Italian priest shot in Dinajpur

An Italian priest was shot in Dinajpur yesterday morning in the third attack on foreign nationals in Bangladesh since September.
Piero Parolari, 57, who was seriously injured in the attack, is the pastor of a church and a doctor at Saint Vincent Missionary Hospital in Dinajpur.
The incident took place around 8.30am, near the BRTC bus terminal at Mirzapur under Dinajpur municipality.
Witnesses said Parolari left his home in the Mirzapur Catholic Church compound on his bicycle for the hospital, where he treated patients as a volunteer. Near the bus terminal, three men on a motorbike allegedly shot him from the back and rode off. The bike was at some distance from the pastor.
Initially people fled the spot on hearing the gunshot. Around 15 minutes later, they mustered the courage to come out and take him to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. Parolari was then taken to the operating theatre.
Dr Zillur Rahman, in charge of the surgery department of Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, said Parolari had bullet injuries in the back of his head. He was also injured above his eye when he fell from his bicycle after being shot, he added.
“There were two injuries in the back of his lower part of head,” said Rahman.
After a board meeting at the hospital, authorities decided to refer Parolari to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for better treatment. Later, he was airlifted to the BSMMU, says UNB.
Reading out the CT scan report, Dr Amir Ali, deputy director of the hospital, said Parolari’s condition is now stable, but may deteriorate within the next 48 hours as the bullet hit a bone. An air ambulance will take him to Dhaka, he added. As news spread, Meer Khairul Alam, deputy commissioner (DC) of Dinajpur, and Rurul Amin, superintendent of police (SP), rushed to the hospital. Witnesses said all the three criminals had helmets on. The man sitting in the middle fired the shot. Then the bike took a left turn and sped off towards Dinajpur Government College.
Police seized a cartridge and Parolari’s spectacles from the spot. A policeman said the criminals were “experts” and the shooting had been “planned”.
The SP said security has been beefed up in Dinajpur and BGB personnel have been deployed in the district. RAB members are also looking for the criminals. Police have so far detained 10 persons for interrogation, he added.
Alert messages were sent to foreigners in the district after the incident.
Dr Livio Prete, another Italian national in Dinajpur, said Parolari and he had come to Bangladesh around 30 years ago. He hurried to the hospital on hearing the incident. “I'm really panicky after this attack,” he said.
Sebastian Tudu, the bishop of Dinajpur, said Parolari has no enemies as far as he knows. “I don't know why he was shot. We're really shocked,” he said.
Parolari is the second Italian national and the third foreigner to have been attacked in the country in less than a couple of months.
On September 28, Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was shot dead in Gulshan area of the capital while on October 3, Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was shot dead in the northern district of Rangpur.

 

 

Italian priest shot in Dinajpur

An Italian priest was shot in Dinajpur yesterday morning in the third attack on foreign nationals in Bangladesh since September. Piero Parolari, 57, who was seriously injured in the attack, is the pastor of a church and a doctor at Saint Vincent Missionary Hospital in Dinajpur. The incident took place around 8.30am, near the BRTC bus terminal at Mirzapur under Dinajpur municipality. Witnesses said Parolari left his home in the Mirzapur Catholic Church compound on his bicycle for the hospital, where he treated patients as a volunteer. Near the bus terminal, three men on a motorbike allegedly shot him from the back and rode off. The bike was at some distance from the pastor. Initially people fled the spot on hearing the gunshot. Around 15 minutes later, they mustered the courage to come out and take him to Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. Parolari was then taken to the operating theatre. Dr Zillur Rahman, in charge of the surgery department of Dinajpur Medical College Hospital, said Parolari had bullet injuries in the back of his head. He was also injured above his eye when he fell from his bicycle after being shot, he added. There were two injuries in the back of his lower part of head, said Rahman. After a board meeting at the hospital, authorities decided to refer Parolari to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for better treatment. Later, he was airlifted to the BSMMU, says UNB. Reading out the CT scan report, Dr Amir Ali, deputy director of the hospital, said Parolaris condition is now stable, but may deteriorate within the next 48 hours as the bullet hit a bone. An air ambulance will take him to Dhaka, he added. As news spread, Meer Khairul Alam, deputy commissioner (DC) of Dinajpur, and Rurul Amin, superintendent of police (SP), rushed to the hospital. Witnesses said all the three criminals had helmets on. The man sitting in the middle fired the shot. Then the bike took a left turn and sped off towards Dinajpur Government College. Police seized a cartridge and Parolaris spectacles from the spot. A policeman said the criminals were experts and the shooting had been planned. The SP said security has been beefed up in Dinajpur and BGB personnel have been deployed in the district. RAB members are also looking for the criminals. Police have so far detained 10 persons for interrogation, he added. Alert messages were sent to foreigners in the district after the incident. Dr Livio Prete, another Italian national in Dinajpur, said Parolari and he had come to Bangladesh around 30 years ago. He hurried to the hospital on hearing the incident. Im really panicky after this attack, he said. Sebastian Tudu, the bishop of Dinajpur, said Parolari has no enemies as far as he knows. I dont know why he was shot. Were really shocked, he said. Parolari is the second Italian national and the third foreigner to have been attacked in the country in less than a couple of months. On September 28, Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was shot dead in Gulshan area of the capital while on October 3, Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was shot dead in the northern district of Rangpur.