Dhaka: While Bangladesh is embroiled in civil unrest over job quotas that escalated to police firings, mob violence and attacks on minorities, several Indian doctors have chosen to remain in violence-hit Dhaka and perform their duty to save lives, working for at least 17-18 hours a day even as their parents in India were concerned over their safety. Indian doctors in Bangladesh said the scarcity of resources and a spike in casualties in Dhaka hospitals kept them from returning home.
Speaking to news agency PTI, the Indian medical practitioners said they are drawn by a "sense of duty" and have stepped in to help the hospitals deal with the ongoing crisis. "We are witnessing pellet injuries, gunshot and stab wounds in many patients. The number of casualties increased after fresh clashes broke out between protesters and police on Monday night. There is an acute shortage of resources and we are working for 17-18 hours a day," a doctor from Srinagar based in Dhaka said.
'Our duty to serve them'
"Our parents are concerned about our safety but we had taken an oath at the time of our degree completion to safeguard people's lives. It is our duty to serve them and the hospitals need us in this difficult time," another doctor from Gujarat said. Notably, over 100 people have been killed in violence across Bangladesh as chaos reigned supreme hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country on Monday.
Several of these medical practitioners got their MBBS degree from Bangladesh and are currently undergoing a one-year internship at different hospitals in the neighbouring country. They described the situation as a state of "complete lawlessness" after ousted PM Sheikh Hasina fled fearing a threat to her life from anti-government protesters.
Situation improves as curfew lifted
However, the doctors said the situation appeared to have improved on Tuesday morning as the curfew was lifted and shops, businesses and other establishments gradually started resuming their operations. "There is no threat to foreign nationals in the current situation. I feel absolutely safe. The clashes are between the protesters and political outfits," said a doctor from Jammu and Kashmir.
"My parents want me to return home but the hospitals here need us. Sometimes, we spend four days at a stretch at the hospital looking after patients. Most importantly, if we leave right now, we will have to complete our internship period later on," further said the doctor, who is the President of the Affiliation of Indian Medical Students in Bangladesh.
Addressing the concerns of students who had to leave their studies mid-way due to the violence, the association wrote on social media, "Most of the students already know that a majority of medical institutes are reopening from next week. With the current situation in the nation, we strongly advise all the students not to rush. Wait for 7-10 days and trust the process and let the nation re-establish its law and order."
Fresh protests in Dhaka
Meanwhile, fresh protests broke out in a Dhaka neighbourhood on Wednesday when hundreds of officials from the central bank forced four of its deputy governors to resign over alleged corruption, Bangladesh Bank sources said. The interim government is expected to hold elections soon after taking charge.
Businesses on Wednesday demanded immediate restoration of law and order to ensure the safety of their production units amid incidents of arson attacks on factories over the last two days. Bodies of at least 29 supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party were recovered across the country through Tuesday.
Media reports also flagged more and more cases of violence against minorities surfacing through Tuesday, prominent among them being the massive vandalism and destruction at popular folk band Joler Gaan’s frontman Rahul Ananda's residence on Monday prompting the singer and his family to take shelter at a secret place.
(with PTI inputs)
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