E/CN.4/1997/7 page 11 27. In addition to its use as a means to extract a “confession”, torture was also reportedly administered to force detainees to sign statements pledging to renounce their political affiliation, to desist from future anti-government activity, to coerce the victim into reporting on the activities of others, to inflict punishment and to instil fear in political opponents. The methods of torture reported include: falaqa (beatings on the soles of the feet); severe beatings, sometimes with hose-pipes; suspension of the limbs in contorted positions accompanied by blows to the body; enforced prolonged standing; sleep deprivation; preventing victims from relieving themselves; immersion in water to the point of near drowning; burnings with cigarettes; piercing the skin with a drill; sexual assault, including the insertion of objects into the penis or anus; threats of execution or of harm to family members; and placing detainees suffering from sickle cell anaemia (said to be prevalent in the country) in air-conditioned rooms in the winter, which can lead to injury to internal organs. 28. The Special Rapporteur transmitted one individual case to the Government, to which he received a reply, and informed the Government that he had received information on other cases, but that the names of the alleged victims had been withheld or the victim had requested that the case remain confidential for fear of reprisals by the authorities against the victim or his or her family. The Special Rapporteur also made 6 urgent appeals on behalf of 19 persons. The Government replied to each of these appeals. Observations 29. In the light of repeated allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, sometimes resulting in death, especially at the hands of the SIS, the Special Rapporteur believes the Government should establish measures to ensure the independent monitoring, on a sustained basis, of the arrest, detention and interrogation practices of law enforcement agencies, particularly the SIS. Bangladesh 30. The Special Rapporteur transmitted 29 individual cases. one urgent appeal, to which the Government provided a reply. He also made Observations 31. In the light of the severe injuries inflicted on some university students at an incident at Dhaka University (see E/CN.4/1997/7/Add.1, para. 17), the Special Rapporteur believes the Government should institute an independent inquiry into the handling of the incident. The continuing flow of information about abuses committed by the army in the Chittagong Hill Tracts suggests that the Government should establish effective and independent means to monitor the army’s counter-insurgency methods in that area. Bolivia 32. The Special Rapporteur received the report of the Chamber of Deputies Human Rights Commission entitled “Complaints of torture of citizens charged with armed revolt”, which gives an account of the Commission's investigation of torture and other human rights violations involving persons detained