Are Awami League Leaders Being Killed in Jail Using the ‘Jakarta Method’?

Staff Correspondent

Mystery deepens and anger grows over the death of Saidur Rahman Sujan, former chairman of Birulia Union Parishad in Savar and a resistance fighter against Jamaat during the July movement, at Dhaka Central Jail (Keraniganj).

While prison authorities have described the death as a “suicide,” political analysts see it as a “perfect execution of the Jakarta Method”—backed by a state structure supported by Jamaat-militant forces.

A fellow inmate who was with Sujan in jail and is now out on bail revealed:

“No full-grown adult, not even a teenager, could hang themselves from such a low window grill using just a towel.”

Saidur Rahman Sujan was the former chairman of Birulia Union Parishad in Savar. During the political crisis on August 5, when top Awami League leaders were busy fleeing the country, Sujan stayed back in his area. He openly led resistance against Jamaat-Shibir and militants with his licensed legal firearm—a stance that went viral on social media and was widely praised. Such a position in defense of the country is what everyone expects.

One of the most memorable images from the July revolution was Sujan standing with local students, holding his licensed shotgun. At that time, while many top Awami League leaders fled to India and other countries to save their lives, he remained on the ground.

Later, in January, he was arrested by DB police from a house in Uttara, Dhaka. He faced over 15 cases, including one in the International Crimes Tribunal.

The ‘Jakarta Method’ and the Shadow of Jamaat-Militant State Organs
This death is not an isolated incident—is it a manifestation of the “policy of suppressing resistance fighters” under state and administrative patronage? On one hand, the state administration remains indifferent to this death, while government-aligned media outlets are busy portraying it as suicide.

Azizur Rahman Asad had recently expressed concerns about the emergence of the Jakarta Method of killings in the country.

The “Jakarta Method” refers to the strategy of extrajudicial killings of opponents, revolutionaries, or protesters using state structures. The method originated in Indonesia but has since been observed in various countries. Experts say that in Bangladesh, this method has now returned in a “refined and civil” form—”the state is civil, but the deaths are brutal.”

This is not the first time—in the past few months alone, at least 24 Awami League-affiliated leaders and activists have died in prison, most of which were dismissed as “heart attacks” or “suicides.” No full investigation reports have been made public in any of these cases.

While human rights organizations have expressed concern over this situation, no response has yet come from the government.

Security analyst Aminul Haque said, “The Jamaat and militant-controlled state organs are executing the Jakarta Method perfectly. Many detained Awami League leaders and activists have been killed inside prisons. More may follow. The problem is, this militant-Jamaat-backed ‘civil’ government will now preach about human rights.”