Siddiqur travels to Chennai for eye treatment

Siddiqur Rahman, a third-year student of Titumir College, was injured on July 21 in a demonstration he took part in with fellow students of seven Dhaka University-affiliated colleges. Siddiq traveled to India for treatment after his eyes were damaged during the demonstration in Dhaka, reports BSS. As directed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry arranged his treatment at Chennai's Sankara Nethralaya Hospital. The government will bear the cost of his treatment. Airport sources confirmed that Siddiq left for his treatment on a Sri Lankan airline which departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1pm on Thursday, accompanied by his brother Nawab Ali and Dr Zahidul Ahsan Menon, assistant professor of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital. "Siddiq will visit an eye specialist at Sankara Nethralaya Hospital on Friday morning," said the Director of National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital Professor Dr Golam Mostofa. Students from seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University brought out a demonstration at Shahbagh on July 20, demanding the announcement of exam schedules. During the demonstration, Siddiq's eye was exposed to a teargas shell. The Home Ministry has already formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said if negligence is found after the formation of the committee, the people responsible will be brought to justice. The minister also asked the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to be more cautious while preventing protests and riots in the city.