Activists of the Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh (DAB), the pro-BNP doctors’ body, are accused of entering the office of Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), and beating him. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare formed a three-member committee on Wednesday to investigate. The assault took place at about 11am at the IEDCR director’s office in Mohakhali.
The ministry said in a press release that the committee must submit a full report with recommendations within seven days. Arif Ahmad, additional secretary (budget) of the Health Services Division, is the convener. Professor Dr Zahid Raihan, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services, is a member, and Imtiaz Hossain, deputy secretary (administration-1) of the Health Services Division, is member secretary.
As an immediate step after the assault, DAB suspended the primary membership of Dr Zahid Hasan, assistant legal affairs secretary of its central executive committee, and issued him a show-cause notice.
Video footage shows Kazi Ahmed Zaki sitting in a meeting with several people in his office when eight or nine men enter. They pull him from his chair, start beating him and try to push him out of the room. Others in the room stop the intruders and send them out. Professor Zaki then goes back and sits in his chair.
The IEDCR director told reporters: “Some miscreants attacked a government institution. I do not want to comment now. I am going to the ministry.”
An official of the institute, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the director was working in his room in the morning. At about 11am several DAB members came and entered his room, and he was then physically assaulted.
DAB secretary general Zahirul Islam Shakil told reporters: “Both sides involved in the incident are our people. We are investigating it and we do not support any such behaviour. If anyone commits wrongdoing using DAB’s name, we will take strict organisational action.” He also confirmed that DAB had information that the man who led the incident is a DAB member.
DAB president Professor Harun Al Rashid said: “Both the accused and the victim are members of our organisation. The accused young man worked on an IEDCR project and recently lost his job. Whether that or some other interest is involved cannot be said without an investigation. But how Kazi Ahmed, under this government, holds meetings in his office with former officials of the previous government’s health directorate is also something to look at.”
The show-cause notice, signed by DAB secretary general Dr Zahirul Islam Shakil, says Dr Zahid’s primary membership was suspended over allegations of involvement in the unpleasant incident in the IEDCR director’s room on Wednesday morning. He has been asked to reply to the DAB president and secretary general within 48 hours explaining why permanent organisational action should not be taken against him.
IEDCR is an important government institute responsible for monitoring disease outbreaks, conducting research and issuing public health alerts. Public health expert Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki was appointed its director after the interim government was formed. He recently also conducted research on the effectiveness of the measles vaccine.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report