DMC asks police to take away militants' bodies

The Dhaka Medical College (DMC) authorities urged Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to take necessary steps to take back the bodies of 13 militants, who were killed in different operations in and outside the capital, from its mortuary as the morgue's normal activities are being hampered due to a dearth of space in it.

"We requested the police to take steps to evacuate our mortuary by either removing the bodies or taking them back, as we are facing difficulties because of the shortage of space in the morgue," Dr Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic medicine department at DMC, told The Daily Star yesterday, adding that they wrote to Shahbagh Police Station last week, informing them of the matter.

There are 20 boxes in the mortuary to keep dead bodies and eight of them were damaged. Now, the 13 militants' bodies have long been occupying the rest of the boxes, Sohel mentioned.

"So, there is no space to keep any new body," he added.

Abu Bakar Siddique, officer-in-charge of the police station, confirmed to The Daily Star that they had received a letter three or so days ago from the DMC authorities.

"The DMC authorities requested us to take necessary steps for removing the bodies," he said.

But Masudur Rahman, DMP deputy commissioner (media), said they were not aware of any such letter.

The deputy commissioner added that families were yet to apply to them to take the bodies back.

 "So, whom will we give the bodies," he questioned.

Of the 13 bodies, nine are of militants who were killed in the Kallyanpur operation and have been left in the morgue for 40 days, said morgue sources.

The remaining bodies are of militants killed in Narayanganj and in the capital's Rupnagar.