Quader unable to receive further treatment, placed on home care

Obaidul Quader, senior leader of activities-banned Awami League (AL), is no longer able to receive further medical treatment after being placed on ventilation at Apollo Hospital in Kolkata.

Hospital sources said that given his critical condition, the family has decided to move him to their home in Kolkata, where he will be kept under medical supervision with life support and necessary healthcare facilities arranged at home.

Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of ousted AL—whose political activities have since been banned—fled to India following the July mass uprising. 

His health reportedly deteriorated suddenly on Friday (January 2), after which he was taken to Apollo Hospital near Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in an almost unconscious state.

Suffering from multiple age-related complications, Quader had been bedridden for some time. 

According to reliable sources, he had been receiving oxygen support at his New Town residence in Kolkata before being hospitalised. After admission, doctors placed him on ventilation. At the time, hospital authorities said he was responding to treatment, though his condition remained extremely critical.

In an interview with media in June, Quader said he still considered himself the general secretary of Awami League despite the party’s activities being banned.

He also confirmed at the time that he was staying in Kolkata.

He said that after the July mass uprising, which led to the collapse of AL rule, he remained in hiding for about three months, frequently changing residences, before finally leaving the country in November 2024.

Asked about apologising for AL’s crackdown during the uprising, Quader said the issues of apology, admitting mistakes or expressing remorse would be considered once the party is able to return to the country and resume political activities.

Obaidul Quader has served as the Awami League’s general secretary since October 2016. He was in charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges from December 2011 until August 2024.