Former Biman MD, wife seek bail over ‘abusing’ domestic child worker, hearing on Sunday

Police arrested Shafiqur Rahman and three others in the early hours of Monday

Former Biman Bangladesh Airlines managing director and chief executive officer Shafiqur Rahman and his wife Bithi have sought bail in a case over the abuse of a child domestic worker.

Lawyer Zakir Hossain filed the bail petition on their behalf on Thursday at the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman.

Prosecution Sub-Inspector Tahmina Akhter said the court has set Sunday for a hearing on the petition.

The two others who have sought bail are domestic aides Rupali Khatun and Sufia Begum.

Meanwhile, an organisation named Save Our Women–Bangladesh staged a human chain protest and rally in front of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, demanding justice for the victims in the domestic worker abuse case involving Safiqur and his wife. The group called for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.

Police arrested Safiqur and three others from a house in Uttara in the wee hours of Monday. That day a court ordered them sent to jail.

The child’s father, hotel worker Golam Mostafa, filed the case on Sunday over the abuse incident.

According to the case statement, Safiqur lives in Sector 9 of Uttara. A security guard at the house, Jahangir, had been looking for a young girl to look after a child. He later met Golam Mostafa.

After being promised that all expenses, including the girl’s marriage, would be paid for, Mostafa sent his daughter to work at the house in June last year. He last visited her at the house on Nov 2 last year.

After that, as per the case documents, the girl was not allowed to meet her family.

On Jan 31, Bithi phoned Mostafa, saying the child was ill and should be taken home.

“When he arrived that evening, he found his daughter with severe injuries to her hands and other parts of her body. She was barely able to speak, and Bithi could not explain her condition.”

Mostafa admitted her to Gazipur’s Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital, where she told him she had been beaten and even burnt with heated kitchen tools.