UNB, Bagerhat :
Some 40 prisoners of Bagerhat district jail fell sick on Tuesday morning due to food poisoning after they were provided with improved diets on Monday on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar. Sources at the district jail said 19 of the sick prisoners were admitted to Sadar Hospital as they have been suffering from stomach upset and constant vomiting.
Contacted, acting RMO of the hospital Dr Koheli Begum told UNB that 19 prisoners were admitted to their hospital at 8 am as they were suffering from food poisoning. “They’re now out of danger,” she said. Jail Super Mohammad Amanullah also confirmed UNB that nearly 40 of his jail inmates fell sick due to food poisoning. But unofficial sources said the number of prisoners who fell ill would be about a hundred.
They said the prisoners were served with panta bhat (watery rice and hilsa), a popular dish combination taken at the dawn of the first of Bangla New Year. Later, on Monday night, the jail inmates were provided with fried rice.
According to the sources, the prisoners developed digestion and vomiting problems on Monday night and their problems turned serious later in the morning.
Meanwhile, a team of physicians from the Sadar Hospital entered the district jail, which has a total of 541 prisoners, to see the condition of the other prisoners.
