The investigation into the deaths of six newborns at Ad-Din Medical College Hospital in the capital’s Moghbazar area became uncertain as the authorities skipped autopsies of the newborns, potentially losing vital forensic evidence, said legal and medical experts.
They warned that relying solely on statements from victims’ families, the hospital authorities and experts could leave contradictions unresolved and prevent a conclusive determination of the causes of the deaths, denying justice and leaving the truth unknown.
On May 27, six infants died in the hospital’s post-operative ward.
All six bodies have already been buried, leaving investigators without what experts describe as one of the most important sources of scientific evidence in unexplained deaths.
Several investigators on the probe committees formed by the health ministry and the Directorate General of Health Services said that without autopsies it would be difficult to establish how or why the newborns died.
They said that the investigations might only reconstruct what happened around the incident rather than determine the exact causes of the deaths.
Ramna division deputy commissioner of the police Sheikh Zahidul Islam said that the police released the bodies of the newborns to their families without autopsies following requests from their guardians.
‘If families refuse autopsies due to emotional reasons, we cannot force them,’ he said.
Habibur Rahman, father of a new born, filed a case against the hospital authority with the Ramna police station over the baby’s death.
Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said that while families’ emotions deserved respect, the police could not overlook legal obligations in the cases involving unexplained deaths.
‘If the cause of death cannot be established beyond doubt, justice may not be ensured,’ he said, adding that an autopsy report could scientifically determine the cause.
Health ministry joint secretary Md Mohsin, who heads a nine-member probe committee, acknowledged the limitations of an interview-based inquiry.
‘Autopsy is pure science, whereas we are taking statements from people,’ he said.
‘We will submit our report based on what we heard from relevant people. It is not possible to determine the absolute cause of the deaths this way,’ he said.
He added that if the government wished, it could still decide on further forensic steps.
Families who lost their children are now grappling not only with grief but also with uncertainties, he further said.
Home minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday also said that post-mortem examinations were essential in such cases to avoid legal complications arising from lack of evidence.
Speaking to reporters at the secretariat, he urged the guardians to go by proper legal procedures, saying that the government remained committed to ensuring justice through a fair investigation and speedy trial.
Jyotirmoy Barua said that earlier autopsies generally produced more reliable findings, though the government still had the option to order post-mortems if necessary.
Public health expert and former DGHS disease control director Be-nazir Ahmed said that while the deaths of six newborns in a hospital ward were undisputed, identifying the reason behind them remained critical.
‘To determine the causes of the deaths, it was important to examine body tissues, organs and blood samples,’ he said.
He also stressed the need to immediately examine the air quality in the room.
‘If autopsies are missing, we may never know the cause of death. But we need to know it both for justice and for future learning,’ he said.
‘Interview-based investigations are not factual enough to ensure justice,’ he added.
Professor Halimur Rashid, head of the DGHS probe committee, said that investigators were interviewing relevant people and collecting information.
‘We will submit our report based on our findings,’ he said, adding that conducting autopsies was outside the committee’s mandate.
The deaths have triggered public concern and widespread speculations over what may have happened inside the neonatal care area.
Meanwhile, the hospital authority has submitted their own probe report to the authority on Tuesday whereas the government formed probe committees scheduled to submit their report on Wednesday.
Neither the hospital authority nor the government disclosed findings.
Possible explanations range from toxic gas exposure and equipment malfunction to oxygen supply failures.
However, nearly a week after the incident, authorities have yet to establish a definitive cause.
Dhaka Medical College forensic department head professor Kazi Golam Mukhlasur Rahman said that autopsies were essential in all unnatural deaths to determine both the cause and manner of death.
‘Autopsy can scientifically establish the cause of death,’ he said.
Dhaka University chemistry and chemical engineering professor Ashraful Islam Molla said that testing air samples from the room could help identify any harmful gases, toxic substances or oxygen deficiencies.
Attention has increasingly focused on claims by hospital authorities and some government officials that the babies may have suffocated after air-conditioning units were switched off in the ward.
Medical experts, however, expressed skepticism, observing that such claims required scientific examination rather than speculation.
Parents of several victims on Tuesday said that they would allow post mortem examinations if it was essential for justice.
They said that neonatal care units were designed for highly vulnerable patients and any suggestion linking six deaths to AC failure would require technical data, environmental testing, and medical evidence.
No such evidence has yet been publicly disclosed.
