Over 100 Bagerhat prisoners fall sick

Over a hundred prisoners of Bagerhat district jail are undergoing treatment for food poisoning allegedly due to taking special meals provided on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year.
With massive diarrhoea, 20 prisoners were admitted to Bagerhat Sadar Hospital at 8:00am on Tuesday, said Dr Koheli Begum, acting resident medical officer (RMO) of the hospital.
Forty other diarrhoea patients and 42 more attacked with fever, stomach ache and body ache have received treatment inside the jail.
The prisoners were served with traditional panta ilish (watered rice and hilsa), in the morning of Pahela Baishakh.
A good number prisoners developed digestion and vomiting problems and their condition worsened gradually, jail sources said.
Jail Super Mohammad Amanullah said, "The quality of the food was fine. The food poisoning might have happened from drinking water."
A team of physicians from the Sadar Hospital visited the district jail to see the condition of the other prisoners.
There were 529 prisoners in the jail as of yesterday evening.
DIG (Prison) AKM Fazlul Haque has formed a three-member enquiry committee headed by Dr Nazrul Islam and asked them to submit report on the matter within three days, said Jail Superintendent Mohammad Amanullah.
Another inquiry committee headed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Mahamudul Hasan will also submit report on the food poisoning incident in the jail within three days, said the ADM.