BESIDES the death of at least 163 people in indiscriminate firing by law enforcement personnel during the student movement for reforms in government job quota, a few thousand people have been wounded, with many still in a critical condition in hospital. Many of the injured are reported to have lost their eyesight while many are at risks of losing eyesight. At least 121 people, with critical injury in either one or both eyes, are being treated in National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Most of them suffered bullet wounds while some were hit by objects such as bricks and sticks in July 16鈥�21. Victims and their relatives say that people were mostly injured when the police fired indiscriminately to disperse protesters in places in the capital. Many of them were injured at home and at work, adjacent to roads where the clashes happened. At least 394 people, mostly students, took treatment in National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital for eye injuries. Among them, as the hospital authorities say, at least 256 injured needed surgeries while about 100 are at risks of losing their eyesight.
At Dhaka Medical College Hospital, which received the highest number of the injured, many came with eye injuries. At least 37 such patients are reported to be treated in Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Three of them have already lost their sight in both eyes while eight others are at risks of losing vision in one eye. Eye specialists fear that many of them might gradually lose their eyesight. Meanwhile, scores of people are reported being treated, mostly for bullet injuries, in hospitals across the country. The government has yet to give any figure on the number of death and the injured in clashes. Hospitals are alleged to have been non-cooperative in disclosing the number of death and the injured while many victims are afraid to disclose their injuries as they fear further harassment by the law enforcement agencies. The fear has also deterred many of the injured from taking treatment in hospitals. Media reports, however, show that at least 6,344 people, mostly with bullet injuries, were treated in various public and private hospitals in Dhaka only. The number of the injured who did not go to hospital is estimated to be no less.
As the death toll rises, with some of the injured dying from their injuries, the prospect of many of the injured people losing their eyesight or serious damage only points to the gross violation of human rights that happened because of the intransigence of the authorities that pushed a peaceful movement for a legitimate cause into violence. The authorities owe the nation an unconditional apology and must investigate the incidents. They must also help the injured in every possible way and not harass them in any way.