Lawsuit filed against 5 individuals including Yunus and Nurjahan

A petition has been filed in court to log a case against five individuals, including Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the former Chief Adviser of the interim government. The accused are alleged to have jeopardized children's lives by failing to import measles and rubella vaccines on time, thereby creating a pandemic situation in the country due to the resulting vaccine shortage.

On Monday (June 8), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, the Member of Parliament for the Kishoreganj-5 (Bajitpur-Nikli) constituency, filed the petition in the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam.

Ashutosh, the bench assistant of the relevant court, stated that the court will deliver its decision after a hearing on the application, which was filed under Sections 409, 420, 270, 304, and 34 of the Penal Code.

The plaintiff's lawyer, Golam Mostafa Khan, was present in court during the submission of the case petition.

According to the case allegations, measles and rubella vaccines are regularly supplied in Bangladesh to prevent infectious diseases in children. However, under the direction of the accused, the conventional process of importing vaccines through UNICEF was halted. Although a subsequent decision was made to import vaccines through an open tendering process, severe delays led to a nationwide vaccine shortage.

The petition further notes that Rana Flowers, the UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, had repeatedly warned the relevant authorities about the potential vaccine crisis. However, the complaint alleges that these warnings were completely ignored.

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The plaintiff claims that the vaccine shortage directly led to a surge in measles outbreaks across the country. Citing official government data, the petition highlights that between March 15 and June 4, more than 75,000 children were admitted to hospitals with measles, resulting in hundreds of child fatalities.

The specific deaths of several children were also detailed in the application. The plaintiff contends that these tragic incidents occurred due to the negligence and failure of the accused to fulfill their official duties.

The petition requests the court to issue arrest warrants against the accused and ensure the maximum punishment in accordance with the law.