They issue a statement expressing worries over the death of Preeti and the injury of Ferdousi, underaged domestic workers who fell from journalist Syed Ashfaqul Haque’s home
Published : 07 Mar 2024, 02:29 AM
Rights advocates Sultana Kamal, Rasheda K Choudhury and Khushi Kabir have headlined a statement signed by a group of 25 distinguished citizens demanding justice for Preeti Urang and a fair investigation into the death of the underaged domestic worker who fell from the eighth floor flat of The Daily Star’s Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque.
Saleh Ahmed, the general secretary of Sammilito Samajik Andolan, sent the statement to the media on Wednesday, with signatories from teachers, lawyers, and cultural and rights activists.
Preeti, a teenaged girl from the Urang community of Moulvibazar, died after falling from the flat of Ashfaqul in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur in Dhaka on Feb 6.
The locals of Mohammadpur demonstrated outside the building, alleging Preeti was murdered. Ashfaqul and Tania Khondoker are in jail in a case over the incident.
Preeti was not the first to fall from the flat. On Aug 6, 2023, 9-year-old house help Ferdousi suffered life-altering injuries after falling from the flat.
Ashfaqul and Tania were acquitted of the charges brought in another case over Ferdousi’s injuries after handing a cheque to her family in a Tk 200,000 settlement.
The statement said: “The death and injuries of two child workers in the same house in a short period of time are concerning. It is a difficult task for a poor and marginalised family of tea workers to conduct a case against the influential people of the society.”
“The state and the civil society need to monitor the case to ensure justice and a fair investigation free from influences," it added.
"We demand justice for Preti Urang and a fair investigation into her death.”
The signatories include Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Choudhury, former advisers to the caretaker government, Ramendu Majumdaar, a presidium member of Sammilito Samajik Andolan, Sarwar Ali, Syed Anwar Hossain, president of Sammilito Samajik Andolan, Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council, Fauzia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, SMA Sabur, president of Bangladesh Krishak Samiti, Khushi Kabir, a rights activist, Dhaka University professors MM Akash and Robayet Ferdous, Supreme Court lawyer Parvez Hashem, Abdul Wahed, executive president of Jatiya Sramik Jote, and cultural activist AK Azad.