A 45-year-old man died while undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation centre for drug addiction in Faridpur district.

The deceased was identified as Amin Khan, son of Lokman Khan of Cholna village in Boalmari upazila.

He was a father of two and had previously lived in Malaysia for several years. After returning home, he ran a printing business, Amin Khan Traders, at Boalmari Bazar.

However, the family of the deceased alleged that he died due to physical torture at the facility.

According to Amin’s family members, Amin had developed some unusual mental and behavioural symptoms recently and was admitted to Al-Karim Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in the Bara Bari (Madrasa Building) area of West Khabaspur in Faridpur around 10 to 12 days ago.

The rehab authorities informed his family of his death on Sunday morning.

After receiving the news, relatives went to Faridpur Medical College Hospital and noticed deep marks around both his hands and legs, which they said appeared to have been caused by ropes.

They also noticed that his body had turned yellowish, according to the family.

Amin’s brother, Rabiul Khan, alleged that the rehab authorities had given inconsistent accounts regarding the cause of death from the beginning.

He said that despite visible rope marks on Amin’s body, the doctor responsible at the hospital prepared a report without specifying a definite cause of death.

Rabiul further alleged that Mizanur Rahman, a representative of the rehab centre who was present at the time, went to the police station alone without informing the family, saying he would show them CCTV footage.

The relatives later went to the rehab centre to examine the footage. The footage showed Amin being restrained by his hands and feet and held face down late at night before his death. They also alleged that he was sweating heavily during the incident, suggesting that he had been subjected to physical abuse.

However, when the relatives asked to see the complete footage, the rehab authorities stopped showing it and left the CCTV room.

Al-Karim Drug Addiction Treatment Centre Chairman Mostafa Kamal denied the allegations.

He said Amin had been disturbing and bothering other patients during the night while they were sleeping.

“Amin suddenly fell ill in the morning. He was given initial treatment at the rehab centre, but as his condition deteriorated, he was taken to a hospital immediately. He died there while receiving treatment,” Kamal said.

The family of the deceased demanded a proper investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible.

However, no statement could be obtained from the authorities of Faridpur Medical College Hospital regarding the matter.