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Prof Azad still unconscious

No headway in probe

Staff Correspondent
Prominent writer Prof Humayun Azad was yet to break his anaesthesia-induced unconsciousness two days into a life-threatening machete
attack on him, but officials claimed he drifted back consciousness for a short time yesterday.
With no headway in the probe into the attack, the home ministry
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tasked the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with investigation.
"He is still unconscious," Azad's wife Latifa Kohinoor told The Daily Star last night, adding: "Doctors said they cannot say anything before the 72-hour anaesthesia spell wears off tomorrow morning (Monday)."
Doctors at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where Azad is now being treated for severe head and jaw wounds, allowed Latifa to see her husband in the morning.
"I held his hand and called him at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), but he could not answer," she said.
"Doctors told my mother they would take her there again later in the day, but did not do so," Azad's daughter Smita said at 9:00 last night, adding his condition remained the same.
An army officer, visiting the author at 8:00pm, said his health was improving, but he was not out of danger, adding: "His temperature and blood pressure are normal. He now responds to verbal cues."
The CMH authorities said they would allow up to seven relatives to see Azad from today and asked his wife to submit a list.
"The government gave the case priority," State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar told journalists after a meeting of the home ministry monitoring cell that decided to transfer the case from Ramna police to the CID for a quick probe.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia assured Azad's family of best treatment at home.
"The government will send him abroad for better treatment, if necessary," a government source quoted Khaleda as telling Azad's another daughter Mouli Azad and son Anannyo when they called on her at her office.
Azad's brother Sajjad Kabir, sisterin-law Shamsunnahar Gafur and Prime Minister's Political Secretary Haris Chowdhury were also present. But Azad's family declined to comment on the 10-minute meeting with Khaleda.
A high official ofthe home ministry
claimed Azad regained consciousness for a short time when his wife went to meet him.
"Doctors gave us the impression that his health improved. He can now move his hands and see," he said.
The Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate remanded Abu Abbas Bhuiyan, a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader of Dhaka University unit, in police custody for five days after arrest on Saturday with suspected links to the attack.
Sub-Inspector Mahbubur Rahman of Ramna police, who was investigating the case, told the court Abbas and his accomplices carried out the attack, branding him as a bomb-maker with a past of campus violence.
"I hope we will find the motive for the attack and identify his accomplices once we can interrogate him in remand," he said.
But main opposition Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil alleged the police implicated the BCL leader to harass opposition adherents.
Intelligence agencies were engaged to trace the attackers, believed to have ties with fundamentalists.
"Since Dr Azad talked to the attackers for long, we hope we'll be able to arrest the attackers once we can talk to him after his recovery," the ministry official said.