The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Health Adviser to the Prime Minister Prof Dr Modasser Ali alleged that poison was mixed with the food served to Sheikh Hasina while imprisoned in a sub-jail during the immediate-past caretaker government.

“When she (PM) was in prison, I had several times tried to collect her blood sample for diagnosis, but they (Govt) barred me from doing so,” he told reporters after attending a programme on the National Birth Registration Day 2009 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.

Modasser Ali said when Sheikh Hasina was taken to Square Hospital for treatment, the inspector general of prisons and his deputy had said that her personal doctors would treat her. “But the following day they did not allow us to enter the hospital,” he said.

But what is intriguing that Dr Modasser being an opthalmologist how can suggest examination of Hasina in the complications not related with eye.

He said, he was barred from examining Hasina in the Square Hospital by the doctors of the Square Hospital. By making the statement Dr Modasser Ali has involved the management and doctors of the Square Hospital in the allegation of serving poisoned food to Sheikh Hasina during her interment there. At that time he had demanded medical examination of Sheikh Hasina by Bangladeshi doctors. Independent observers believe that the adviser to the Prime Minister who is an eye specialist is overstepping his jurisdiction and should be taken care of by the PM.

Modasser further said, that Sheikh Hasina was suffering from allergy problems which might result in losing her hair.

An eye physician, Prof Modasser suspected the involvement of Barrister Mainul Hosein and Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, two former advisers of the caretaker government, along with DIG (prisons) Maj Shamsul Haider Siddiqui in the poison episode.

Deputy Leader of the House in Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury first said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was fed poisoned food while she was in prison during the 2007-08 military-installed interim regime.

“The leader (Hasina) fell sick after taking the poisoned food and her mouth was swollen. But she never gave in to (pressure),” Sajeda said at another programme marking the birth anniversary of slain national leader AHM Quamaruzzaman in the capital a few days back. She said the prime minister still gets occasional bouts of illness due to the damage caused by the poisoning.

Awami League chief Hasina was arrested on July 16, 2007 by the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led interim government on graft charges and was freed on June 12 next year on bail.