Pregnant nurse kicked in the abdomen during scuffle in front of Nasim’s house
The photo collected from Facebook shows a nurse injured in an atack during yesterday’s demonstrations in Dhanmondi being taken to hospital
At least 50 unemployed graduate nurses were injured when they attempted to gather in front of the residence of Health Minister Mohammad Nasim in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi residential area yesterday.
The injured included a three months pregnant nurse who was allegedly kicked in the abdomen by a law enforcer.
Dhanmondi police OC Nure Azam, however, claimed that they had charged batons lightly which would not lead to an abortion.
The agitating nurses took position on Dhanmondi Road No 28 around 6pm as part of plan to besiege the house, but were asked by the police to leave.
Police along with the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Shechchhasebok League launched the attack on the nurses around 7:30pm, they alleged.
Ruhul Amin Sagor, assistant police commissioner of Dhanmondi zone, claimed that the police charged batons on the nurses and used water canon to disperse them only after they had pelted brick chips aiming at the police and attempted to forcefully enter the minister’s residence.
The injured were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and nearby hospitals and clinics.
Rina Akter, president of the unemployed nurses’ association, told the Dhaka Tribune that one of the nurses, Salma, who had begun bleeding during the police action later had a miscarriage.
She was first admitted to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (SSMCH), and later taken to Ibn Sina Hospital in Dhanmondi.
Dr Sadia Imdad, resident surgeon at SSMCH, claimed that they had not noticed miscarriage while treating the injured nurse.
The unemployed nursing graduates have been demonstrating since March 30 after a circular issued by the Public Service Commission (PSC) sought to recruit 3,616 senior nurses through exams.
The nursing graduates were hoping to be recruited on the basis of year of graduation, merit and seniority. They started the movement in Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection but were dispersed by the police. There are some 21,000 unemployed nurses in the country. When contacted over the phone, Nasim declined to comment on the issue.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
