Most of the 167 people admitted to the National Institute of Neuroscience during last year’s uprising had lost parts of their skulls, said the hospital’s Associate Professor Md Mahfuzur Rahman on Wednesday.
As many as 575 people came to the hospital with gunshot wounds but authorities could not admit all the critically injured due to overcapacity and the threats issued by security agencies, the physician said while giving his testimony at the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is the prime accused in the case. The other two accused are: former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Earlier, Abullah Al-Mamun confessed to his crime, and became a state approver in the case.
At the tribunal, Dr Mahfuzur demanded the public execution of Hasina and her accomplices for the atrocities committed during last year’s July-August uprising.
Four people died before reaching NINS, and 29 others succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment, Dr Md Mahfuzur said in his testimony. He, aided by his team, personally operated on 33 patients to remove bullets and pellets from their bodies.
On 19 July, the inflow of patients reached a new height. On that day, officers from the Special Branch (SB) came to the hospital to warn doctors against becoming “too sympathetic,” said Dr Mahfuzur at the tribunal.
The officers informally prohibited the admission of new uprising-related patients, and the discharge of already admitted victims. Those undergoing treatment would face legal repercussion, the SB team told doctors at the hospital.
The doctors used different tactics to mislead state surveillance, so that they could continue treating new patients, Dr Mahfuzur said. New patients were registered as victims of road accidents and other incidents, he testified.