United Hospital Fire: HC orders it to pay Tk 30 lakh to each victim’s family

The High Court yesterday directed the United Hospital authorities to pay Tk 30 lakh to each of the four victims' families who were killed in a fire at its isolation unit on May 27.

The hospital authorities have been directed to pay the money as an initial payment in 15 days of receiving the copy of the order.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim came up with the directive after he heard virtually five writ petitions filed on behalf of the victims' families, seeking compensation from the hospital authorities.

Niaz Mohammad Mahboob, who moved one of the writ petitions, told The Daily Star that the family of Minor Hossain, one of the five victims who were killed in the fire, had already been paid Tk 20 lakh as an initial payment by the hospital.

The hospital authorities will have to pay Tk 30 lakh to the remaining four victims' families each in line with the HC directive, he said.

The five victims were Vernon Anthony Paul, 75, Riyajul Alam, 45, Khodeja Begum, 70, Monir Hossain, 75, and Md Mahbub, 50.

Lawyer Niaz yesterday said the HC on June 29 directed the hospital authorities to provide compensation to the victims' families through an amicable settlement. But no such settlement happened between the hospital authorities and the four victims' families, he added.

Muntasir Uddin and several other lawyers appeared for the writ petitioners, while Rokanuddin Mahmud, Mahfuzur Rahman Khan, and Kazi Ershadul Alam argued for United Hospital.

The petitions were filed yesterday and last month, seeking HC directives on the authorities concerned to give appropriate compensation to each victim's family and to take necessary action against those responsible for the incident.

Following an HC order, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Fire Service and Civil Defence, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, and United Hospital authorities submitted their probe reports to the court through attorney general's office on June 11.