention and the absence of transparent oversight over custodial conditions have highlighted a stark failure in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding minority rights. The deaths of Van Lal Rual and Lal Tleng are not isolated incident but emblematic of systemic indifference of the state towards the legal and humanitarian obligations to the citizens, particularly those from marginalised ethnic minorities.
The government should urgently commit to a transparent judicial investigation of all recent custodial fatalities, involving the detained Bawms. It should abandon the practice of collective punishment and ensure that every suspect is granted their constitutional right to due process, medical care and humane treatment. The prolonged detention without trial of dozens of individuals should be reviewed and efforts made to dispose of pending cases fairly and expeditiously.
