Domestic workers hardly get justice

 
Chairman of Bangladesh National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed has said that domestic workers often face torment, repression and abuse but they hardly get justice for the ordeal they go through. Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed made the above remark on Saturday while talking about the unnatural death of Preeti Urang, who was a housemaid at the flat of Syed Ashfaqul Haque, Executive Editor of The Daily Star.

A Dhaka court denied bail to Executive Editor of The Daily Star Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tania Khondoker in a case filed over the death of a teenage domestic help at their home in the capital's Mohammadpur area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Farah Diba Chanda passed the order after hearing a bail plea on 20 February, Advocate Ashraf Ul Alam, lawyer of the accused, told journalists.

Senior Lawyer Ehsanul Haque Somaji also moved for the bail plea.

At the hearing, the lawyers of the accused said the case has been filed under a bailable section of the penal code.

According to a decision of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the bail of any person cannot be withheld under such a clause, they said.
Advocate Ashraf-ul Alam told the court, "She [Preeti Urang] was not tortured. The girl jumped on her own."

However, arguing against the bail, SI Helal Uddin told the court, "The investigation of this case is still ongoing. As the accused in this case are very influential, if they get bail, they can influence the investigation. A fair investigation may be disrupted."

Considering the importance of the case, the court decided to deny bail to the couple, Helal Uddin told reporters.