Ad-din suspects will benefit in court if post-mortems are skipped, warns home minister

He says post-mortem is vital to ensure proper investigation and trial

The defendants in the case over the deaths of six newborns at Dhaka’s Ad-din Medical College Hospital will "benefit" if post-mortems of the infants are not conducted, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.

Talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday, he said, "If a post-mortem is not conducted, it creates obstacles in the case. The guardians should get a post-mortem done.

“If a case is filed without a post-mortem, the suspects 'benefit' in the trial. That is why an autopsy should be conducted."

The newborns died in the hospital's post-delivery ward in the early hours of May 27, the day before Eid-ul-Azha, sending shockwaves across the country.

There were allegations that toxic gas had leaked from the AC, but that could not be confirmed.

The hospital authorities could not say whether there was a fault with the AC.

Later, the parents took away the bodies without any post-mortem.

The father of one of the newborns filed a case with Ramna Police, alleging negligence.

The health ministry and the hospital authorities are also probing the allegations.

[Updates to follow]