Latif Siddiqui in hospital

Sacked telecoms minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, facing charges of hurting religious sentiments, has fallen ill in prison. He was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in Shahbagh from Dhaka Central Jail in the city’s old part around 5:00am on Saturday. The 77-year-old former Awami League leader was admitted to the cardiology department, BSMMU Director Abdul Majid Bhuiyan said on Saturday afternoon. ‘Prison authorities brought him to the hospital after he felt a pain in his chest,’ he said. Latif, who lost his Cabinet berth and removed from all tiers of the ruling party for his offensive remarks against Holy Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat, has been in prison since Nov 25, after he turned himself over in connection with one of the cases filed after his rant on Holy Hajj which he made in New York on September 29. No comments from prison authorities were immediately available over his sudden illness, according to a news agency.