Security forces in plainclothes are taking fingerprints and photos of individuals admitted to various city hospitals with injuries from violence during the recent countrywide student protests seeking quota reforms in government jobs, causing panic among the victims and their family members.聽
In recent days, many patients admitted to both public and private hospitals in the capital expressed fear of arrest and harassment upon their recovery as security forces in plainclothes took their fingerprints and photos.
Legal experts said that law enforcers were not authorised to collect such information from individuals who were not arrested.聽
Md Shahidul, father of 11th grader Ratul, who was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Uttara after being wounded by multiple pellets on July 19, told 抖阴精品 on Monday that several plainclothes people, identifying them as police officers, took his son鈥檚 fingerprints and photos a few days ago while he was in the Intensive Care Unit in a critical condition.
Shahidul said that when he inquired about the reason for collecting this聽 information, the officers did not provide any answer.聽
A patient named Raju, a father of two, who was receiving treatment at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital also appeared anxious about the matter.
聽鈥榃hy did they take my fingerprints and photos? Will they arrest me?鈥� he said on Friday.
Auto driver Raju was waiting for amputation of his right leg as a bullet severed a vein in his knee in Gazipur on July 20.
Crying, Raju said, 鈥楾he doctor said my right leg needs to be amputated. I am already in so much pain and I am the sole breadwinner for my family. What will my family and I do if they arrest me? I wasn鈥檛 involved in the protest.鈥�
Wishing to remain anonymous, the brother of another critically injured patient at Dhaka Medical College Hospital expressed his anxiety on Monday, saying, 鈥榃e are already going through a lot of pain, as one leg of my brother will probably be amputated due to a bullet wound. We don鈥簍 know what鈥簊 going on.鈥�
Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik said that law enforcers had no authority to collect such information from people, even if they were crime suspects.聽
鈥楾his information can only be taken if a person is arrested,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥楽uch acts are possible only in countries where there is no accountability.鈥�
Despite repeated attempts, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman and any other high-ranking officials could not be reached for comment.
Law enforcement agencies arrested over 10,000 people during block raids launched following the imposition of a curfew since midnight on July 19 amid violent protests.聽
At least 213 people were killed and several thousand injured in clashes and their aftermath between July 16 and July 29 as law enforcement agencies and ruling party supporters clashed with protesters in Dhaka and other places.
