Shahbagh Against Oppression, an organisation based on city’s Shahbagh area, has expressed disappointment about a statement issued by Mahfuz Anam, editor of the Daily Star, regarding the death of a child domestic help named Preeti Urang at the residence of Daily Star Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque.
Mahfuz Anam issued the statement 10 days after the unnatural death of the domestice help at the residence of the newspaper’s executive editor. ‘Shahbagh Against Oppression’ expressed their disappointment in an open letter on Sunday. The open letter addressed to The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam said, “You are waiting till the end of the judicial process to take administrative action. Yet two similar allegations have surfaced against the same person in succession, which you have failed to understand. Even though the complaint is pending, you have not mentioned it in the statement. Even on behalf of your newspaper, like other incidents, in these 2 incidents, analytical and comparative discussion reports have not been published, which is a biased behaviour of the newspaper.”
‘Shahbag Against Oppression’
gives some more reasons behind the disappointment. Apart from this, they also asked some questions to the editor of The Daily Star, Mahfuz Anam.
In the open letter, Mahfuz Anam was asked, “Does your organisation take a stand against child labour? Is it a moral and ethical matter for the media not to suspend the accused in jail on serious charges like murder? Is The Daily Star responsible for the crimes of individuals? Has justice been done with Child Preeti and Ferdousi? Why are such incidents happening again and again in the same house — have you taken this into account as a responsible media?”
In the open letter, it is also said, “We believe that The Daily Star is also reeling in the same question. But the intention is not to bring them up for discussion.”
“It was informed that they do not support the coming of Preeti to work as domestic workers in Dhaka for a better life. They also urged that the newspaper should immediately exonerate Ashfaqul Haque and help the families of Preeti Urang and Ferdousi Begum get justice” it said in the open letter.
Preeti Urang, daughter of Moulvibazar’s Lokesh Urang, used to work as a domestic help at the flat of Ashfaqul in the capital’s Mohammadpur and she died falling from the flat on February 6.
