Families of many leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the opposition are left in distress as they struggle to make ends meet with their lone breadwinners behind bars.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said that 18,405 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested since a crackdown launched centring the October 28 Dhaka rallies of the opposition parties.
‘We are facing terrible sufferings to meet daily costs of food, provide school fees for children and treatment expenses for my ailing mother-in-law in absence of my husband,’ said Shilpi Begum, wife of Akbar Hossain who has been detained since October 27.
‘We don’t have any income as we don’t have any land or other property in Dhaka. My husband is the lone earner of our family,’ she said.
Shilpi said ‘Akbar as truck driver earns a megre income with which we get by. But since his arrest, it’s become tough to run the five-member family.’
‘We have two school going daughters and a baby boy, while Akbar’s ailing mother has come to Dhaka for treatment, but now I cannot take her to the doctor for lack of money,’ she continued.
The police detained Akbar on October 27 from Bangha Masjid area of Mohammadpur, a day before the BNP’s grand rally in Dhaka. He was implicated in a vandalism case filed with the Mohammadpur police, said his wife.
‘My husband is innocent, facing a false case and harassment only because he supports a political party [BNP],’ Shilpi alleged.
Mokbul Hossain, joint convener of Sramik Dal of Motijheel thana, is in jail since his arrest on October 26 in connection with a bomb blast case.
Mokbul, an employee of a printing house in Fakirapool, lived in a rented house in the area with his four-member family.
After his arrest, his wife Mosammat Jesmin along with their two school going children were forced to shift to their village home in Chandpur as the family became unable to bear their living expenses in absence of their lone breadwinner.
Jesmin said ‘The police called my husband over phone and arrested him near the Ideal school [deal School and College, Motijheel] though he was not involved with any offences.’
We are waiting for my husband’s release, she said.
Kiran Munshi, a resident of Goran in the capital, lived in a rented house along with his three-member family, and was detained on October 31 at Jorpukur Par in Khilgaon. He is now in Kashimpur jail in Gazipur, implicated in a vandalism case filed with the Khilgaon police.
Kiran’s wife Halima Aktar said, she is struggling to survive with their six-year old school going son as Kiran, a private car chauffeur, was the sole breadwinner.
‘I am taking loans from our relatives to run our daily expenses. But how I am to pay the house rent of Tk 5000, I don’t know yet,’ Halima lamented.
She also said that Kiran is the only son of his parents and sends a portion of his income every month to his parents living in their village home in Barguna. Without the money life has become harsh for his elderly parents.
‘My husband is a supporter of the Swechhasebak Dal [volunteer wing of BNP] but never was he in active politics,’ said Kiran’s wife.
‘I am now helpless with my little child. Krian may lose his job if doesn’t get a bail immediately,’ she foreboded.
Md Yakub Ali, a painter of walls and furniture and a supporter of Sramik Dal, was arrested on October 17 from Shanarpar area in the capital. He is now in Kashimpur jail in connection with a vandalism case filed with the Demra police.
Yakub’s wife Kulsum Begum said, ‘My husband has been languishing in jail for over a month now. He is our lone breadwinner. His arrest has left us in misery.’
‘We could not appoint a lawyer for lack of money. We visited him once in the Keraniganj jail but could not visit him in the Kashimpur jail as we don’t have money.’
The five-member family including two sons and a daughter is living in a rented house in Demra.
‘We cannot buy our daily essentials as we have no income,’ lamented Kulsum.
Tea vendor Md Bablu was arrested on November 4 from Bhashantek area in Dhaka reportedly suspected as a BNP supporter. Nearly one month into his arrest, Bablu is yet to get his bail in a case relating to the explosive substances act, filed with the Bhashantek police.
His wife Laki Aktar said, ‘Our tea stall has been shut since his arrest, while we don’t any other means of earning. Life has become miserable for our four-year son and me.’
‘I had to join a garment [readymade garment] factory just to run the family, though my health condition doesn’t allow that work,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t even meet my husband as I was ill,’ she said.
Bablu was not involved with politics but he was falsely implicated in a political case, his wife complained.
Like these five families, many more families are suffering financial hardship as their lone breadwinners are incarcerated, implicated in different political cases.
Lawyer MA Kalam Khan in Dhaka court, who is dealing with around 100 such cases of insolvent people, said, ‘The families of the indigent BNP leaders and activists are having a hard time as their key earner is behind bars in political cases.’
‘BNP leaders and activists are not getting bail though many of them are accused of minor offences,’ he added.
Echoing lawyer Kalam Khan, BNP assistant law affairs secretary Syed Jainul Abedin Mesbah said ‘Families of many BNP leaders and activists are struggling to survive as their income earners are in jail for long.’
He said, ‘Even the businesses and jobs of many BNP leaders are ruined due to their long stay in jail in political cases.’
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court additional public prosecutor Taposh Kumar Pal said that the arrests have been made for specific reasons.
‘These are not political cases. The cases have been filed on specific charges, including blasting crude bombs and committing violence,’ said the state lawyer.
According to the BNP media cell statistics, 1,37,569 ‘false cases’ were filed against 49,80,826 leaders, activists and supporters of the party and its associate bodies between January 2009 and June 12, 2023.
New Age
