Ctg shooting: Medical team says 11-year-old Reshmi may be declared dead anytime
“The child’s condition is critical. She may be declared dead at any time. Her consciousness level is virtually zero and there is no blood pressure,” said Professor Md Baki Billah
The condition of 11-year-old Reshmi Akter, who was critically injured in a shooting in the city's Raufabad area on Thursday night (7 May), has further deteriorated, with doctors saying her chances of survival are now "extremely low" and she may be declared dead at any moment.
Doctors at the ICU and Neurosurgery Department of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) said today (10 May) that Reshmi's condition has reached a critical stage, with signs consistent with brain death. She remains on life support and is under continuous monitoring.
"The child's condition is critical. She may be declared dead at any time. Her consciousness level is virtually zero and there is no blood pressure," said Professor Md Baki Billah, head of the ICU department, at around 11am.
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Hospital Director Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin said the hospital had arranged an ICU bed after learning about the family's financial condition and coordinated her transfer.
"From the moment she was brought here, she has been on life support. Her condition is extremely critical. Surgery is not possible at this stage. We may have to declare her dead at any moment," he told reporters.
Doctors said the bullet remains lodged inside her brain and could not be removed due to the severity of the damage.
Neurosurgery Department head of CMCH Professor Saiful Alam also confirmed that there is "virtually no chance of recovery."
Reshmi's elder brother Faisal Ahmed said doctors have already informed them that there is no hope.
"They told us there is no hope. I don't know how to tell my mother. I'm still telling her that my sister is fine," he said.
Earlier, doctors warned that any surgical intervention at this stage carries a high risk of excessive bleeding, or brain haemorrhaging, and severe neurological complications.
"Reshmi's condition is alarming. Based on the medical board's decision, we are not proceeding with surgery for now. She is being kept under constant observation in the intensive care unit (ICU)," Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin, director of CMCH, told reporters.
Reshmi, a fourth-grader and the youngest of five siblings, had stepped out of her house to buy betel leaves for her mother when she was struck by the bullet.
The intended target of the attack was 24-year-old Hasan Raju, who was chased and gunned down by five to six masked assailants in a narrow, densely populated lane in the Bihari Colony of Bayezid Bostami area.
While Raju died on the spot after being shot at close range, Reshmi remains in critical condition with a bullet lodged inside her brain.
Reshmi's condition is alarming. Based on the medical board's decision, we are not proceeding with surgery for now. She is being kept under constant observation in the ICU
"My sister has not regained consciousness yet," said her brother, Faisal Ahmed.
Police suspect the shooting was a premeditated act of retaliation linked to the killing of a Jubo Dal activist, Nasir Uddin, in Raozan on 26 April.
Raju, who hailed from Raozan, had reportedly been staying at his sister's house in Roufabad for a few days before the attack.
Investigators are also looking into the possible involvement of fugitive criminal Mohammad Raihan in the incident.
Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia visited the hospital on Friday night to monitor Reshmi's treatment.
Terming the incident a significant lapse in law and order, he said law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Meanwhile, Reshmi's father, Riaz Ahmed, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible.
"My daughter is lying there senseless. What happened to her today could happen to anyone else's child tomorrow," he said.
Reshmi's mother, Sakhina Begum, filed a case against unknown persons yesterday morning.
"The investigation is ongoing. However, no one has been arrested so far," said Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bayezid Bostami Police Station.
