Human rights activists have formed a human chain in the capital on Tuesday, demanding a fair probe and justice for Preeti Urang, a domestic help, who tragically fell to her death from a flat at Shajahan road in Mohammadpur area of the capital on February 6.
The flat belongs to Syed Ashfaqul Haque, executive editor of The Daily Star, one of the leading English newspapers in Bangladesh.
Victim’s relatives, tea workers and Domestic Workers Rights Network held a human chain program in front of the National Press Club on Tuesday.
Taking part in the human chain, Nomita Urang, mother of Preeti Urang, sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s interference in ensuring justice for killing her daughter.
“Do you have no compassion or favour whatsoever? Is this how a poor girl should be thrown from a building? Can anyone torture in this manner?” Nomita said when tears were rolling down her eyes.
Claiming that her daughter has been tortured to death, she said, “I seek justice, of course, a fair one, from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”
Lokesh Urang, father of the victim, said “I sent my daughter to Dhaka due to my poverty but she has been tortured to death.”
He also sought the prime minister’s intervention to ensure justice.
Sangkar Tanti, grandfather of the victim, said they are tea garden workers by profession and live far away from the capital Dhaka.
“We struggle to provide regular meals for our children, so we send them to Dhaka for work. However, I cannot endure the pain of their suffering. I want no other children like Preeti to be subjected to such torture here. I want no more of our children to meet the tragic end of their lives falling on the streets. I want fair justice,” he said.
Addressing the human chain, Preeti’s cousin Kabita Urang, said
that they came to Dhaka only to get justice.
Besides, the Domestic Workers Rights Network expressed grave condemnation over the incident in a human chain formed at the same place in Dhaka on the same issue.
The human rights organisation, in collaboration with an active alliance of 30 trade unions, has urged the authorities concerned within the government to identify and prosecute the real culprits through a fair investigation to ensure justice.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court has placed Daily Star Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife, Tania Khandaker, on a four-day remand each in a case filed over the domestic help death due to negligence.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saifur Rahman passed the order on Tuesday.
They were brought to court after the four-day interrogation at the jail gate.
Mohammadpur police station Sub Inspector (SI) Nazmul Hasan, also the investigation officer of the case, produced the accused before the court and sought a 10-day remand.
During the hearing, defence lawyers Chaitanya Chandra Halder and Ashraful Alam filed bail petitions seeking cancellation of the remand. The state opposed it.
the hearing from both sides, the court denied bail and approved a four-day remand for each of them.
Helal Uddin, sub-inspector of Mohammadpur police station’s general registration branch confirmed the information.
Preeti Urang, a 15-year-old, fell to her death from a flat owned by Syed Ashfaqul Haque in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka on 6 February.
On information, police recovered the body of Preeti, who was working as domestic help at the Shajahan road residence of the senior journalist.
Police also detained Ashfaq, Tania and six members of their family to the Mohammadpur Police Station. After interrogation, Ashfaq and Tania were kept in jail and the rest were released.
Preeti’s father Lukesh Uran lodged a case against Ashfaqul and his wife Tania Khandaker with the police station on Wednesday.
Locals claimed that another domestic help, Ferdousi, also fell from the same flat on August 4 last year. Locals expressed their anger as such incidents are happening again and again at the flat of the senior journalist.
Lokesh and his wife, Namita Urang, work in the Mirtinga Tea Garden in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar.
On Sunday, a protest rally was organised at the Mirtinga Tea Garden, jointly organised by the Urang Language and Culture Protection Committee and the Tea Workers’ 10-point Settlement Struggle Committee.