Panic at DMCH emergency as ‘BCL men’ swoop on demonstrators

Patients and attendants of Dhaka Medical College Hospital were gripped by fear as alleged Chhatra League activists launched two consecutive attacks on the student protesters there last evening.

Emergency services were disrupted due to the attacks.

Over 50 alleged BCL members, armed with sticks and wearing helmets, barged into the emergency department around 6:50pm and again at 7:30pm. They brutally beat the students, who were participating in the quota reform movement.

Witnesses said the attackers forced their way in with weapons after ignoring Ansar members' requests.

The main gate and other hospital buildings were closed during the attacks, adding to the chaos.

Patients who had come for emergency treatment were in a state of panic since 4:00pm, as injured student protesters, who were assaulted by BCL activists in Dhaka University, were being brought in. Other demonstrators accompanied the injured.

Meanwhile, alleged BCL members were stationed on the adjacent road when student protesters gathered near the hospital.

Witnesses further alleged that before the BCL attacks, quota protesters assaulted at least three people at the hospital, suspecting them of being Chhatra League activists.

A female DU student in the hospital, requesting anonymity, said, "We thought the hospital was safe, but unfortunately, BCL activists entered."

Hasan Abdullah, a patient, said, "Around 5:30pm, I saw people running away from the hospital, which scared me."

Another patient, Rina Begum, said, "A young man was being beaten in front of the hospital's emergency department. An Ansar member intervened to calm the situation. Attacks inside the hospital are never acceptable."

Speaking to this newspaper, patient Jafar Hossain said, "I was scared as soon as I saw boys carrying sticks. They even attacked an ambulance."

An Ansar member, speaking anonymously, said the patients were frightened and many had left the hospital prior to the attacks without receiving treatment.

A student, also wishing anonymity, said, "No one is leaving the hospital out of fear."

Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman, director at DMCH, said their services were disrupted due to the attacks.

"To control the situation, we allocated more nurses and doctors to the emergency department," he said, adding that the injured from both groups are receiving treatment.

Journalists were barred by the attackers from taking photographs or recording videos. Some also had their phones checked.

Hospital sources said police and Ansar members were able to bring the situation under control around 9:00pm.