Satkania UNO fines doctor for violating lockdown, made OSD just days after

The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Satkania upazila in Chattogram has been withdrawn and made officer on special duty at the Ministry of Public Administration in an order of the ministry today. The order comes after the UNO filed a case against a doctor and fined him Tk 1000 for violating the ockdown in Satkania upazila on Friday afternoon.

Kamrul Hasan, divisional commissioner of Chattogram, confirmed that he got the order of withdrawal of Satkania UNO Nazrul Islam.

"He [Nazrul] has been made the OSD at the Ministry of Public Administration. The AC land of the upazila will perform the additional charge of UNO until further order."

Kamrul also said he does not know whether the order had any connection with the incident in connection with the doctor on Friday.

Nazrul Islam, UNO of Satkania upazila, conducted a mobile court in the upazila on Friday afternoon to enforce lockdown, said sources in the upazila. During the mobile court operations, the UNO filed a case against Dr Farhad Kabir as he was going to attend his private chamber in the upazila and fined him Tk 1000.

After the incident, doctors' leaders started protesting. They said the doctor attending his private chamber was not in violation of lockdown. They also demanded withdrawal and punishment of the UNO.

Dr Faisal Iqbal Chowdhury, general secretary of Bangladesh Medical Association, Chattogram chapter, said nowhere in the instruction issued by government to enforce lockdown barred doctors from attending private chamber.

"If doctors cannot attend chamber, how will patients receive treatment during emergency," he asked.