Toxic paracetamol: HC asks govt to inform steps taken against accused

The High Court today ordered the government to inform it within 72 hours what action has been taken against two high officials of the drug administration for their negligence in dealing with the case filed for manufacturing toxic paracetamol syrup that killed at least 28 children in 2009.

The officials are Assistant Director of the Directorate General of Drug Administration Shafiqul Islam and its Deputy Director Altaf Hossain.

Health secretary and director general of the Directorate General of Health Services have been asked to report to the HC about the steps taken against Shafiqul and Altaf.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the order after Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid moved a petition on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

Advocate Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star that the health secretary has recently submitted a probe report to the HC as per its earlier order, saying that Shafiqul and Altaf had negligence, incompetence and inefficiency in filing and dealing with the case filed for manufacturing toxic paracetamol syrup.

From June to August in 2009, at least 28 children across the country died of renal failures allegedly caused by Rid Pharma's paracetamol syrups and suspensions.

On July 22 that year, the drug administration sealed off Rid Pharma's factory in BSCIC area of Brahmanbaria following wide media coverage of the children's death.

In August the same year, Shafiqul Islam, the then superintendent of drug administration, filed the case with the Dhaka Drug Court and only five prosecution witnesses testified after the court indicted the five accused in March 2011.

The five are Rid Pharma's Managing Director Mizanur Rahman, directors Sheuli Rahman and Abdul Gani, and pharmacists Mahbubul Islam and Enamul Haque.

On November 28 last year, Judge M Atoar Rahman of the drug court acquitted all the five officials, observing that the prosecution utterly failed to prove the charge brought against the accused.

Negligence, inefficiency and incompetence of the drug administration in dealing with the case led to the acquittal of all the accused, the judge said in the verdict.

Two officials of the drug administration involved in the case against Rid Pharmaceuticals knowingly violated due procedure of law, and exhibited sheer negligence, inefficiency and incompetence in dealing with the case, the verdict said.

The two officials -- Shafiqul Islam and Altaf Hossain -- were drug superintendents in 2009.