Injured participants from the July student movement staged a protest in the capital, blocking roads outside the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) on Wednesday afternoon.
The protest halted traffic along the Agargaon to Shyamoli route in front of the hospital.
Demonstrators said that around 500 individuals injured in the July movement are currently undergoing treatment at Nitor but are not receiving adequate care or medical allowances.
They expressed frustration after Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Adviser Noorjahan Begum and British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke visited the hospital earlier in the day but did not meet with all the injured patients.
According to several protesters, the health adviser and high commissioner arrived around 11:30am and visited only the fourth-floor male ward, overlooking the injured on the third floor.
As they prepared to leave, frustrated patients blocked a Ministry of Health vehicle.
One protester reportedly sat in front of the car, while another climbed onto the roof. The health adviser and high commissioner eventually departed in another vehicle, but the protesters continued to block additional ministry and police vehicles in frustration.
Hasan, a student injured in the movement, shared his grievances: “There are 48 of us in each ward, but they only spoke to a few people and didn’t allow any local journalists to enter. They left without talking to most of us. I’ve had nine operations on my leg, yet I still haven’t recovered. We’re asking for the Tk1 lakh compensation they promised, along with quality medical treatment.”
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Police for DMP Tejgaon Division Mohammad Ziaul Haque said: “They are protesting in front of the hospital for proper treatment and compensation following the July and August 5 student-public movements. We are in discussions with the injured, hospital authorities, and other relevant parties to resolve the matter promptly.”
Regarding the situation with the health adviser and British High Commissioner’s vehicles, ADC Ziaul Haque noted: “They are injured patients. It wasn’t an attack or an attempt to vandalize; they were simply blocking the car out of frustration.”
