Court petition seeks case against ex-Chief Adviser Yunus over Measles deaths

A Dhaka court on Saturday (July 4) received an application seeking permission to file a case against former chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, former health adviser Nurjahan Begum and two other former officials over alleged negligence in handling the country's measles outbreak that reportedly led to the deaths of children.

The application was filed by Sirajul Islam before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam.

After recording the complainant's statement, the court kept its order pending, according to the complainant's lawyer, Taslima Jahan Poppy.

The two other individuals named in the application are former Director General of Health Services chief Dr Md Abu Jafar and former chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam.

In the complaint, Sirajul alleged that his nine-month-old daughter, Sauda Muskan, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after developing a fever. He claimed that her condition worsened due to a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen, negligence by doctors and nurses, and inadequate medical care.

The application further alleged that the child was unable to receive a measles vaccine because it was unavailable at the appropriate time and later died after contracting the disease.

According to the complaint, the interim government led by Yunus, along with the then health adviser and relevant officials, failed to properly procure and distribute measles vaccines and effectively implement the national immunisation programme.

The complainant also alleged that the same negligence contributed to the deaths of hundreds of children across the country, while thousands of others required treatment after contracting measles.

The application accuses the defendants of negligence in performing official duties, abuse of power, violations of legal obligations and failing to uphold the state's constitutional responsibility to protect public health and citizens' lives.