Salahuddin's condition worsens; moved to CCU

Senior BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed was admitted to the coronary care unit of a specialised health institute in India's Shillong, as his condition deteriorated due to multiple health complications early yesterday, said his family members.

"He [Salahuddin] is under constant watch of doctors at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences [NEIGRIHM] as his condition was worsening," BNP Assistant Office Secretary Abdul Latif Jony told this correspondent yesterday, quoting Salahuddin's wife Hasina Ahmed.

Salahuddin, joint secretary general of the BNP, was shifted to the specialised hospital on Wednesday evening following recommendations of a medical board of Shillong Civil Hospital.

The BNP leader was admitted to the civil hospital on May 11 after police found him loitering in "an unbalanced mental state" in Golf Link area of Shillong, the capital of Indian state of Meghalaya. They arrested 

him for trespass and took him to a mental hospital. The BNP leader was then shifted to the civil hospital.

Dr Vaskar Borgohain, assistant medical superintendent of the NEIGRIHM, told Indian journalists yesterday afternoon that Salahuddin has been suffering from urology, heart, kidney, prostate and skin related problems, and doctors are closely monitoring his health condition.

He said they will publish a medical report regarding Salahuddin's health at 12:00noon today.

Several sources in Meghalaya police said law enforcers wanted to produce Salahuddin before the court as early as possible. And it was the reason why they requested the Shillong Civil Hospital to shift him to a specialised hospital.

Seeking anonymity, a top Meghalaya police official said they wanted to have the BNP leader shifted to the NEIGRIHM for two reasons. "One is ensuring his better treatment and another is to get the release order so that they could produce him before the court."

If police get clearance from the NEIGRIHM today, they will try to produce him before the court tomorrow, said the police high-up.      

On Wednesday night, the NEIGRIHM authorities allowed Hasina Ahmed to stay beside her husband as patient's attendant.

Meanwhile, sources at NEIGRIHM said Salahuddin talked to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia over his wife's mobile phone from the CCU for five to six minutes last night. 

But no one in the BNP could confirm it.

Speaking to this newspaper, Jony, who had a brief phone conversation with Salahuddin yesterday, said the BNP leader told him that he was feeling very sick and found it difficult to talk.

Quoting Hasina Ahmed, Jony said she yesterday appealed to the NEIGRIHM authorities to form a medical board if necessary.

Meanwhile, Hasina Ahmed met SP Mahanta, senior advocate of Meghalaya High Court, and discussed the legal procedures for bringing her husband home, Salahuddin's elder brother Giasuddin Ahmed told this correspondent.

Mahanta told her that it was necessary to produce Salahuddin's passport before a Shillong court in the case against the BNP leader for trespass into Indian territory.

Salahuddin's passport would be taken to Shillong upon permission from the Indian court, said Giasuddin.