USA national Tala Elhendy has urged the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) to investigate the death of Gulf Air’s pilot and take action for negligence of the carrier.
“I emailed to CAAB on 7 March 2023 requesting to administer sanctions and for issuing direction upon the authority of the Gulf Air. However, the aviation authority keeps mum on the issue,”
Tala Elhendy, sister of Gulf Air pilot Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi, told a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday. Barrister Saqeb Mahbub was also present on the occasion.
Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi passed away on 14 December 2022 at United Hospital due to severe negligence bordering on manslaughter. Talking to media, Elhendy claimed Gulf Air neglected to do any investigation into the death of one of their best pilots.
“When the body of my brother arrived in Bahrain, the Gulf Air personnel didn’t show the reports to the doctors there. If they had, the doctors would have told the personnel that the reports are not accurate. Since they did not, we are certain that there was an ill motive behind it as if they were trying to conceal facts,” Elhendy said sharing backdrop of the incident.
Elhendy said that Gulf Air hurriedly buried her brother instead of finding the proper reasoning behind demise of her brother. She filed a writ petition principally against the CAAB on March 28 seeking direction upon the authority to investigate the actions and role of Gulf Air.
A mention slip for the aforesaid writ petition was submitted to a division bench of High Court on April 2 and the matter will come in due course in HC for hearing.
There was negligence on the part of both United Hospital and Gulf Air authorities, according to Elhendy. When she tried to reach out to Gulf Air, they ceased all communication with her.
Elhendy arrived in Bangladesh on 26 January 2023 and personally investigated the death of her brother over a span of few days by trying to extract information and documents from United Hospital pertaining to the case of her late brother.
The hospital was hostile towards and uncooperative with her. She tried to lodge an FIR against United Hospital at the Gulshan Police Station regarding the matter on 31 January 2023.
However, the police declined to register the case. Since the police refused to cooperate, she then filed a complaint petition at metropolitan magistrate court number 21 of Dhaka against the United Hospital for their negligence in treating her brother which resulted in his demise.
The Court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to conduct investigation on the matter. The next date of the case was fixed for 2 April 2023 for the submission of the report. PBI, however, did not submit report and sought time on the matter.
