Health Sec declared unwanted in his village

Kishoreganj's Katiadi upazila unit Awami League has declared Health Secretary Abdul Mannan as persona non grata in his locality as cases were filed against Awami League leaders and activists after a attack at the health secretary's village house. 

Dilip Ghosh, president of Katiadi upazila unit Awami League, made this announcement from a protest programme in front of Katiadi Degree College on Sunday noon, reports Prothom Alo.  

The attack was centred around a satellite community clinic being built on a piece of land donated by the health secretary's family. According to the family members, attackers were MP's men and they carried out the attack on his instruction.

The upazila unit activists brought out a procession protesting the cases against their leaders and activists who, they claimed, had not been involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, MA Jalil, officer-in-charge of Katiadi Police Station, was withdrawn on Sunday following the attack at the health secretary's village home.

A notification signed by Md Asaduzzaman, additional DIG, reached at the police station at noon, said Sonahar Ali, assistant superintendent of police at Hossainpur Circle.

The notification did not mention any specific reason for withdrawing the OC, but it was mainly due to the failure to prevent the attack.

Health Secretary Abdul Mannan told the media that he had never felt so helpless in his life. He phoned the OC around 20 times but failed to bring police to his house on time for protection.

Inspector Shafiqul Islam of Katiadi Police Station, said two cases were filed over the attack. Of them, Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ashraful Alam filed a case accusing four people and 15 to 20 others unnamed.

Engineer Atiqur Rahman, of the Department of Public Health Engineering, filed another case against 20 to 25 unnamed for vandalism.

Three people have been arrested in the cases and a raid was on to arrest the main accused of the attack.

The construction of the satellite community clinic is underway on a land of eight decimal, which will be named after the wife of the health secretary, who died of Covid-19.  

The health secretary is providing all kinds of assistance in this construction work but a section of people in his locality are not happy with this clinic and road constriction.  

Moreover, allegations ran rife that the MP had not been informed of the construction of the clinic.

The health secretary came to the village home on Friday evening to inaugurate the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the district.

On Saturday morning, a group of people repeatedly attacked his house and the clinic. Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ashraful Alam was thrown into a pond and seven others were injured during the attack.

After the attack, the health secretary did not join the inaugural ceremony of the vaccination drive and returned to Dhaka under the protection of the Rapid Action Battalion.