Two families on Thursday left the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in tears as two more arson attack victims succumbed to their wounds they suffered during opposition-sponsored shutdowns.
The deceased are Nasima Akter, 30, a garment worker at Delta Garment in Gazipur and Abul Kashem, 42, a farmer from Feni district.
Nasima died around 1:35am while Abul Kashem around 9.00am, said Partha Shankar Pal, residential surgeon of burn and Plastic surgery unit of the DMCH. On October 26, the day before the first spell of 60-hour shutdown began, Nasima was returning to her residence after work by a bus.
When the bus reached the capital’s Beribadh area in Mohammadpur around 10.00pm a group of hartal supporters set it ablaze. The fire burnt 46% of her body.
Rahima Akter, elder sister of Nasima, said she was the youngest among her four sisters. Nasima helped their family members including her mother by working at the garment factory after her husband walked out on her.
We always struggle for survival but still we had our dreams and now it is gone, she said holding back her tears. “The dirty politics not only shatters our dreams but also claims our life though we have done nothing wrong.”
The death of Kashem came as a double blow to his family members as they not only lost only the earning members of the family they had also to face a goldsmith Mantu Pal, and Asadul Gazi, the CNG driver are now undergoing treatment at ICU. Their condition is not good, says an attending doctor.
Contacted, Partha Shankar Pal, residential surgeon, said they were trying their best and giving all possible support to the patients admitted into the hospital. “Now only almighty can save them.”
