“They had picked me up in a car; tied my hands tightly to the back while my feet were looped. After driving for ten minutes, they took me to a room. They disrobed my clothes within five minutes. A person tied my legs up with a strong rope and hung them against the ceiling and continued to beat me up from waist to toe from night to dawn. I was only able to feel pain for hours until I lost consciousness due to unbearable pain. They poured a bucket full of water every time I passed out. After two-to-three-minute interval, they continued to torture me from 9:00 pm to 4:30 am. As I was still blindfolded, I could not hear anything except for the sound of the beating. At one point, I lost all the sensation in my body.” Sayed Iqbal Mahmud Tito, joint secretary of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, was describing these while talking to the Bangla Outlook.

Sayed Iqbal Mahmud Tito, who hails from Char Fashion upazila of Bhola, was inspired into politics from his school- teacher father, Taherul Abedin, who was general secretary of upazila unit of BNP. As a child, Sayed Iqbal Mahmud Tito joined the anti-autocratic movement in 1987-88 with his father's political colleagues.

The promising youth leader debuted in politics directly during intermediate level at traditional BM College in Barisal in 1991. He enrolled in Dhaka University in 1993-34 for a degree in public administration. Sayed Iqbal Mahmud Tito was elected general secretary of F Rahman Hall unit of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal and became a member of the central union of the Sohel-Pintu committee. He later became communications secretary during the Pintu-Laltu committee in the same year. The former student leader was subsequently elected joint convener of Dhaka University unit of Chatradal and international affairs secretary during the Laltu-Helal committee in 2002. After a brief hiatus, he has been active in politics as joint general secretary of Jubodal. He was subjected to incarceration and oppression on many occasions during his political career. Sayed Iqbal Mahmud Tito talked in detail in an interview with the Bangla Outlook about the torture and oppression by the law enforcement. The interview was conducted by the Bangla Outlook’s Dhaka correspondent.

Bangla Outlook: You have held various leadership positions in your political career since you were a student. How many times have you been arrested and incarcerated by the law enforcement agencies?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: I was arrested many times in the past and was released later. Law enforcement agencies had tortured me in broad daylight on the streets. Such inhuman torture risked my life twice. There are more sacrifices to be made here.

Bangla Outlook: Life-threatening torture? How was the situation as you can remember?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: One gruesome evening was on April 2 in 2010. That evening, I was chatting with my political colleagues in a restaurant next to the Fakirapul Probas Hotel. Around 9:00 pm, I stepped outside the restaurant to receive a phone call, two people suddenly grabbed me from behind. They pushed me into a white microbus waiting nearby with its gate wide open. Two more people were sitting inside the vehicle. They nailed me down on the seat and blindfolded me. My hands were tied behind my back with plastic rope. They started hitting on the back of my head with the butt of the pistol. If I moved a little, they hit my spine repeatedly the same way. As I was blindfolded, I was not able to see anything. I sat silently after two or three minutes. The car started moving. I was not able to figure out where I was being taken. My friends and colleagues who were still in that restaurant were unaware of this. I don't even know if anyone told my colleagues about what had just happened. The car drove for ten minutes. Those who picked me up in the car were not talking at all. I did not realize what was happening, neither did I know where I was being taken. The vehicle suddenly stopped, and I was carried outside the car.

Bangla Outlook: Those who picked you up, did they ask you anything?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: No; everyone was quiet. I was terrified. Even when I moved, they were hitting on the back of my head and spine with the butt of the pistol. So I remained silent.

Bangla Outlook: Where did they take you?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: My hands and feet were tied and eyes blindfolded. Two people sitting directly next to me were holding me tightly on both sides. So I can't say anything. I only understood that where they carried me after the vehicle stopped was on the ground floor of a building.

Bangla Outlook: What did they do to you there?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Four men dragged me out of the car and put me on a chair in the room. Afterwards, at least seven to eight people started beating me with sticks. No one said anything. I couldn't even scream. I fell on the ground after losing consciousness. I could only feel that someone untied my arms and legs at that point. Then they took away my pants and t-shirt. I was so thirsty that my throat dried up. They poured a bucket full of water on my face. The water entered my nose and mouth. Even that little water quenched my thirst. I was still blindfolded, not being able to see anything.

Bengal Outlook: What happened afterwards?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: After a break of two to three minutes, my legs and hands were again tied with a hard plastic rope while I was naked. They hung my legs against something on the ceiling so that only my neck was touching the ground. At that point, they started beating on my feet. I felt like I was going to die. From the waist to the feet, every inch was beaten while kicking on my back and waist with boots. They were pressing my fingers to the opposite of my palm. Every twenty to thirty minutes, water was thrown on my face. They were pushing my head with a cloth folded like a strong towel. They were also hitting my ears and the head with a hard stick many times. My jaws were so tight from the pain that I didn’t have the strength to speak. Blood was gushing out from various parts of the body. I can't tell how much I bled. When the body was frozen in extreme pain, they put a gel-like substance into the plastic pipe, and hit me with it repeatedly.

Bangla Outlook: Were they beating continuously? Did they not say anything?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: They were using profane language while beating me up even in the most sensitive parts of the body. They did every horrible torture that we hear about law-and-order forces. I can't even put it into words, or even properly think about it.

Bangla Outlook: What is that? What was that type of torture?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Even today, I feel shame, anger and pain. The torture was more medieval in nature than sane person can imagine. The type of torture that can’t be described in words. But I can say this much: it took me a long time in prison to recover from those wounds. I couldn't even walk to the toilet alone.

Bangla Outlook: How long did the torture last?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: I was tortured from the evening to the dawn next day while being hung against the ceiling without any break. Suddenly around 4:30 am in the morning, someone entered the room and said there was a call from the higher-ups. I cannot be killed or be force-disappeared. I was to be handed over to the police. Then they dropped me from the ceiling and put me on the ground. I was subconscious with pain all over my body. I was just listening while lying down on the floor.

Bangla Outlook: What happened next?

Syed Iqbal Titu: Someone untied my arms and legs again. They put back the clothes on me. There was no situation to put my shoes back on because both feet were broken. The feet wouldn’t fit inside the shoes. So I was kept bare feet. Four people tied my arms and legs again and carried me to the vehicle. Lying face down on the seat, the car drove for ten minutes. They carried me again to a room, threw my body on the floor and they left the location.

Bangla Outlook: Were you aware of where you were just brought?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Yes. Ten minutes after they left, a man entered. As soon as he arrived, he called someone and asked him to untie my hands and feet. After five minutes another person came and opened my blindfolds. I was looking ahead, a bearded man dressed in RAB's uniform. By looking at his appearance, he seemed to be an officer. He said to me, “you are very thirsty. RAB did not beat you or pick you up. But your condition is so bad that we cannot give you water; your body will collapse if you drink now. I’m going to give you some water on the lid of a water bottle.” While seated for at least five minutes, he gave me water four to five times in the water bottle lid. In the meantime, a team of seven to eight people from RAB came and took me back to a vehicle.

Bangla Outlook: Where did they take you this time?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: In the car, three of them put me on their lap and drove away. It was around 5:30 am. They stopped in front of Outer Stadium in Gulistan. They stopped a CNG auto rickshaw. They tried to get me out of the vehicle again. But they couldn’t do it with the current condition of my body. The RAB officer sitting in the front seat of the vehicle said, “No need to take him out. Do it here.” One of the RAB members who was next to me took out a box of bullets and some different types of drugs and said to the CNG driver, “This person was carrying bullets and drugs in your CNG auto rickshaw, we (RAB) searched him at the check post and arrested him after recovering these items. You have seen this, and you are a witness.”

The CNG auto rickshaw driver begged not to involve him in the incident. But they did not listen to him. The RAB took the license plate number and confiscated his driver's license. Two homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk of the Outer Stadium were called and were forced to become witnesses. Afterwards, they took me to the Tikatuli RAB camp.

Bangla Outlook: Were you tortured again?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: No. After that, I was put down on a layer of blankets spread on the floor. Several other people were detained in the room. The RAB handed the other detainees some painkiller ointment and asked them to massage my injured body. Some of them were also bleeding from torture. But my condition was so bad that that I could neither sit nor lie down. Around seven in the morning I was given some bread, eggs and vegetables.

Bangla Outlook: Was it the end here?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: I was taken to the RAB CEO's room around ten in the morning. Four RAB members had to carry me. I was made to lie on a sofa in the CEO's room. The CEO said to me, “why are they so angry with you? If it wasn't for the request from the higher-ups, they would have killed you.” He added, “Sorry, we (RAB) didn't do anything to you, we didn't beat you up, we were just acting on orders."

Bangla Outlook: Who does the RAB mean by ‘they’?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: He did not tell me. And I was in extreme pain; so I had no interest in finding it out. I was only thinking about when I will be transferred from here to a hospital or court. At this time, they took pictures of me with those bullets and drugs.

The man who took the picture also cried while taking the picture. He said, “brother, I am your junior from the same Dhaka University. He advised that I be sent to Paltan police station around 12 noon. Meanwhile, the CEO of RAB said that I should be admitted to Rajarbagh Police Hospital and be treated.

Bangla Outlook: What happened after you were taken to the police station?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: After I was taken to the police station around 12:30 pm, the officer in-charge of Paltan police station did not want to take me in upon seeing my physical condition. But after receiving a call from the RAB CEO, two policemen took me to the police hospital from the police station gate. The duty doctor examined my condition and said, "Is there anything left in the body? Where will I treat his body?” He just gave a quick pain reliever injection and advised to apply ointment on the wounds. When I was sent to the police station, I saw many leaders and activists of BNP and allied organizations behind bars. They started massaging my body with the ointment prescribed by the doctor. The police sent me to the court the next day.

Bangla Outlook: What was the court’s comment on the situation?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Police asked for a 10-day remand. But seeing the condition of my body, the court did not grant it. It allowed only one day of interrogation at the prison gate. At the same time, the court ordered that I be admitted to the prison hospital for better treatment.

Bengali Outlook: How was the treatment there?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: No, I did not receive any medical treatment. After one day in the prison, I was sent to the prison ward. Despite the court orders, I was not admitted to the hospital. I still couldn't walk. Other prisoners used to take me to the toilet and give me a bath. I could not even pick up food. The pain was reduced a little with that Moov ointment and paracetamol tablet. I did not receive any other treatment at all. I got bail after a month and half.

Bangla Outlook: Did you seek medical treatment afterwards?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: I sought medical treatment upon release. But the doctor said it was too late by that time. But since no bones were broken, I did not realize it initially.

Bangla Outlook: How do you feel now?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: When I appeared before the court in that case on March 9, 2016, I collapsed on the ground. Lawyers and acquaintances present there took me to the hospital. "It was the second heart attack," said the doctor at BIRDEM Hospital. The first heart attack took place during the torture of 2010. Due to lack of treatment, the cells in the lower part of my heart dried. Had I got treatment immediately, the problem would not have worsened. After taking a long treatment, now I feel okay. However, it is not possible to overcome the damage that I suffered economically, politically and socially because of what I endured.

Bangla Outlook: Did your party (BNP) stand by you during this time?

Saeed Iqbal Titu: Of course. I received extended support and motivation from my political friends and colleagues to keep my body functioning and morale high during this time. After being released from jail, I was going through trauma for a long time. I loved reading books and tried to overcome my depression by reading. I was very reluctant to go outside. My friends tried to inspire me to attend different events. It took me a while to become normal.

Bangla Outlook: What is the situation now?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Despite all this, I was active in all kinds of party programmes, and the democratic movement. On December 7, 2022, I was again tortured by law-and-order forces at the BNP office in Nayapaltan. They opened fire and tear shells throughout the day while we were locked in the party office. After at least 5 hours of this episode, police arrested at least 600 leaders and activists, including myself, along with other senior leaders of the party around 8 pm. Physical abuse was less at that time. However, I was incarcerated for more than three months. After being released on bail, I was again on the struggle for democracy and I'll remain in the movement to restore democracy in the country.

Bangla Outlook: What did you get from politics?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: The time has not come yet. Now is the time for democratic movement. Yet, there are many achievements. But one should not be too focused on achievements. In the fight for people’s rights, it is not right to count what someone gained.

Bangla Outlook: Are you disappointed with the current situation?

Sayed Iqbal Titu: Of course not. It is not right to appear with political statements all the time and everywhere. Public relations should be increased. Social communication should be increased for political development. I see that most people in society are against injustice. They may not join the protest. But it is the job of the political leaders to create that situation. This is what I'm doing. And I believe these people will stand by us in the struggle for freedom. We must remember that a social movement will be required against this evil. It must be remembered that the evil we are fighting against is not so easy. The struggle is tough, but it must go on. The victory will ultimately belong to the people. It will be ours.

Bangla Outlook: Do you still have dreams after all these tortures and oppression, amid criticism?

Syed Iqbal Titu: Of course, I dream. I am BNP, my dream is BNP's dream. In politics there is more sacrifice than enjoyment. One should be in politics only after accepting this.

Bangla Outlook: Thank you.

Sayed Iqbal Titu: I thank the Bangla Outlook too.