Relatives crying helplessly over the death of their loved ones in Mymensingh town on July 10, 2015. At least 23 people died in a stampede while the distribution of zakat donations.
At least 25 people died and several others injured in a stampede this morning over distribution of zakat in Mymensingh town.
Casualty toll may rise, our local correspondent reports quoting Abdur Rashid, senior assistant police superintendent of local Kotwali police.
The dead include 22 women and three children, Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police said. All the bodies were initially kept at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Later, the bodies were handed over to the families, OC Kamrul said.
– Compensation paid
– President, PM, Speaker express sympathy
– Probe body formed
– Allegations of beating up the poor
Eight people, including the zakat donor Md Shamim, were held in this connection, police official Abdur Rashid told The Daily Star.
A three-member probe body, headed by Kotwali police ASP Abu Ahmed Al-Mamun, has been formed in this connection and asked to report on the findings within three days.
The incident took place around 5:00am today over distribution of zakat (donation for the poor ahead of Eid) on Atul Chakrabarty Road in town, police and witnesses said.
Over a thousand had gathered near the house of Md Shamim, a local businessman of chewing tobacco, since last night to collect zakat, locals and police said.
After Fazr prayers, his gates were opened for zakat distribution. In moments, hundreds were wolfing through the gates which triggered the stampede, locals said.
“He (Shamim) stages this show-off every year in the name of zakat,” a neighbour Abdul Karim alleged to The Daily Star. “About 1,500 people had gathered near his house to collect zakat today.”
Ambia Begum, 50, who had come to collect zakat, alleged to The Daily Star that workers of Shamim’s factory had swooped on them with batons. “They beat us up severely.”
Doctor Farhad Hossain, a physician at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, said the reason of death was suffocation and stampede.
The eight people detained were taken to Kotwali Police Station. However, no case was filed over the incident until the filing of this report around 5:30pm.
Religious affairs ministry and the district administration have announced separate compensations of Tk 10,000 each for the victims’ families, ANM Faizul Haque, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Mymensingh Sadar, said.
The compensation money was distributed among the victim families around 2:00pm, reports our Mymensingh correspondent.
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker of the parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury expressed their sympathy to the victims’ family members.
Source: The Daily Star
Bangladesh one of the poorest country of the world , but Sheikh Hasina , her family and allies are getting rich day by day with the vote of the poor ignorant people
Sheikh Mujib had many dreams and Sheikh Hasina is fulfilling them.
– Did he have dream to get rid of poverty in Bangladesh?
– Did he have dram to help poor with education, food and shelter?
– Did he have dream to get justice for innocent poor victims of rape, robbery, murder, etc?
Provably not because I don’t see Hasina is doing any of them…
It is very very sad that Innocent poor are being treated so badly and dying for just trying get some zakat or survive. May Allah give them Jannah and help family strength to overcome lost of their love ones.