People in different areas continue to be the victims of strike-time violence such as crude bomb explosions and arson attack on vehicles as the countrywide indefinite blockade imposed by the 20-party alliance is still in effect.
Dr Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon of Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday the unit was getting new patients daily and the situation resembled that in late 2013.
“We have now around seven patients who are receiving treatment and three of them remain in a critical condition,” he said.
Five new burn victims were admitted to the burn unit yesterday. Four of them were injured in capital while the other in Narayanganj.
Abul Kalam, a driver by profession, is one of the five who had 33% of his body burnt, including his respiratory organs.
Sitting beside the 28-year-old on the bed, his mother Safia Begum was shedding tears and praying to Allah for her son yesterday.
On Friday, Kalam parked the car he drives in front of Agora Shopping Centre in Moghbazar and was sleeping inside when miscreants hurled a Molotov cocktail at the vehicle around 11:30pm.
He took his employer Raju Ahmed there to attend a marriage ceremony.
“I was in the party when I heard a loud sound. I quickly came out on the street and saw the car burning, with Kalam inside it,” said Raju.
Kamal, who hails from Barisal, lives with his younger brother Ibrahim in a rented house in Dhaka.
Ibrahim said he was worried about bearing the expenses of Kalam’s treatment their family was poor.
In a separate incident, two mosque staff in Kamrangirchar - Abdul Gafur, 30, and Mizanur Rahman, 32 – sustained burn injuries as the bus carrying them came under an arson attack. They were headed to Kamrangirchar from Gabtoli by a bus of Sohan Paribahan.
The fire burnt both the legs of Gafur while Mizanur got his knees and hands burnt completely.
Rickshaw puller Amulya Barman, 45, was admitted to the burn unit as his face, hands and respiratory organs were burnt. He was going to Gabtoli from Jatrabari on a bus which was torched in front of Tejgaon Mohila College around 7:30am yesterday.
Amulya, with 12% burn injuries, said he was going to Gabtoli to board a bus to travel to Panchagarh as his family lives there.
“But now the violence brought me to the hospital bed,” he said. Al Masud, 65, who claimed himself as a freedom fighter, was admitted to the burn unit with 8% burn injuries in his body.
He sustained injuries when miscreants set ablaze a bus of Bandhan Paribahan in front of a clinic in Narayanganj at 8:30am yesterday. He was on his way to Dhanmondi to join a programme. Masud’s brother SM Kajol said his brother did not get married and joined the 1971 Liberation War to fight for the country’s independence.
“It seems my brother fought for nothing as the situation in the country is worsening every day. We commoners are suffering for a handful of people who are only interested in only having their personal interests served,” he said.
Dr Partha said physicians were trying their best to treat the patients but everything depended on the Almighty.
