Globe Biotech workers assaulted while catching monkeys for vaccine trial

At least five employees of Globe Biotech Ltd came under attack by the locals in Gazipur on Sunday while trying to catch monkeys for clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine.

The incident took place in Barmi Bazar area under Sreepur upazila of the district.

Globe Pharmaceuticals Ltd Media Consultant Anisur Rahman, one of the victims of the assaults, said that they had caught 10 monkeys for clinical purposes with the government permission.

However, some locals demanded money for the monkeys. “When we refused to pay, they physically assaulted us and snatched the monkeys and some money,” Anisur added.

Locals claimed that they had obstructed the employees of the pharmaceutical company, suspecting them as poachers, for not having any local representative with them.

Abul Hashem, president of the Barmi Bazar Merchants' Association, denied the allegations of assault, and claimed that the staff had come to catch the monkeys without informing the local administration.

Globe Biotech applied to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for 56 monkeys on June 26. Later they collected 30 monkeys from the Bhawal National Park and the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in three days since June 29, according to Tabibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the safari park in Gazipur and assistant conservator of forests.

Sreepur Police Officer-in-Charge Khandaker Imam Hossain said that the locals had caught the employees of Globe Biotech Ltd and released the monkeys. “Two of the monkeys fell sick due to anesthesia. Later they were released after providing treatment.”

He said that the police had rescued the employees of the pharmaceutical company from the angry locals.

“We brought them to the police station and released them after checking the non-objection letters,” the OC said.