The High Court summoned three people including Patuakhali’s civil surgeon directing them to appear before it on August 1 for their explanation on the incident of bringing out cotton from the abdomen of a woman into more than three months after her operation.

Two other people, who have to appear before the HC, are the head of the Gynaecology department of Barisal Medical College Hospital and the proprietor of Niramoy Clinic at Baufal in Patuakhali.

The HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque came up with the order on a sumoto (of its own) move following a report published on Bangla daily Prothom Alo on July 22 under a headline “Sare tin mas por pet theke ber holo goj (cotton brought out from abdomen into three and a half months after operation).

According to the report, cotton was brought out from the abdomen of a Maksuda Begum, 25, wife of Russel Sardar from Bilbilas village under Baufal upazila, through an operation on July 12 after she was admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.

Earlier in March, Maksuda gave birth to a daughter child at Niramoy Clinic at Baufal through operation. After a month, she felt severe pain in the abdomen.

Maksuda’s digestive tract has been infected as the cotton remained in her abdomen for a long time, the report said quoting a doctor of the hospital.

Advocate Md Shahid Ullah placed the newspaper report before the HC for an order.