Chairman claimed that by not letting him into the prison, the Inspector General of Prisons violated NHRC Act 2009 and for that he should be removed. The government is yet to take any action to this effect, an omission that might encourage more such violations of the law in future. The State Department Reports on Human Rights reveal that in general the government did not permit prison visits by independent human rights monitors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross. Government-appointed committees composed of prominent private citizens in each prison locality monitor prisons monthly but do not publicly release their findings. The same is true for the District judges, who occasionally visit prisons but rarely disclose their findings to the public.69 Use of Bar Fetters: In response to a writ petition70 of Ain o Salisk Kendro (ASK) in 1997 challenging the use of fetters for a continuous period of 33 months on a convicted prisoner, Hafizur Rahman, the High Court Division gave a judgment on 18 October 2006 upholding the constitutionality of the use of bar fetters on prisoners. The Court stated that the persons in authority who had been responsible for the imposition of bar fetters on Rahman for such a prolonged period should be brought to justice by way of appropriate departmental proceedings. However, it held that applicable laws including Section 56 of 69 70 50 The Daily Star, July 26, 2008. ASK v Bangladesh , Writ Petition No. 2852 of 1997.