A director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), was assaulted inside his office on Wednesday morning after a group of eight to nine people, including a pro BNP doctor leader, entered the room and attacked him.
The incident took place around 11am. A video shows Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaker holding a meeting with several people when the group enters his office, pulls him out of his chair and begins assaulting him.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident, while the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), a physicians’ organisation aligned with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has temporarily suspended the primary membership of Dr Zahid Hasan, accused of involvement in the assault.
DAB has also issued a show-cause notice asking why final organisational action should not be taken against him. He has been given 48 hours to respond.
Describing the incident as undesirable and unwelcome, DAB President Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid said the organisation had taken action against the accused as soon as it learned of the incident.
“As far as we know, Dr Zahid Hasan worked at the IEDCR and was a DAB member. He recently lost his job. The person who was assaulted is also a lifetime member of DAB,” he said.
Several other people can be seen in the video. Asked about their involvement, Harun said the organisation had taken action against the person it had initially identified.
“If anyone else is found to be involved, action will also be taken against them too. We want the rule of law. DAB will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that no one repeats such an incident in the future,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, leader of the opposition and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman described the incident as a dark chapter in the history of healthcare in Bangladesh.
“According to sources, activists of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), an organisation of pro-BNP physicians, created a mob and carried out the incident,” he wrote.
“An incident like this took place at the IEDCR at 11am today. If such a mob can be formed recklessly in broad daylight even within a highly educated and specialised professional community, where is the country heading?”
He added that one disturbing incident after another was taking place, noting that the damage caused by vandalism and looting at Radda Medical Centre was still fresh.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident through an official order issued by the Administration-1 wing of the Health Services Division on Wednesday. Deputy Secretary Imtiaz Hossain signed the order.
The committee has been instructed to complete its investigation and submit a report within seven working days.
Additional Secretary (Budget) of the Health Services Division Arif Ahmed has been appointed convener. Professor Dr Md Zahid Raihan, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services, is a member, while Deputy Secretary Imtiaz Hossain will serve as member-secretary.
According to the order, the committee was formed to establish the facts following reports from reliable sources and social media about the assault on the IEDCR director and the ensuing disturbance at his office around 11am on Wednesday.