Kazi Nazrul Islam’s grandson dies in treatment

He was on life support when doctors lost his pulse

Babul Kazi, the youngest grandson of Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh’s national poet, has died hours after being put on life support.

Doctors took off the mechanical ventilation at 5:30pm after losing Babul’s pulse at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, said the hospital’s resident doctor Shawon Bin Rahman.

Babul was 59 when he died.

His sister Khilkhil Kazi broke down in tears upon receiving the call on Sunday.

She told bdnews24.com, “My brother has gone through a lot of pain. Please pray for my brother.”

Babul will be buried at the capital’s Banani graveyard following his funeral prayer at Banani Society Mosque after Zohr prayers on Monday, Khilkhil said.

He was brought to the facility in critical condition after being injured in a gas lighter explosion in the bathroom of his Banani residence around 5am on Saturday. He was put on life support that night after his condition deteriorated.

Doctors said 74 percent of his body, including his airway, had been severely burnt.

He is the youngest of the three children of Kazi Sabyasachi and Uma Kazi. Babul's two elder sisters, Khilkhil and Mishti Kazi, are Bangladeshi nationals.

Describing the incident, Khilkhil said on Saturday: “He lit up the gas lighter in the bathroom for a smoke at dawn. We keep the windows and doors shut due to the cold now.”

“The closed-up space in the bathroom caused the gas lighter to explode. It was probably due to methane gas or something like that.”