Panel Given 7 Working Days To Submit Report; Accused DAB Leader Suspended
Health Ministry Forms 3-Member Probe Body Over Physical Assault On IEDCR Director
- Additional Secretary Arif Ahmad heads inquiry commission into violence at Mohakhali health campus
- IEDCR Director Prof. Dr. Kazi Ahmed Zakir subjected to assault within his official chamber
- Pro-BNP doctors' forum DAB suspends central leader Dr. Zahid Hasan Ripok; issues 48-hour show-cause notice
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has constituted a high-level three-member inquiry committee to investigate the physical assault on Prof. Dr. Kazi Ahmed Zakir, Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). The committee has been mandated to finalize proceedings and submit an exhaustive fact-finding report alongside accountability recommendations within seven working days.
The official directive was issued on Wednesday afternoon (28 October 2026) by the Administration Division of the Health Services Division.
According to the administrative circular endorsed by Deputy Secretary Imtiaz Hossain, Additional Secretary (Budget) of the Health Services Division Arif Ahmad has been named Convener of the probe panel. Additional Director General (Administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof. Dr. Zahid Rayhan will act as Member Secretary, with Deputy Secretary Imtiaz Hossain appointed as the third member.
The order stated that following verified eyewitness reports, institutional complaints, and circulating media disclosures concerning the unlawful intrusion and violent confrontation at the director's chamber around 11:00 AM on Wednesday, an objective administrative inquiry became imperative. The committee has been instructed to reconstruct the sequence of events, record physical and electronic evidence, pin individual culpability, and propose punitive measures within seven working days. The commission is authorized to co-opt relevant officers from the DGHS or affiliate health bodies to facilitate the proceedings.
Earlier at approximately 11:00 AM on Wednesday, a group of individuals forcibly entered the director's office at the IEDCR facility situated within the Mohakhali health complex and physically assaulted Prof. Dr. Kazi Ahmed Zakir. Reports confirmed that active members affiliated with the pro-BNP physicians' organization, Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), orchestrated the breach, allegedly led by DAB Central Assistant Legal Affairs Secretary Dr. Zahid Hasan Ripok.
Responding to public outcry and organizational misconduct, DAB executive leadership initiated rapid internal disciplinary actions. The association immediately suspended Dr. Zahid Hasan Ripok's primary membership and served him with a formal show-cause notice, requiring an official written explanation within 48 hours as to why he should not face permanent expulsion from the forum, official sources confirmed.
//DBTech/MVR/MPS/FEO//
