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Published : 31 May 2026, 12:05 AM
Several journalists have allegedly been attacked at Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Moghbazar while gathering information and taking photos and videos of a “bread factory” inside the facility.
They alleged the attack took place outside the hospital's main gate around 7pm on Saturday.
Phone calls made to get comments from a director and an assistant director of the hospital went unanswered.
The reported attack occurred two hours after Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and officers of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) visited the private hospital.
Revealing that a "bakery" was found operating on an upper floor of the hospital building, Sakhawat said: “Bread was being manufactured there using electric ovens. However, no electrical engineer was found on site.”
Several journalists who were “attacked” alleged that the minister came for a surprise visit and only one TV channel was with him.
Later, during a briefing at the main gate around 6pm, he spoke of the “bread factory”.
Media workers alleged that hospital authorities reacted with immediate violence when reporters subsequently attempted to film the factory.
The hospital staff immediately joined the attack.
Ekhon TV reporter Md Ripon, claiming to be a victim, said: “We could not enter inside with the minister. However, after the briefing, when we tried to take footage from inside the hospital, the authorities aggressively reacted.
“At one point, the media workers were attacked.”
"When the attackers approached violently, we took shelter in a house in front of the hospital. They also threw cans and bricks," he said.
Ripon said, "They even tried to break the door of the room where we took shelter, but failed. Later, local people removed them from there."
Star News reporter Nibir Saha, who was also allegedly attacked, said: "The authorities did not allow us to enter the hospital. At one stage, we were near the gate facing Moghbazar.
“Shortly after, we saw that workers had been brought in and formed a human shield outside the hospital’s main gate. They suddenly attacked us as we were talking to a hospital manager."
Nibir said there were more than 20 journalists from different media outlets.
Some of the attackers tried to snatch their cameras, while others tried to break them, he said.
Claiming that journalists tried to escape through the alley next to the gate towards Moghbazar, Nibir said: “At that time, many were physically tortured and injured.”
Ramna Police Inspector (Investigation) Ashiq Iqbal told bdnews24.com: “No complaint has been received from anyone regarding this incident. If any, action will be taken as per the law.”
Six newborns died at the hospital on May 27, the day before Eid-ul-Azha.
The question of why they died of respiratory complications within a few hours remains unanswered.
A committee of the health ministry has been formed to investigate the incident.
During the visit to the hospital, the health minister said it will take another couple of days to receive the final investigation report on the deaths.
