Legal Action Sought Against Dr Yunus Over Child Measles Deaths

A formal legal petition has been filed in a Dhaka court against the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Dr Muhammad Yunus, and three others, alleging gross negligence of duty leading to the tragic death of a child from measles.

On Sunday, 5 July, Sirajul Islam, the father of the deceased infant, submitted the application before the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam. After recording the statement of the complainant, the court deferred its decision, keeping the order pending. The filing was subsequently confirmed by the plaintiff’s legal counsel, Taslima Jahan Popy.

Alongside Dr Yunus, the other high-profile individuals named in the legal petition are the former Health Adviser Nur Jahan Begum, the former Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Md Abu Jafar, and the former Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, Shafiqul Alam.

According to the case statement, the complainant’s nine-month-old daughter, Sauda Muskan, contracted a severe fever and was subsequently admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). The petitioner alleged that the infant’s condition deteriorated rapidly due to a severe shortage of hospital beds, an inadequate supply of medical oxygen, and acute negligence by the attending doctors and nursing staff. The petition further contended that the child was unable to receive the essential measles vaccine prior to her illness due to a critical crisis in the state-authorised vaccine supply chain, which ultimately led to her contraction of the disease and her untimely demise.

The complaint launches a broader critique against the interim administration led by Dr Yunus, asserting that the government, the health ministry, and relevant health directorates failed to execute their administrative duties. It alleges a systemic failure in the procurement, distribution, and implementation of the national immunisation programme against measles. The petitioner argued that this institutional oversight has culminated in a nationwide health crisis, claiming that hundreds of children have died from measles whilst thousands of others remain hospitalised.

The legal application maintains that the actions—and subsequent inactions—of the accused constitute a direct violation of the state’s constitutional obligation to safeguard public health and human life. It further alleges an abuse of power, criminal negligence, and a fundamental failure to discharge statutory responsibilities, thereby prompting the call for formal judicial proceedings to be initiated against the top officials.