Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum was forced to leave the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) while visiting victims of July’s mass uprising amid outrage.
She was accompanied by British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook.
The incident occurred on Wednesday (13 November) at NITOR in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, when the health adviser and the British diplomat arrived to check on those still undergoing treatment from injuries sustained during the July protests.
Witnesses said that the situation turned tense after a member of Nurjahan Begum’s protocol allegedly pushed one of the patients, triggering discontent among the victims.
Some of the protesters raised additional complaints, criticising delays in funds from the July Smriti Foundation, which many had relied upon for medical and other assistance.
With tensions escalating, both the health adviser and High Commissioner Cook attempted to leave the hospital premises. But, the aggrieved patients and their supporters surrounded their vehicle, blocking their departure.
With the assistance of hospital staff and doctors, Nurjahan Begum and Sarah Cook eventually managed to leave the premises.
