Wed 30 Aug 2006
Brickbat, coincidence, heart attack
Posted by Rumi under Health & Safety , News and events , PoliticsIn the early days of current BNP government, in the pre-RAB era, a crime drive called “Operation Clean heart” was initiated by the government. However this operation clean heart was popularly called ‘operation heart attack’ as those who were killed in this operation were all declared dying of heart attack.
Similarly another heart attack death occured yesterday, involving, this time, a member of police. During picketer-police hustle, a brick hit the police constable, Narayan’s forehead and later he was declared dead at Heart foundation hospital.
And spin regarding this death started even before the death was declared. State Minister for home immediately ceased the opportunity of this killing to put the blame squarely on opposition leader Sheikh Hasina’s raucous remarks.
And a counter spin was staged by news outlets like Daily Star, Prothom -alo etc. Their stance is that it was right that Narayan got hit in the forehead but he also had a heart attack at the same time.
All the party involved quoted the physicians at heart foundation hospital at their own sweet will.
The home minister’s vile efforts to politicize the unfortunate death against political opponent must be condemned.
At the same time conscientious souls should also condemn the double standard of media outlets like Daily Star or Prothom-Alo. These outlets claim aristocracy by preaching against Hartals, at the same time when this unfortunate death’s happen, they can’t hide partisanship while trying to undermine another hartal casualty by promoting it as a mere heart attack death.
The Daily Star photo declaring the death as heart attack death.
And again this incidence exposes our non existent trauma system. At many as 20% of head injury/ intracranial bleed patients may have presentation similar to heart attack, abnormal ECG, abnormal blood test that are usually found in heart attack etc. These kind of patients need CT scan of the brain to rule out bleeding and if there is a bleed, evacuating it and decompressing the brain becomes an urgency. As far as I could dig out from different newspapers, heart foundation doctors, being trained only in heart problems, and lacking significant exposure to head injury patients, naturally inclined to treat heart problem, which they know how to treat. But they probably didn’t know that the apparent heart attack like presentation may be the result of bleeding in the brain.
For the sake of truth, the country should know the exact cause of the death. I hope autopsy will reveal the truth.
August 31st, 2006 at 12:07 am
Rumi, I agree with almost all the medicine-based explanations/analyses of the injury and eventual death outcome of bleeding or head injury and your recommendation for CT/MRI whatever.
But ‘can’t accept how you try to save Hasina the most notorious leader for raucus remarks or her ever unrestrained mouth. She is the leader who orders Awami picketers/cadres saying, ” if one Awamileaguer is killed you have to kill ten of the enemies.”
Exactly how her notorius late brother Sheik Kamal said the same dialogue sometimes in 1973-74 just infront of me. And it happened when Jahangir Nagar University Chattra League VP was killed and brought to DMC Motuary for post portem in one evening. But as per rule, post-mortem was not done at night, and dead body was at the morgue for the night and incidentally soft parts of the corpse like tip of nose, eyebrows and parts of ears were nibbled by cockroach or mice and face was little disfigured. Next day, Late sheik Kamal came to DMC to take the dead body. Seeing the disfeaguerd dead body of the student leader he was so outraged and furious, and start chasing department people and cursing them in a way like a real horrible mastan, it was beyond beleif. He then said, “Bring them on and if they kill one of us we will kill ten of them and put them on the streets and even the dog won’t come to them.” So is the legacy.
How Hasina being ex-prime minister and current opposition leader can utter such a statement to the bereaved family of Hartal-killed activist as saying,” They [police] killed your son/brother, so police wives and children have no right to stay live. Their family members should be killed as tit for tat and that’s the law of Al-Quran.”
This is the way Late Sheik Mujib made the army enemy of his regime scolding Dalim and his friends instead of doing justice to them after the unfortunate incidence of Gazi Golam Mostafa vs. Dalim groups.
If such a great leader[Hasina] can talk like this, others like Mr. Babar will certainly seize the opportunity to vilify their arch enemy. It’s very natural. I beleive, if you, Rumi would have been in active politics you would also have done the the same thing and won’t let the opprtunity to go off.
Thanks.
August 31st, 2006 at 4:45 am
I think you are getting carried away in this case by making a blanket accusation against the paper. While there may be disagreements on whether we can call it a hartal violence related death or a death caused by heart attack, when you are making such a broad accusation against the paper for trying to undermine the hartal casualities, there must be previous instances of doing the same. I couldn’t find one. In fact, in a previous hartal related death , the paper wrote a very strong editorial against it. Links provided.
August 31st, 2006 at 6:39 am
In fact this is not blanket accusation, it is citicizing and questiining the integrity of one news item.
It is blanket accusation when a democratically elected government is caalled “fascist” government, again and again.
August 31st, 2006 at 6:50 am
when are we going to wake up to the fact that democracy and election are not the same. Election is just one element of democracy. But that’s a separate conversation. I found the following paragraph to be very broad accusation about partisanship to the two newspapers.
At the same time conscientious souls should also condemn the double standard of media outlets like Daily Star or Prothom-Alo. These outlets claim aristocracy by preaching against Hartals, at the same time when this unfortunate death’s happen, they can’t hide partisanship while trying to undermine another hartal casualty by promoting it as a mere heart attack death.
If you did not mean it to be generic, then I rest my case. In that case, I think its a matter of interpretation. If someone dies of accident while going by rickshaw because of hartal, then all of those deaths should be reported as hartal related deaths as well. So they should have found out how many people people died because of not being able to go to the hospital for hartal, how many died in accidents, etc etc, sum them up and adjust the number of people dead becaue of hartal.
August 31st, 2006 at 7:17 am
I rest my case here with you as it seems very clear that you already subscribed to the coincidence theory put forward by daily star et el, i.e. the police constable had heart attack and at the same time he was hit by brick.
To me, hartal is undemocratic. No sane person should try to hide the bad effects of hartal. This sort of little spin here and there to tone down/hide the hartal casualties are nothing but patisanship.
August 31st, 2006 at 9:28 am
Rumi bhai
Pretty much it might be a case of heart attack but throwing bricks and that being the cause of the heart attack it doesn’t make too much sense.
First calling hartal and giving and buying brick bats to the activist is not good democratic practice. So AWL should look in to this matter.
Second the retailiation of the pro-hartal activist on the law enforcing force is very fearce because of the green light signal from the Party chief that if the police kill AWL activist than the AWL activist should take revenge on the family members of the police personal. Police family has nothing to do with the police action on duty they just follow the high command.So Hasina should not say that and also if she thinks like that even USA is not safe for her family members too.We all should keep our families away from political turmoil if the family is not involve in Politics.
What goes around comes around.It takes two to tango.
Third the least physical fitness of the Police Personal. What are they? are they made of mum( candles) why they are so weak? why they are having heart attack at the age of 25-40 years? where is the health care industry of Bangladesh? they should n’t be blamed? When you are in police you got to be mentally and physically stronger than ten other person because u are trained and nurtured that way. I would urge for proper health check up and certification before deploying police to the heavy risky places. If the Police personal suffers from health related disease than they should be given the task of desk jobs may be in the police station.
The whole of Bangladesh is collapsing
I don’t even know now where to start to fix it or it’s becoming the heaven of crooks and self interest lovers who will destroy the country brick by brick.
Kawser Jamal
http://www.changeBangladesh.com
August 31st, 2006 at 9:53 am
This article is actually one of the better ones with previous instances highlighting lack of appropriate facilities for the police. A more humane look for the police everyone loves to loathe.
Rumi bhai, I subscribe to the view that he died of cardiac arrest while performing his duty. The stress of hartal picketing, the inhuman work hours, his age — all contributed to his heart attack. We have much bigger problems to deal with in Bangladesh rather than picking a fight with Daily Star on how they interpreted his death.
Let’s face it, with all its faults DS and Prothom Alo still, are in Bangladesh, the most trusted, news network from Bangladesh — mainly because their owners do not interfere with the editorial policy — this can not be said about any other media outlets in Bangladesh. So let’s try catching some bigger fishes.
August 31st, 2006 at 10:49 am
The article you just mentioned, did it ever mention, for one single time, of allegation of brickbat thrown to him? It wrote a big story but totally omitted the part that there are allegation of a brick bat hitting his forehead.
Why this omission? Why the attempt to hide a possible hartal atrocity?
And how you are so sure that he died of heart attack, not of head injury? Do you have the autopsy report? Did he have a CAT scan brain and do you know the results?
It could be either way head injury/heart attack. And at the end of the day, a life is lost. This life has exactly the equal value to the lives lost in Kansat or Fulbari.
And for fishes,
you have to search both the sides of the ponds. If you serarch all the pond equally, where they will hide. Otherwise you will only muddy the water, there will be no catch. :).
August 31st, 2006 at 11:34 am
You are obsessively harping on the bias of ds for a long time now — if you think they are bias, they how do you explain the scandals they exposed in weekly 2000, Prothom Alo and DS on various Godfathers of the Awami League. My view is whoever is on power, they are the ones who typically abuses it the most and as a result, the newspapers should be working as their balance. So if AL comes to power next, they will more under the focus by the newspaper like they were from 96-01.
Also the omission you mentioned is not really an omission as the whole issue is covered in a separate article in the newspaper. Regarding whether how he died, I have not read anywhere that he died any way but heart attack. What caused the heart attack seems to be the bone of contention. Based on that I am making the statement. Of course, as a doctor you know better.
Lastly, please don’t make all issue an AL/BNP issue. I am seeing a lot of issues in our country now. So much so that I try to carefully pick my battle and figure out which one presents clear and imminent danger. Clearly, you are not seeing it this way. Of all the issues, I am most worried about the destruction of our institutions like election commission and judiciary and the introduction of influence of religion based parties in our politics and administration. More worrying is that there is no end in sight. The rise of extremism happened in the last 5 years. None of us yet know who are behind Bangla bhai because the investigation was not transparent. Similarly, in bangladesh corruption is unchallenged up to the highest level. We see the arrogance of power that disregards everything. Laws can be changed, rules can be bent should it suffice your personal agenda. When Goldman ran a report and made Bangaldesh as N 11 country, it listed 11 things as a prerequisite for it. Human rights, rule of law and investment climate were three of them. When you break the institutions, like it has happened in the past few years, do you think any of those will remain? Rumi bhai, I know your intentions are good. You want to be fair to all. But let us find the clear and present dangers first and prioritise based on that.
August 31st, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Overall I still prefer DS /PA compared to other newspapers. Don’t know how long it will be that way.
While I agree with your worries, like corruption, EC, wanton disregard to law and rule, I simply don’t want to see it all a BNP issue. I, therefore see all these as BNP/AL issue. Democracy, when matures, should be a joint collaboration of ruling/oppoosition party.
It becomes a hypocrisy, on the part of opposition and it’s supporters to demand honesty, fairness from government, when they themselves can not guarantee the same practice among themselves.
Criticism should be permitted. It, up to certain extent, ensures a check and balance. It is applicable to both the ruling and opposition party.
I noted, while you are fine with blanket blame/criticism of government, you dislike critism of AL and supporters.
Thinking should never flow as an one way traffic. You must ensure a two way flow of thoughts. Otherway, the discussion cease to happen, it becomes propaganda.
Please let me talk what I feel. I only express my thoughts. I never claim I am all correct. I may be very wrong too. History will prove that.
August 31st, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Rumi bhai
You are not wrong you are absolutely correct and right on your statement. Its just that I am like you too I drew the line between right and wrong I don’t see which lines my freinds are in .
Just be like you are we need people like you to come forward. We need it badly. I respect Mr Asif but sometime he sees things little differently I don’t blame him looks like he just didn’t spend too much time in Bangladesh or may be he might have been away from main stream Bangladesi while he was growing up.
I myself have seen all the colors of both AWL and BNP and JP. History were made at place where I grew up.The political parties, these are not people these all are monster. You can’t find a good heart in a monster.So when you look for the big
fishes they would be your, our friend’s DAD and MOM and Uncle’s and cousins. Who we we respectfully say salam when we are in dhaka.
Its n’t gonna work. Because neither we can leave our freinds and foes nor they can leave their DAD and MOM for better of the country.
We need to choose one or the other I am with Rumi bhai I choose the country other wise I would be in Bangladesh making million dollar deal right now doesn’t matter Hawa bhabon in power or Hawa Mahal of Banani Wimpy is in power.
Wouldn’t be in USA to cope up with the hard honest life.
Take a stand Asif bhai it’s about time for the young generation of Bangladesh to do so.
Kawser Jamal
The opinions in this part of the blog is solely of Kawser Jamal not from Change Bangladesh stand point.
August 31st, 2006 at 6:59 pm
Kawser bhai,
We all know the problems. What you are saying (two netris are bad, politicians are corrupt, bangladesh is going down the draing) is old news. Notun kono solution den. The fact is Bangladesh has progressed a lot in the past 10-15 years, in spite of all these. The talk is now about how to get the growth into the double digits and how to get more FDI into the country. You want to change bangladesh’s political system by living in Arkansas? Good luck. I suggest you make little changes here and there and take something achievable.
Anek to dosh dhorlen….mone hochche amader shob ashukh dhore phelsen. Ebar dawata den…
Unfortunately, I think we have to work with the existing political parties.. Bangladesh has got freedom for only 35 years…we are going through a process and we will come out stronger eventually.. If AL comes to power again, they will not do godfathering learning from their past mistakes, perhaps they will be a little less corrupt seeing BNP’s fate if BNP loses because of corruption. Eventually they will learn. Hopefully both parties will learn after losing elections and get better at what they do.
Or the solution is picking one of the parties and try to make it better by either joining them or encouraging new leaders who are trying to think different.
Also if you are saying that all these recent movements like Kansat and Phulbari are politically motivated, then how will you start anything people oriented? Won’t people say changebangladesh.com is also political…what makes you different? I don’t think we should insult the people’s sacrifices in these places like this? Specially when we are not on the ground and don’t know any better?
On Rumi bhai’s point who is the benefeciary..very good point. Along the same line in the US politics Bush should start a new campaign “Who is the real benefeciary of the Iraq mess”? Its the Democrates…is it possible they are aiding the …
didn’t we hear this same argument when JMB was bombing and killing the Awami leaders?
Take a look at this..if you don’t remember…
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alochona/message/7209
and i thought dp workers are different from alochona …
September 1st, 2006 at 4:07 am
Asif bhai
I am no one to catch a fault for a person like you.I just expressed a friendly emotions and thoughts and also wrote the statement is of Kawser Jamal not Change Bangladesh.
To do anything to people oriented first we have to know the people and educate the people.Because you know the strenght of AWL and BNP are the poor uneducated, uninformed, biased people of the country.
So unless we make the people aware that these parties are playing with their fate and life they would understand oneday.
I am not saying all the sacrfices are baseless and politically motivated but mostly most of them for true you know that I know that too.
What is not poltical in Bangladesh. If thats the case please please tell me onething that Sheikh Hasina will agree on that BNP did good in last five years? one thing atleast one?
Same goes to Khaledah ask her onething that AWL did good in their 1996 term till 2001?
onething just one thing ?
The answer is nothing if thats the case what’s the fate of the country and how it crossed 10 years if it didn’t do anyting right all these time both goverment were doing what?
I say it openly and again both of these parties are no good for the country. Till these two parties will be there in Bangladesh nothing will get fix there as it didn’t get fixed in 36 years.
We need new leadership in the country we need a leader who is born in this Shadhin Bangladesh after the independence day 16th December 1971.He or she might be a new leader with new vision in their mind to change bangladesh for the better. These stupid ladies are not born Bangladeshi and any one born before 1971 who will lead my nation again I don’t have too much respect on them anyways and will not have it any more. I have seen 36 years and its enough for me now we will bring a change even if its forceful change but we will bring the change in Bangladesh.
Every dog has his days not its their someday it be ours and we will change the fate for better Bangladesh may it be through revolution or referendum.
The pinpoint of Change Bangladesh Asif you could have seen at the last of the paragraph that I mentioned the ideas and expressions was totally mine and this one too.
There is Asif and than there is another Asif who runs Dristipat.The core and the moral values could be the same but expressions could be different.
As an organization leader we can’t do lot of things that a normal person can do openly easily may be its not bad but you and me can’t do it openly on the road anything we want shouting, running, acting funny because than we would badly represent the organization.
Change Bangladesh is an organization and Kawser Jamal is a living Bangladeshi citizen who loves and crave for better Bangladesh from the day he was born. They are two same person but not similar to each other.
thanks Brother.
If you are in USA please let me know i would like to talk further with you and Rumi bhai we have lot to learn from each other and I am sure I can learn a lot from you and rumi bhai.
It’s time to pack and go to Fobana 2006 in atlanta you will enjoy as kawser jamal won’t be there to be seen in dristipat blog for few days but I be back. I like and respect what you do.
thanks
Kawser jamal