Failing to provide Manna with better medical care while he remains in custody could imperil his life, his wife said yesterday.
At a media briefing at the family’s Gulshan residence, Meher Nigar, wife of Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, appealed for better medical care for her husband, a coronary artery disease patient.
“I pray humbly that Manna be sent to a hospital abroad for better treatment, rather than being kept in jail,” Meher said.
She said her husband, a heart disease patient, was found to have three blocked arteries before his arrest. He also suffers from eye problems, she said.
If not provided with proper care, Manna’s condition will deteriorate, she said.
Meher claimed that heavy torture in remand caused Manna to fall ill and be admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). She claimed the hospital doctor sent him back to jail without providing adequate treatment.
“I appeal to the government to continue with a fair trial, based on proper evidence. But before that he needs better medical treatment,” Meher said.
Asked about taking part in the Dhaka City Corporation polls, Meher said the elections were far less important than preserving her husband’s health.
Manna’s daughter, Nilom, and lawyer, Begh Masum Jahan, were present at the briefing.
Manna was arrested on February 24, a day after the leak of a controversial telephone conversation between him and Sadeque Hossain Khoka, who has been residing in the United States for medical purposes.
After his arrest, Manna was placed on a 10-day remand in a case filed with Gulshan police station on charges of trying to instigate a revolt by the armed forces.
On March 7, a Dhaka court placed Manna on another 10-day remand in a sedition case filed at the same police station against him and BNP senior leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Three days after the remand, he fell ill and was sent to DMCH for treatment.
Manna is now being held at Dhaka Central Jail.