Magura child’s condition worsens after two cardiac arrests

The condition of the eight-year-old girl from Magura, who is currently undergoing treatment at Dhaka‍‍`s Combined Military Hospital (CMH), has worsened. 

On Wednesday morning, the child suffered two separate cardiac arrests, according to reports from the hospital.

The young girl, who was allegedly raped during a visit to her sister‍‍`s house in Magura, has been in a critical state since the incident. 

She was placed on life support at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in CMH and is being closely monitored by a medical board comprised of eight specialist doctors. 

The board includes experts from pediatric neurology, surgery, and cardiology, among other fields.

Condition Deteriorates After Two Cardiac Arrests

A member of the medical board shared the latest update on the girl‍‍`s condition, noting that her health had taken a turn for the worse. 

The doctor explained, "She is now in a highly critical state. At around 8 a.m. today, her heart stopped for the first time. Though we were able to restart it with treatment, her heart stopped a second time later, and it had to be revived again."

The doctor further explained that the child’s brain remains unresponsive, with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3. 

For context, a GCS score measures a person’s consciousness level after brain injury, with 15 being normal. 

A score of 3 reflects a state of complete unresponsiveness. 

The girl’s condition is thought to have worsened due to oxygen deprivation when the alleged attackers attempted to strangle her. 

"The lack of oxygen for a prolonged period has caused severe damage to her brain," said the doctor, adding that timely medical intervention could have helped mitigate the damage.

Tragic Incident Shocks the Nation

The tragic events began on March 1 when the eight-year-old child was visiting her sister’s home in Magura. 

Her mother later filed a case accusing four members of the sister‍‍`s in-laws’ family of raping her daughter—these include her son-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law. 

All four have since been arrested and placed in police remand for further questioning.

As part of the investigation, DNA samples from three of the male suspects were collected and sent to Dhaka’s CID DNA profiling lab, along with samples from the victim, to confirm the allegations. 

On Tuesday, the three accused were transported to Dhaka for this process and later returned to Magura’s district jail. 

Magura’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Md. Mirajul Islam, confirmed this development on Tuesday evening.

Medical Journey from Magura to CMH

The young girl’s medical journey began last Thursday when she was found unconscious and taken to the 250-bed Magura Hospital by her sister’s mother-in-law. 

The mother soon joined her at the hospital, where doctors decided to transfer the child to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. 

By Thursday night, she was moved again to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and on Friday night, she was placed on life support due to her deteriorating condition.

On Saturday, the girl was transferred to CMH for further specialized treatment, where she has remained on life support since.

Public Outrage and Growing Protests

 This horrifying incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with protests and condemnation of the continued violence against women and children. 

Demonstrators across the country are calling for swift justice and stricter actions against perpetrators of sexual violence. 

Amidst these protests, six more cases of rape or attempted rape, involving both women and minors, have surfaced from different parts of Bangladesh.

As the young girl continues to fight for her life, the nation waits anxiously for justice, hoping for a swift resolution to this heartbreaking case.