Sathi Begum, the woman from Savar who came into the limelight by selling her hair to buy food and milk for her children, says she is being accused by a faction of local political leaders of being deceitful.
Sathi told Dhaka Tribune that a few local Awami League leaders were trying to frame her by alleging that she had cut off her hair a month ago and had lied to the media about selling her hair on Tuesday to get relief for her family.
However, Savar Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Abdullah Al Mahfuz and Upazila Council Chairman Monjurul Alam Rajib, among other leaders and activists, say they had spoken to Sathi Begum and verified her story. Later, they took food supplies and relief materials to her house.
Hasina Doula, president of upazila unit Awami League, said: “Municipality Mayor Abdul Gani has been allocated sufficient relief items but still, Sathi was deprived of food for her children. He has to be held accountable.
“On top of that, the mayor’s son, local Jubo League leader Faruk Hasan Tuhin, and local Awami League leader Masud Chowdhury have accused the woman of lying to the media and have warned her not to talk to the media anymore. This is completely outrageous.”
Savar Municipality Mayor Abdul Gani said: "To tarnish the image of the government, a group of conspirators have used this woman to lie to the media. The local administration has been asked to investigate the matter."
Earlier on Tuesday, Sathi Begum sold her hair to buy food and milk for her two small children, her younger child being just 18-months-old.
The tragic turn in Sathi Begum’s life came after she and her husband lost their livelihoods following the nationwide shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic.
Sathi and her family came to Dhaka from Mymensingh some four months ago in search of work and settled down in a shanty in the Bank Colony area of Savar after having lived in Mirpur for some time. She started working as a domestic help while her husband became a day labourer.
Losing their jobs owing to the shutdown, they saw their meagre savings dry up. They could not find food for two days.
“After going hungry for two days, I knocked on several doors for help. But no one answered,” said the distressed mother.
She also could not manage to collect relief from the government as she was new to the area.
Later, Sathi met a hawker who offered her Tk400 for her hair. She readily agreed to the deal.
“He (the hawker) first offered me Tk400. But he left after paying me only Tk180. I took the money and bought one kilogram of rice and milk for my children,” she added
