Hacked Sylhet student Khadiza's condition 'critical', home minister promises punishment of attacker

Physicians attending to the Sylhet college student Khadiza Begum Nargis are pessimistic about chances of her surviving the critical wounds inflicted by a BCL leader after conducting a surgery on her in Dhaka.

“The condition she is in now, she has a 5 to 10 percent possibility of staying alive,” Neurosurgery Assistant Consultant Dr AM Rejaul Sattar at Square Hospitals on Tuesday evening.

Khadiza has been put on artificial ventilation following the operation.

Dr Sattar, who is overseeing her treatment, told reporters that she needed to be kept under close observation for 72 hours to know if she can make it.

“She had come with critical head injuries. Her neurological status will be assessed after 72 hours. During this time, she’ll be asleep.”

Square Hospitals Deputy Medical Director Dr Mirza Nizamuddin earlier in the day told journalists, "Her condition is extremely critical. There is very little chance of her recovery. But, we are doing our best.”

"Her skull has ruptured and she has sustained brain injury."

He added she had also sustained deep cuts on her hands while trying to defend herself.

If her condition improves, she will be given orthopaedic treatment for other wounds, Dr Sattar later said.

Meanwhile, the home minister has said that party affiliation will not come in the way of bringing her assailants to justice.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday at the Secretariat, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the prime minister does not tolerate such acts.

"Whosoever has done the crime, no matter from which party, strata or ideology he may belong, I can assure you, he will get the punishment for his act," he said.

Khadiza's attacker Badrul Alam is the assistant secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) SUST unit. BCL is the student wing of the ruling Awami League.

Badrul, an economics department student at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), had attacked Khadiza, an honours second-year student at Sylhet Government Women's College, in a gruesome manner at MC College campus on Monday afternoon.

Badrul was, however, detained by police right after the incident.

Khadiza was initially rushed to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital but was later shifted to Dhaka's Square Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday when her condition deteriorated.

Throughout the day, her classmates demonstrated near the MC College and the Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar, vehemently calling for the punishment of Badrul.

Meanwhile, SUST Vice-Chancellor Aminul Haque Bhuiyan said the Proctorial Committee has decided to temporarily expel Badrul.

He said Badrul was also an irregular student of the 2008-09 sessions.