He was totally fit on Monday evening after the verdict date was announced at noon. But he suddenly fell ill at midnight in Dhaka Central Jail, hours before the top war crimes accused was supposed to be taken to the International Crimes Tribunal.
Upon doctors’ advice, the jail authorities did not place him before the tribunal, and the verdict was postponed.
The tribunal considered it illogical to pronounce the judgement in absence of the accused. It also ordered the jail authorities to submit a full report on Nizami’s health condition as soon as possible.
Earlier in the day, the jail authorities informed the tribunal’s registrar office through a letter that Nizami had been sick, AKM Nasiruddin Mahmud, registrar and spokesperson of the tribunal, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.
However, the Dhaka civil surgeon was not informed about the whole matter though he was supposed to know about such development for the prisoner.
After examination around 3:30pm yesterday, a two-member doctors’ team said Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was having some physical complications and needed special intensive care. They said Nizami’s health condition was improving.
The doctors are assistant surgeons of the prison hospital Shamsuddin Ahmed and Rafiqul Alam, said sources.
“Nizami has been kept under intensive care in a special room of the prison hospital. Doctors have conducted his ECG and blood tests, and found four complications – high blood pressure, diabetes, eyesight problem and pain in the spinal cord,” a top jail official told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening, seeking anonymity.
When Nizami was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur High Security Jail Monday evening, he was fit.
Earlier, the accused had often informed the Kashimpur Jail authorities about his minor illness including diabetes. Doctors took care of the problems accordingly. Kashimpur Jail Superintendent Mizanur Rahman yesterday evening said: “The accused was fit when we shifted him to Dhaka Central Jail.”
Asked if Nizami had faced any major illness during his stay in jail, he replied: “Not recently. He felt serious chest pain around a month back. Then we took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and he recovered quickly.”
The doctors that time said Nizami had diabetes, and cardiac and eye sight problems, he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Forman Ali, senior jail superintendent of the Dhaka prisons, said: “The accused first informed us about his illness around midnight. He was then taken to the jail hospital where two doctors conducted medical checkups in the presence of jail officials.”
Though the jail officials left the hospital around 3am, the doctors stayed there until 8am yesterday. They mentioned that Nizami’s physical condition had not been improving.
“The same doctors conducted his check up in the afternoon after the verdict was postponed. They suggested keeping Nizami under close watch,” Forman said yesterday evening.
Asked why the accused was not shifted to any outside hospital for better treatment, he said: “Doctors did not prescribe so.” He also denied disclosing the details of the doctors’ advice.
However, when the Dhaka Tribune contacted the civil surgeon of Dhaka, Dr Abdul Malek, about the present health condition of Nizami, he said he had been unaware of the whole thing.
“Actually, I was not informed. Normally, the jail authorities inform me if any prisoner falls seriously ill. But this time they did not inform me. Doctors at the jail hospital handled the matter,” he said.