Miscreants entered the IEDCR office and beat up the director.

Bangla Press Desk: Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), was assaulted inside his office.

The incident occurred around 11:00 AM on Wednesday (October 28).

According to Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki, the assault was carried out by a mob consisting of members of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB)—an organization of physicians affiliated with the BNP.

Video footage of the incident shows Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki in a meeting with several individuals in his office when eight to nine people entered the room. They pulled him from his chair and began assaulting him.

The IEDCR is a key government institution tasked with monitoring the disease situation in the country, conducting research, and issuing health alerts. It collaborates with international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki, a public health expert, was appointed as the Director—the highest position at the IEDCR—during the tenure of the BNP-led government. He recently conducted research on the efficacy of the measles vaccine.

Meanwhile, acknowledging the incident, DAB President Professor Harun Al Rashid remarked that Professor Kazi Ahmed Zaki was also partly at fault. He presented a photograph showing Kazi Ahmed Zaki in a meeting with Meerjady Sabrina Flora. The DAB President questioned how Kazi Ahmed Zaki could hold a meeting with Meerjady Sabrina Flora in his own office under the current government.

Public health expert Meerjady Sabrina Flora served as the Director of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), and the IEDCR during the administration of the Awami League government—which was ousted in the July mass uprising. She gained significant public recognition through her media briefings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, she served as an Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services. Public health expert and former chief scientific officer at IEDCR, Mushtaque Hossain, stated that the assault on the director inside his own office at the IEDCR is a highly condemnable incident. This incident must be investigated, and those responsible must be punished.

BP/SP