Within the sterile walls of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) in the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka, a somber scene unfolds. Dozens of young men, their faces etched with worry and uncertainty, sit in silent anticipation. Some shield their injured eyes behind dark sunglasses; others wear white bandages on one or both eyes.
They are victims of pellet injuries — both survivors and reminders of the deadly clashes between protesters seeking job quota reforms and the security forces of Bangladesh that engulfed the nation of 170 million people for nearly two weeks this month. Among them is Mohammad Anik, a 24-year-old salesperson from Madaripur, a central district some 150km (93 miles) away from Dhaka. “There is a less than 50 percent chance that he [Anik] will get his eyesight back,” said a duty doctor at NIOH who requested anonymity. “There were several injuries in his two eyes and we had tried our best.”
Last Monday, Anik was heading home from work when he got caught in a street clash between protesters and police. Before he could figure out what was happening, a pellet struck his face. He fell to the ground, unconscious and exposed, until bystanders intervened and took him to the hospital. Now, he finds himself amid the dozens of young men at NIOH, their futures shrouded in darkness.
The NIOH has treated nearly 500 patients in the last few days, hailing from various districts including Dhaka, all grappling with severe eye injuries. Hospital records reveal that at least 278 of these individuals also sustained wounds to other parts of their bodies.
NIOH’s director, Golam Mostafa, confirmed that shotgun pellets used during the anti-quota protests were the primary cause of the injuries. “In cases where the pellet embeds itself in the retina’s center or is forcefully ejected upon impact, partial blindness becomes the tragic outcome,” he said.
Those who sustained eye injuries during the recent anti-quota protests, along with their families, claim that the police used indiscriminate force, firing at them without restraint. The severity of these injuries has prompted international condemnation, with Amnesty International calling for a ban on their use for crowd control.
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