Staff of Sher-e-Bangla hospital in Barishal attack protesters demanding health reforms
Witnesses said nurses, technicians, and third and fourth-class employees assaulted the protesters shortly after staging their own rally inside the hospital compound and on Band Road
The staff at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barishal today (14 August) allegedly attacked students staging a hunger strike demanding health sector reforms, forcing them out of the hospital premises.
Witnesses said nurses, technicians, and third and fourth-class employees assaulted the protesters shortly after staging their own rally inside the hospital compound and on Band Road, chanting slogans against the movement's coordinator Mohiuddin Rony.
The attackers were reportedly searching for Rony, who was not present at the demonstration.
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Navid Nasif, a spokesperson for the student protesters, said their mass hunger strike was part of a previously announced programme.
"We saw the hospital staff in aprons beat a patient and detain his relatives. Then they turned on us," he alleged.
Monir Hossain, who witnessed the incident, said the hospital employees chanted slogans mocking Rony before returning to beat the students. The slogans included calls to physically punish the movement's coordinator.
SBMCH Assistant Director Dr Moniruzzaman told The Business Standard that he was unaware of any attack. The hospital's Director Brig Gen AKM Mashiul Munir was unavailable for comments.
The incident came a day after Dr Md Abu Jafor, the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), visited Barishal and assured students that their demands would be met, but also warned that law enforcement would act against protests that cause public suffering.
Last night (14 August), students of Barishal Government Brojomohun College, who had been leading the 17-day movement, suspended their protest for 30 working days following assurances from the health ministry.
However, Rony and his faction vowed to continue demonstrations, including today's hunger strike. He said, "We welcome those who have withdrawn, but we are not yet convinced. Our movement will continue."
Earlier, tensions within the movement escalated after clashes between senior and junior students of Brojomohun College left eight people injured, including Rony.
The movement began with a three-point demand, including action against syndicates and irregularities in the health sector, and had seen protesters block the Dhaka-Barishal highway and key city roads for six consecutive days.
