The case of Md Ramjan, a 12-year-old child worker in Lakshmipur’s Baghbari who was beaten by his employer and died eight days later, has been settled for Tk50,000 but the family is yet to get the money.
Ramjan’s family chose not to file any case with police as the local municipal councillor, Shipon, promised to pay the money.
“We have not yet received the money and do not know when we will,” said Tazul Islam, father of Ramjan.
Shipon could not be reached for comments over the phone.
Police did not file any case in this connection either, and Md Giasuddin Miah, officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar police station, said a probe had been launched. “Police will lodge a case even if the victim’s family does not file any,” he said.
Ramjan’s mother Shukkuri Begum said her son, who died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on August 18, told doctors that his employer Ali Hossain had struck him twice in the backbone with a rod, fracturing two bones.
Ramjan was laid to rest in the village home, Banchanagar, on Wednesday afternoon but no autopsy was carried out before the burial.
His mother said she feared that disclosing the Tk50,000 settlement to police would eventually lead to a post-mortem of her son.
“I was too fragile mentally to accept that doctors would dissect my son’s body to determine the cause of his death. That is why we buried the body without any delay,” she said.
Ramjan worked at the shop of Ali, who on August 10 loaded two milk cartons onto the boy’s head to take those elsewhere. But Ali beat Ramjan as the cartons fell from the child’s head because he [Ramjan] could not withstand the weight.
