Joint Secretary, DC not at fault over Titash death: Probe body

The probe body formed by the government to look into the death of schoolboy Titash Ghosh, who died in an ambulance after a ferry was reportedly delayed for a Joint Secretary in Madaripur, has found no fault of the secretary and the Deputy Commissioner.

It blamed the ferryghat manager and two other employees for the death.

The probe panel submitted its report along with a seven-point recommendation to the attorney general’s office on Thursday. Reports UNB.

On July 31, the High Court asked the public administration secretary to submit a report after investigating the incident by a government official not below the rank of additional secretary.

The report will be produced before the court after vacation, said Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar.

The report said Joint Secretary Abdus Sobhan Mondal did not know that a critical patient was in the ferryghat. “There’s no rational reason for blaming him for such an incident which he was not aware of.”

The deputy commissioner of Madaripur who called the ferry authorities to halt their service was also unaware of the patient, said Abdullah said quoting the report.

The probe report recommended maintaining a register at ferryghats for the arrival and departures of ferries, informing the ferry authorities beforehand if there is any VIP movement and giving priority to ambulance.

It also suggested installing CCTV cameras at ferries, wearing specific uniform by all on-duty officials and displaying important phone numbers at ferries.

According to reports published in different national dailies, Titash Ghosh, who was in an ambulance on a ferry, died of haemorrhage on July 25 as the authorities allegedly delayed the departure of a ferry at Kathalbari jetty-1 in Madaripur by three hours, as Joint Secretary Abdus Sabur Mondol was supposed to take it on his way back to the capital that evening.

Titash, 11, a Class-VI student hailing from Kalia municipality in Narail, had suffered critical injuries in a road accident. He was first taken to a Khulna hospital, where doctors referred him on to Dhaka.

On August 1, the Shipping Ministry reconstituted a committee to look into the death of the schoolboy.

Additional Secretary Sanjay Kumar Banik was the convener of the committee. Other members were Joint Secretary Shahnewaz Dilruba Khan and Deputy Secretary SM Shah Habibur Rahman Hakim.

AH