Special Correspondent:

Question has intensified among the people that how many more days or months the accused like Samrat and Shamim will take ‘treatment’ from different hospitals including Jail hospital?

Recent Destiny MD Rafiqul Amin’s Zoom meeting incident has raised several questions over prison’s rule and security.

According to the sources, hundreds of prisoners are undergoing ‘treatment’ at different hospitals of the country including jail hospitals. Prison officials could not provide accurate information on the number of inmates in hospitals outside the prison.

However, the expelled Juba League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat and controversial contractor Golam Kibria Shamim alias GK Shamim have been undergoing ‘treatment’ for several months at the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). Besides, 27 prisoners are undergoing treatment in different hospitals of the capital. One of them is Urmila, a woman of India, who was arrested on charges of trespassing.

Destiny’s Managing Director Rafiqul Amin recently engaged in a zoom meeting sitting in the hospital cabin by using Smartphone and internet. For this reason, he was sent back to Jail on July 3.

Originally, after this incident, rumors started about the long duration ‘treatment’ of the prisoners. Prisons and hospital authorities have to face various questions.

According to the sources of the Department of Prisons, the authorities took disciplinary action against the 13 inmates of the hospital after finding evidence of Rafiqul Amin’s zoom meeting. Four prison guards were suspended.

Multiple investigation committees have already formed to investigate into the matter.

GK Shamim and Samrat have been remained incarcerated for a long time in multiple cases including Casino and money laundering.

Despite being incarcerated, they went to several hospitals including BSMMU and Bardem at different times on the plea of treatment. Their ‘treatment’ has been going on for months.

According to sources in the Department of Prisons, Samrat has been in the prison cell of BSMMU since November 24 in 2020. He has been diagnosed with a heart infection.

Shamim was arrested on September 20 in 2019 from his residence in Niketan in the capital. He is said to have a medical device in one hand. In addition, he often visited the prison cell of the hospital to check diabetes and high blood pressure. Latest, Shamim has been receiving ‘treatment’ since April 15 this year.

According to the investigation, three inmates are undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, two at Chest Disease Hospital, one at Pangu Hospital, five at Heart Institute Hospital, seven at Mental Health Institute Hospital and six at Suhrawardy Hospital.

Indian woman Urmila is among the inmates of Suhrawardy Hospital. She was rushed to hospital from Kashimpur Women’s Jail on July 4. Besides, there is another prisoner named Azgar Ali, who was awarded death sentence by the court in the hospital. He has been admitted since April 15.

Mahabubul Islam, Jailer of Dhaka Central Jail said, “The inmates were sent to the hospital on the advice of doctors. Besides, there is needed approval of doctors to send any person to Jail from the hospital. Prison authorities have no role to play here. However, every 15 days, the Jail authorities send a letter to the concerned hospitals asking for information about the treatment of the prisoners. Hospital authorities take necessary steps to send the prisoners back to prison, if he or she feels that they are cured.