A legal petition has been filed seeking to sue Muhammad Yunus – who had served as chief adviser of the interim government, and three others on charges of negligence of duty, violation of law, and causing death by negligence amid a nationwide measles outbreak.
The application was moved on Sunday morning by an individual named Sirajul Islam in the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam.
After recording the plaintiff’s statement, the court kept the order pending. The other accused in the petition are former health adviser Nurjahan Begum, former director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Md Abu Jafar, and former press secretary to the chief adviser Shafiqul Alam.
The filing was confirmed by the plaintiff’s counsel Taslima Jahan Popy.
In his petition, Sirajul Islam detailed the death of his nine-month-old daughter Sauda Muskan.
He stated that the infant was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with a fever, but her condition worsened due to a shortage of hospital beds, a lack of oxygen, and negligence by doctors and nurses.
The plaintiff alleged that his daughter died of measles because she was unable to receive the vaccine on time due to a supply crisis.
The petition further claims that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, along with the former health adviser and relevant officials, showed extreme negligence in the procurement, supply, and implementation of the measles vaccination programme.
This failure has allegedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of children across the country, while thousands of others remain under treatment.
The allegations state that such failures constitute a violation of the constitutional responsibility to protect public health and life, an abuse of power, and a failure to discharge legal duties. fact check with the source.
