Naimul Abrar, a class nine student of Dhaka Residential Model College died due to electrocution while attending a programme of the Kishore Alo, a youth supplemented for national daily Prothom Alo.
Mohakhali Universal Medical Hospital authority has claimed that Abrar died on the spot and was brought to the hospital only to have him officially declared dead.
But Abrar’s friends claim that the doctors did not declare him dead and when he was being taken from the programme, the explanation given was that he had collapsed due to heatstroke.
Students present at the event say that even though the issue of faulty wiring was known, the volunteers did not take any measure to address it. Also, there was indignation at the presence of inexperienced volunteers.
Brother Sunny of the medical camp, two persons from Universal Medical Camp and two volunteers took Abrar to the hospital in an ambulance. Sunny says: “The doctors at the camp declared him dead but I cannot say if they informed anyone of Kishore Alo or not.”
Ambulance driver Md Mahbub, said: “I was asked to go into the school with the ambulance but could not enter due to heavy crowd; a little later, two brothers and two boys brought a person on a trolley; at that time, I saw the eyes of the boy on the trolley was open; he appeared to be alive.”
MD of the hospital Dr Ashish Kumar Chakrabarty, observes: “The boy died at the school but was brought here for the official confirmation; the camp doctors at the school field sent the body to the hospital because to declare someone dead several procedures need to be followed.”
At the hospital, he was taken to the emergency but doctors could not get his heart-beat, pulse and at 4:51 pm the boy was officially declared dead, he added.
“I then called lyricist Kabir Bakul and Anisul Huq of Prothom Alo who came to see the body at the hospital around 6:30.”
There is an allegation that the volunteers at the Kishore Alo programme were too young and lacked the seriousness.
The college principal brigadier Kazi Shamim Ahmed, commented: “We have formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter which will give a report within three days.”
Meanwhile, a case of unnatural death has been lodged at the Mohammadpur police station.