Dhaka, Feb. 27 -- They also demanded "a swift, transparent, and independent inquiry into the full circumstances" in a joint statement on Friday.

"We understand that he had been denied bail on several occasions and that concerns had been raised about his treatment while he was imprisoned," the statement said, noting that the writer had been in jail since his arrest on May 5 last year.

Mushtaq, 53, died at Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur on Thursday night. The cause of his death was not clear. The prison authorities have started a case terming his death "unnatural".

Protesters in Dhaka demonstrated over the writer's death. Besides fair investigation into Mushtaq's death, they demand cancellation of the Digital Security Act.

"W...