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EDITOR
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Editorial
‘Fortnightly’
পাক্ষিক |
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BHRC Human Rights Report
Total 260 persons killed in April,
2015
The documentation section of
Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC) furnished
this human rights survey report on the basis of
daily newspapers and information received from its
district, sub-district and municipal branches. As
per survey it appears that 260 peoples were killed
in April, 2015 in all over the country. It proves
that the law and order situation is not
satisfactory. Bangladesh Human Rights Commissions
extremely anxious about this situation. In the month
of April, 2015 average 9 people were killed in each
day.
The Law enforcing agencies and related Govt.
departments should be more responsible so that
percentage of killing may be brought down to zero
level. To institutionalize the democracy and to
build human rights based society the rule of law and
order must be established everywhere. Through
enforcing rule of law only such violation against
human rights can be minimized.
It appears from documentation division of BHRC:
Total 260 person killed in April, 2015
Political killing 8, Killing for dowry 4, killing by
family violence 34, Killed due to social discrepancy
48, Killed by Law enforcing authority 9, Killed due
to doctor negligence 4, Assassination 15, Mysterious
death 62, Killed due to BSF 6, Women & chilled
killed due to rape 5,
Killed by several accidents: Killed by road accident
260, Suicide 37.
Besides victims of torture:
Rape 21, Torture for Dowry 4, Killed due to dowry 4,
Sexual Harassment 3, Natural disaster 29.
AL to accept poll results, says PM
An election worker puts indelible mark on the finger
of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before she cast her
vote in the city corporation elections at Dhaka City
College centre on 28 April 2015.
Casting her vote in the city corporation election on
Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said
Awami League will accept the election result
whatever it is, reports UNB. "We'll definitely
accept the people's mandate," she said in response
to a query by journalists as she emerged from Dhaka
City College polling centre under Dhaka South City
Corporation (DSCC) after casting her vote in the
morning. Expressing the hope that the pro-Awami
League candidates will win the elections, the Prime
Minister urged people to cast their votes
peacefully. The Prime Minister arrived at the centre
at about 8:00am and came out of it around 8:02 am
casting her vote. Voting in the elections to the
three city corporations-Dhaka North City
Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation and
Chittagong City Corporation-began at 8:00am and
continued till 4:00pm without any break. Talking to
the journalists, Sheikh Hasina said it is of course
a matter of happiness to exercise one's franchise in
a peaceful atmosphere which is free from any
interference and fear as the nation had struggled
for a long time to establish their voting rights.
She said the government has ensured the rights of
expression of opinions by all and the voters are now
enjoying freedom of casting their votes, she said.
In this connection, she urged the city dwellers to
give their opinions through casting votes for the
mayoral and councillor candidates of their choice.
Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said
Awami League is always respectful of the people's
mandate. But, BNP terms an election fair only when
it wins it and rejects it if it goes against its
favour. Responding to another question, Hasina said
a BNP movement means killing, burning people to
death and arson attacks, and mass people have no
involvement in such destructive politics. She urged
those supporting destructive politics to put their
hands on candle fire and try to realise the pains of
those suffered burn injuries. Terming human being as
the best creation, the Prime Minister questioned
what kind of movement BNP was waging by burning bus
drivers, helpers and innocent citizens to death and
setting fire on trains and vehicles. About any
possible unwanted situation during the election,
Hasina firmly mentioned that it is the
responsibility of the government to protect lives
and property of people, and the law enforcers will
duly perform their duties to this end. Talking about
Khaleda Zia's call for taking money but not giving
vote, she said, BNP leader exposed her character
proving that she was used to do with bribed money
whatever she wanted. Mentioning the "yes"- "no" Vote
of Ziaur Rahaman and the February 15 election of
Khaleda Zia, Hasina said they destroyed the voting
rights of people. "Awami League fought for a long
time to establish the voting rights of people," she
added. The Prime Minister also narrated the 15th
August tragedy accusing Zia of getting involved in
the killing and 21st grenade attack by Khaleda Zia
and Tareq in which 24 Awami League leaders and
workers, including Ivy Rahman, were killed. The
Prime Minister said she is doing politics for the
welfare of people, not for her own interest, and
urged the BNP leader to go to people and work for
their welfare. and the party's rebel contenders. "We
took part in the city elections with the hope that
it will be free and fair. But this election is
nothing but a farcical one. We are boycotting the
polls. People of the country will not accept.
BNP pulls out of city polls
The elections to the three city corporations-Dhaka
South, Dhaka North and Chittagong - were held on 28
April 2015 amid capturing of polling centres and
massive vote rigging that prompted the BNP to
boycott the polls. The BNP announced boycotting of
the elections to the three city corporations midway
through the voting bringing allegations of massive
vote rigging by ruling party men. Voting started at
8:00am and continued till 4:00pm without break with
poor turnout at almost all the polling centres of
the three city corporations due to panic and fear.
The Election Commission suspended voting at some
poling centers following clashes between the
supporters of the ruling party Awami League-backed
candidates such election," said BNP standing
committee member Moudud Ahmed. The BNP leader
announced the decision at an 'emergency' press
conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office
in the capital at 12:15pm while voting was
continuing in the three city corporations. He
alleged the ruling party men grabbed polling
centers, driven away polling agents of the BNP-backed
candidates, captured ballot boxes and obstructed
voters to go to different polling stations. "The
ruling Awami League-backed candidates and their
supporters are filling ballot boxes with the help of
police and RAB. Lawmen detained agents of BNP-backed
candidates in many polling stations," he said. "We
hoped that the city polls will be free and fair,
which will smoothen the path of democracy. But this
is no election arranged by the the government and
its Election Commission. Less than five per cent
people are taking part in the polls." The elections
to the city corporations have again proved that
there is no voting rights of people in the country.
Earlier, Chittagong BNP president Amir Khasru Mahmud
Chowdhury at a briefing announced boycotting of the
polls allegation that people could not cast votes in
80 per cent of the polling centers. BNP backed
candidates Manjurul Alam also announced his
retirement from the politics. Other candidates also
alleged massive irregularities in the voting. Many
voters could not go to polling centres due to
obstruction bu ruling party men, they said.
Media also aired the irregularities and incidents of
violence in different polling centres. In some
cases, on-duty officials were found involved with
the irregularities. Journalists also came under
attack while covering the elections at some centres.
Brushing aside such irregularities, top officials of
law-enforcing agencies claimed that elections to the
three city corporations were held in a free, fair
and peaceful manner. "The polls were held
peacefully. People cast their votes amid festivity,"
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman
Miah told reporters while visiting some centres.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission suspended voting
at some centres, including Suritola Primary School
and Jurain Ashraf Master Model School due to
irregularities. The situation started changing after
9:00am as allegations of irregularities were being
brought by the BNP-backed candidates. Clashes took
place at some centres as the ruling party-backed
councilor candidates and rebel candidates tried to
establish supremacy at Suritola Primary School, Kabi
Nazrul College, Zarina Shikder School, Kafrul High
School, Pogos School, Siddeswari Girls College,
Bulbul Lalitkala Academy, Mohammadia Islami
Madrassha, Dhaka College, Banglabazar Govt Girls
School and Dhalpur City Coproration Staff Quarter
School.
Some media outlets also captured images of ruling
Awami League activists and supporters while they
were illegally casting votes for their
party-supported candidates. Asked about allegation
of irregularities in voting, Chief Election
Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed "I have not
received any complaint of irregularities during my
visit to different polling centres." Election to the
undivided Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) was held
eight years after the expiry to the previous tenure.
The last election to the DCC was held in 2002. This
was the first Dhaka city election after the Awami
League -led government split the DCC into two -
Dhaka south with 36 wards and Dhaka north with 56.
But the CCC polls were held before the expiry of its
tenure. The last election was held on June 17 in
2010.
A dangerous dependency
M.A. Jabbar
It is surely a serious situation
warranting society's concern when experts warn that
natural resources of fresh water, especially rivers,
are becoming poisonous with industrial effluents and
human waste, causing serious hazards to public
health and ecological system.
Rainwater, the purest form of natural water is
insensitively wasted in our country by letting it
run off and merge with polluted rivers in the
absence of a harvesting system. Of the 80,000 tonnes
of human waste generated a day, at best 2 percent
(1500 tones) is treated at Pagla treatment plant
near the capital and the rest eventually end up in
the rivers. Most industries in and around the
capital release their untreated effluents directly
into the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Balu and Turag
rivers, thus polluting the rivers.
Professor Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of
Engineering and Technology (BUET) said river water
is turning unsafe for drinking because of rampant
release of untreated human waste and industrial
effluents that contain heavy metals like chromium,
cadmium, lead, mercury and toxic chemicals. More
than 300 rivers in Bangladesh are polluted the same
way. Pollution makes river waters unsuitable for
agriculture, fishing, household chores and bathing
and also ruins the riverine ecological system and
biodiversity.
Dr. Mohammad Ali who carried out the first liver
transplant in the country said excessive
accumulation of heavy metals through regular
consumption of contaminated food and water might
damage brain, liver, kidney and nerve. Contaminated
water causes deadly hepatitis A and E and typhoid
and eventually leads to liver failure, particularly
in children and pregnant women.
More than 7000 children under five, die from
diarrhoea while waterborne diseases cause nearly a
quarter of total deaths annually in the country
according to the findings of Water Aid Bangladesh.
Ground beneath our feet
Bangladesh, despite the world's largest delta with
an estimated 1210 billion cubic meters of fresh
water resources, depends mostly on groundwater for
drinking and dry season irrigation. According to
experts, this is due to lack of sustainable
water-usage plan.
About 98 percent of drinking water and 80 percent of
dry season irrigation water comes from the reserve
of 21 billion cubic meters groundwater Anwar Zahid,
deputy director of Bangladesh Water Development
Board (BWDB) disclosed the fact at a press
conference recently. The conference warned of the
increasing dependency on groundwater and focused on
unplanned use of water resources of the country
criss-crossed by about 700 rivers and tributaries.
Pollution of surface water in the cities and
industrial zones is the main of dependency on
groundwater. Even fields located near rivers are
often irrigated using groundwater rather than river
water which are not polluted. It is easier to set up
a tube well rather than installing pipes across
fields. The pipes have to be removed during rainy
seasons when they get inundated by flood-water.
Over extraction of groundwater and its consequences:
The over extraction of groundwater would lower its
level and create increased salinity in coastal
areas. When the groundwater level goes below the sea
level, saline water flows inwards during tidal surge
in river. This a great concern for the nation.
Experts say that human body can last weeks without
food, but only days without water. Human body is on
average made of 50-65 percent water and newborn
babies have 78 percent water.
It has been reported that in Dhaka the groundwater
level is going down by 1 to 3 meters every year. In
the 70s WASA used to install tube well at 350-450
feet below surface but now it requires 500-1000
feet. Cost of installation has gone up. Besides the
properties of the aquifer, the soil that holds the
water is also being damaged. The soil might become
compact and its capacity to hold water in future
might be lost. Many recent studies also shows that
fluctuation in groundwater level during dry and wet
seasons is a factor of arsenic contamination of
water.
Dependency on ground level water needs to be
minimized. Pollution-free surface water is the
answer. Although there are as many as 17
water-related laws in the country, the main weakness
is implementation of the same. Experts suggested for
adoption and implementation of policies and
strategies to ensure food security, healthy society
and safe water supply. Ministry of health may work
with the ministries of agriculture, industries,
energy and environment with due coordination to
develop healthy public policies and programmes and
implement them to ensure that fresh water in
adequate quantity and quality is available to all at
all times. Sustainable water-usage plan should be
formulated and implemented with due importance.
Environment factors may be considered by the
industrialists with patriotism. Public awareness is
important, harvesting system is necessary and
environment laws and regulations need to be enforced
earnestly to combat the situation.
However, World Water Day was observed in Bangladesh
on March 22 like elsewhere in the world with the
theme "Water and sustainable development." The theme
on the occasion of the day is timely and appropriate
reflecting the role of water in life contributing to
health and hygiene, food, industry, ecosystems and
energy.
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Leading the war-effort from
Mujibnagar
Sharmina Nargish
Mujibnagar is now an
historic place. But more than four decades ago it
was not so famous. The remote sleepy place bordering
India made international headlines only on April 17
in 1971. On this day in 1971, the provisional
war-time government of Bangladesh was launched in
this tree-shaded place. At that time it was known as
Baidyanathtala in the then-Meherpur subdivision in
Kushtia district. It became famous at home and
abroad. The area played host to the first
provisional government of Bangladesh that led the
country's nine-month War of Liberation against
occupation Pakistani military.
It was a defining moment for the Bengali nation. The
first Bengali government in history, administered by
Bengalis and for the Bengalis came into being.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman was declared the president of the provisional
government. The government was launched in the
absence of Bangabandhu, who was detained in a
solitary prison in then-West Pakistan.
On the black night of March 25 that year, the
Pakistani military arrested Bangabandhu and flew him
to West Pakistan. During the nine months of bloody
liberation war Bangabandhu was kept in the jail at
Layalpur in Multan, far away from the Bengalees who
took up arms at his call. That's why his close
comrades in his Awami League party had to form the
provisional government in his absence but at the
directives left by him before his arrest. Syed
Nazrul Islam took oath as the acting president and
Tajuddin Ahmed was named the prime minister.
Throughout the war with the Pakistani military, the
Mujibnagar government would serve as the nominal
head of the pro-independence guerrilla forces,
mainly the Mukti Bahini. Although the state gained
victory only on December 16 in 1971, the Mujibnagar
government is recognised as the first official
government of Bangladesh.
After the brutal crackdown of the Pakistani army on
the 25th March night, the liberation war started.
Bangabandhu proclaimed the independence in early
hours of March 26 before his arrest. That's why we
celebrate our Independence Day on March 26.
Bangabandhu's independence proclamation was later
relayed through the radio station in Kalurghat in
Chittagong. The Pakistani military was defeated in
the war. They surrendered to the joint forces of
Indian army and Mukti Bahni on December 16 in 1971.
December 16 is thus celebrated as Victory Day.
People of all walks of life took part in the war
after that declaration. The Mujibnagor government
mobilized public opinion at home and abroad for the
liberation war. The leaders in exile visited
different countries to mobilize international
support. They went to the United Nations to shop
support for Bangladesh liberation war. They
succeeded. Friendly countries like India, the
then-Soviet Union, Japan, Bhutan and organizations
like the UN came forward with support. Support of
the friendly countries was needed to gain
independence. The leaders of the Bengali liberation
movement led by the Awami League went into exile and
from there organized the guerrilla war. A formal
swearing-in ceremony was held on 17 April at
Baidyanathtala in Meherpur District. Baidyanathtala
was also renamed Mujibnagar by the provisional
government as a tribute to the immensely popular
leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. His fate was
unknown at the time as he was detained in West
Pakistan awaiting a trial on charges of treason.
Bangladesh's welcome return to ballots
Farid Hossain
Campaign posters calling for votes are new arrivals
in the capital city, Dhaka and the port city of
Chittagong. The posters, hanging from ropes stung
across the streets, are black-and-white conforming
to the election code of conduct. Workers and
supporters of the candidates are taking to the
streets asking for voters' mandate. Candidates are
either visiting voters' homes and workplaces or
speaking to them on the streets or footpaths. The
two city corporations in Dhaka and the one in
Chittagong are gearing up for the voting scheduled
for April 28.
Politics has taken a sharp turn from Khaleda Zia's
deadly campaign of blockades and hartals to the
democratic practice of polls. The upcoming vote
comes as a great relief for the people of Bangladesh
who have suffered huge loss of lives and property
during the 93-day campaign of BNP-led 20-party
opposition alliance, headed by Khaleda. Nearly a
hundred died in arson and petrol bomb attacks that
occurred during Khaleda's campaign to oust her
bitter political foe Sheikh Hasina, the prime
minister and president of the governing Awami League
party. Another about 38 people died in the violence
related to the campaign that failed to draw public
support. The tactics of arson and the widespread use
of petrol bombs rather incurred public wrath against
Khaleda and her most trusted ally Jamaat-e-Islami
Bangladesh.
An exhausted and frustrated Khaleda halted the anti-Hasina
campaign as the Election Commission announced the
schedule for the city corporation polls. Her
decision to surrender to a Dhaka trial court before
returning to her Gulshan house from her party's
office in the same posh area (where she was
self-interned for three months) coincided with her
party's decision to back candidates in the important
local government elections.
In Dhaka South City Corporation, BNP is backing
Mirza Abbas, a stalwart of the party. In Dhaka North
City Corporation the party has thrown its weight on
Tabith Awal, son of Abdul Awal Mintoo, an advisor to
Khaleda. Tabith got the backing after the election
officials disqualified his businessman father for
errors in the nomination paper he submitted to them,
a decision upheld by appeals authorities. Mintu has
been a front-runner in the race of Dhaka city mayor
even before the corporation was spilt j into two.
Debate rages, even within BNP, whether Mintu's
technical error has been deliberate. In Chittagong
City Corporation, BNP is backing M Manjur Alam, who
was elected mayor in the last election.
The Awami League is backing its Chittagong
metropolis unit president AJM Nasir Uddin as its
mayor candidate, while in Dhaka South it is
supporting ex-mayor Mohammad Hanif's son Sayed
Khokan and in the north Annisul Haq, a self-made
businessman who was once a popular face on
television.
Except Mirza Abbas, who has been in hiding to avoid
being arrested on charges of violence, all the mayor
hopefuls are in the field, making door-to-door
campaign to woo the voters. As the campaign
intensifies, TV talk shows and political columnists
are focusing more on the city corporation vote.
Whether the BNP-backed candidates are being getting
fair and equal treatment in the campaign, whether
the Election Commission will be able to maintain its
neutrality and whether the voting will be free and
fair are the dominant issues that are being
discussed by political commentators. Speculations
have already started about possible winners and
losers. Are the Awami League-backed candidates going
to sweep the polls? What happens if they are
defeated by the BNP-backed candidates? Is Hasina's
government interfering in the polls? Will her party
accept a defeat? These are the questions being
discussed even by the public. The April 28 polls and
their possible impact on the country's national
politics are the hot political topics in the
country.
This is what is normal in democratic politics.
People are getting an opportunity to choose their
representatives through ballots, a right they were
denied in the parliamentary elections held last
year. Politics has come home and to the right place
to where it belongs.
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Rana Plaza: Two Years On
Marcia Bernicat
Two years ago, the Rana Plaza
building collapsed, crushing workers and drawing the
world's attention to the readymade garment (RMG)
sector in Bangladesh. In one day, Bangladesh lost
over 1100 lives. Today we remember those workers and
grieve their loss along with their families and
friends. As we look to the future, we see that
Bangladesh - its workers, employers, and government
- is working alongside the world's brands and
Bangladesh's international partners to prevent such
a tragedy from ever happening again. Together, we
are building a better and more productive RMG sector
and demonstrating to the world that business success
goes hand-in-hand with workers' rights and safety.
Bangladesh is not alone when it comes to surviving
infamous factory tragedies. On March 25, 1911, in
the United States, 146 workers died during a fire at
the Triangle shirt factory. Similar to the workers
at Rana Plaza, the Triangle shirt factory victims
included many young women who had come to the
factory to earn a salary for the first time. Like
the Rana Plaza collapse, the Triangle shirt factory
fire could have been prevented. The owners had
locked the doors to the stairwells and exits, which
prevented many of the workers from being able to
escape the burning building. Instead, onlookers
watched as young women jumped from the eighth,
ninth, and tenth floors to their deaths on the
streets below.
This tragedy led to enormous changes in the United
States that included legislation requiring improved
factory safety standards and the strengthening of
the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A
Committee on Public Safety was formed, headed by
Frances Perkins, who later became the first
Secretary of Labor of the United States. The
committee identified specific problems and supported
new legislation including a bill to shorten the
maximum hours in a work week. Field agents were
hired to do on-site inspections of factories. New
York City's Fire Chief John Kenlon told the
investigators that his department had identified
more than 200 factories with similar fire risks.
Change has similarly begun in Bangladesh to address
factory safety concerns. Since Rana Plaza, over
2,700 factories have been inspected for fire,
building and electrical safety, and 32 factories
with dangerous conditions have been closed. People
from all over the world can access information about
these inspections on the Ministry of Labor and
Employment website. The ministry has hired and begun
training over 100 inspectors. But the work is not
done; over 1000 factories under the National
Tripartite Action Plan have not been inspected.
Other factories remain not registered; their
conditions are unknown. We urge all of Bangladesh's
stakeholders to ensure that all factories are safe.
The government of Bangladesh has also begun to show
its leadership among industrializing nations by
demonstrating its commitment to important labor
rights standards. It has registered over 300 unions
and created a website for unions to register online.
We encourage the government to ensure these unions'
members are able to exercise their legal right to
collectively bargain, free from the fear that they
will be fired or harassed, and that illegal
retaliation will be dealt with quickly. We also
would welcome use of an alternative resolution
system to prevent disputes between workers and
management from escalating into conflict. We look
forward to the new inspectors receiving training
from the International Labor Organization and
inspecting worksites for wage violations and other
issues as mandated by the labor law. And by issuing
the Labor Act's Implementing Rules, the government
will soon provide employers better guidance, help
workers understand their role, and give Bangladesh
authorities the direction to properly enforce the
law.
Tragedies can and should lead to transformation.
Workers, including thousands of young women employed
for the first time, must be afforded the right to
raise their concerns, be respected and work in safe
conditions. BGMEA and the government have a
responsibility to ensure all factories allow
inspectors access and that factories remediate the
problems that are identified. These reforms will
also increase productivity. The garment sector's
plan to grow to $50 billion by 2021 is crucial to
the nation's development goals, given the enormous
contribution the RMG sector makes to Bangladesh's
economy and women's empowerment. The United States
is partnering with the government, the workers, and
the employers to show the world that Bangladesh is
working toward new standards for workers' rights and
safety, ensuring that no worker need fear such a
tragedy again..
Caught in the dark layers of sexuality
There is definitely a nagging feeling
of disquiet over the incident within the university
campus on Pahela Baishakh when a group of rowdy
young men physically harassed young women taking
part in the Bengali New Year's celebrations.
To state unequivocally, the event leaves a scar on a
day which should have been one of joy and
entertainment.
However, reality is that we are now faced with an
issue - a sort of relentless eve teasing with brutal
sexual intent.
With CCTV footage, pictures can be seen of a scuffle
in the heavily crowded university intersection but
to be honest, from what we have, it's not possible
to identify one hundred per cent who is resorting to
gross indecency and who is not. A witness of the
event told me that when the young men pounced on the
women, it seemed at first like a fight between two
groups over a vulgar comment.
In short, he said he did not move forward lest he
was seen as a perpetrator. This sentiment worked in
the case of others too who did not know what to do.
In fact, such situations are not uncommon and
therefore, the law enforcers needed to get into
action promptly.
Of course, there is no use harping about what could
have been; the fact remains, some young women were
targeted and there is footage, based on which,
efforts can be made to get the guilty ones.
Assuming that faced with severe social backlash in
and outside the social media, a few rascals are
punished; I feel that stringent moves over one
incident which happened at the centre of the capital
city won't redress a simmering sexual frustration
which is never talked about openly.
The irony is, in our vociferous (often irrational)
attempts to fly the flag of conservatism, there is
no desire to look at the convoluted inner layer of a
community where the mere issue of sex is like a
dormant but a rumbling volcano.
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