Bakula Begum lives in the Kalshi slum of Pallabi in the capital. Monday’s (May 25) fire stripped her of everything.
Sharing her grief, she said: "I have been living in this slum with my family for seven years. The fire burnt everything to ashes. I had saved up my widow allowance money and kept it in the house; I didn't even get to spend it. I escaped with only the clothes on my back. We are poor people; during Eid, we go from house to house to collect meat. We usually eat well for two days with that meat. This time, it’s all over. Where will I even cook the meat I bring? There is no roof over my head. Our Eid this year will be under the open sky."
Like Bakula Begum, over a hundred families have been affected by the fire in the Kalshi slum.
They are now living under the open sky. The fire has robbed them of their homes and all their belongings.
While the rest of the country is preparing for Eid-ul-Azha, the helpless Kalshi slum dwellers have lost everything. Their Eid joy has turned to tears.
Visiting the slum on Tuesday (May 26), the affected residents were seen staying under the open sky, having lost everything to the fire.
Scattered among the burnt ruins were corrugated tin sheets, wood, clothes, and various broken household items.
Some victims were trying to salvage any surviving belongings from inside their burnt homes, while others were gathering burnt tin and other materials. Some were taking the collected burnt items to scrap shops to sell.
Md Nawab, an affected resident, shared that the raging flames devoured his 15 rooms and a grocery shop.
"Everything I earned in this city over the last 20 years was wiped out by a single fire. There were goods worth several lakhs of Taka in the shop; everything is burnt."
Regretfully, he added: "Every year, I perform the Qurbani (sacrifice). A few of us were supposed to bring a cow today. But now, we don't even have a place to stay. On Eid day, we will have to sleep on the street. There is no Eid for us this time."
Another woman, Amena Begum, said: "I had a shop. I went home after the Maghrib call for prayer. I got a call from my younger son saying the shop was on fire. By the time I arrived, everything was gone. I couldn’t save a single thing."
Lal Miah, another shopkeeper, said: "I had goods worth over Tk50 lakh in my plastic shop. I went to say my prayers, and the fire broke out during that time. When I returned, I saw my shop turned to ashes. I have nothing left."
Arson suspected: 1 detained
Slum residents alleged that a local youth had an altercation with a shopkeeper in the slum on Monday afternoon.
The youth had threatened to set the slum on fire.
When the fire broke out shortly after, local residents beat him up and handed him over to the police.
The police took him into custody and provided him with primary medical treatment. The youth is currently in police custody.
Regarding this matter, Hasan Basir, officer-in-charge (OC) of Pallabi Police Station, told Dhaka Tribune: "During interrogation, the detained individual did not admit to starting the fire. However, based on some evidence, we suspect that the youth did set the fire. A case is being filed regarding this, and he will be shown arrested in that case."
The fire broke out in the slum on Monday evening. Later, 15 units of the Fire Service rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control after two hours of effort, completely extinguishing it around 3:30 AM.
No casualties were reported in the incident.