Victim’s son alleges murder bid against house owner

S R Joy, Savar

A woman named Nahar Begum was killed after she was burnt in an illegal gas line explosion while cooking in Ashulia of Savar. His younger son Md. Hasib Sardar was burnt while trying to save her during the incident.

Now, the victim’s son alleged of bid to murder them against their house owner Md. Abul Kalam Sheikh and his wife Shahnaz Sheikh, as he demanded compensation to them in this incident. In this connection, the victim lodged a complaint with Ashulia Police Station (PS) recently.

Deceased Nahar Begum, who died in the fire about three months ago, was the wife of Md. Habibur Rahman of Ganuhar Village in Muksudpur Upazila of Gopalganj District. She along with her husband and children used to live on rent at Sheikh Kalam Manzil owned by Md. Abul Kalam Sheikh in Durgapur area of Ashulia. The accused Kalam Sheikh is said to be the manager of the neighboring Ifad Group’s project called Nilabithi.

According to the written complaint, the fire occurred due to illegal gas leakage when Nahar Begum set fire to the oven to cook on the morning of March 9 last. Meanwhile, son Hasib Sardar tried to save his mother. In the fire, the whole body of the mother including the two hands of the son were burnt. Nahar Begum was admitted to Dhaka’s Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in critical condition where she died while undergoing treatment. The son Hasib Sardar was hospitalized for 22 consecutive days.

Hasib Sardar, the plaintiff of the complaint, said, “My mother died while I was under treatment in the hospital due to burns. At that time, the house owner Abul Kalam Sheikh slyly buried the body without post-mortem assuring the relatives to pay compensation. Later, when I recovered and went to the owner of the house to inquire about the matter, Abul Kalam Sheikh and his wife Shahnaz beat me up. Later, when I told it to the locals, he threatened to kill me. At one point, on the night of July 29 last, he went to my workplace and tried to pick me up with the intention of killing me. At that time, when locals came forward, Abul Kalam Sheikh dropped his mobile phone and ran away.”

Hasib Sardar also said, “The house owner tried to arrest me with the police by falsely accusing me of stealing a mobile phone. But on the contrary, police reprimanded him as the complaint was false. I want to escape from these terrorists and get justice for my mother’s murder.”

While visiting on the spot, the locals complained that Abul Kalam Sheikh had taken illegal gas line and was warned several times about the leakage but he did not listen. An innocent woman died because of his whimsicality. The incident could have been bigger and there would have been more loss of life along with extensive damage to nearby houses. They locals sought justice in this connection.

Saiful Islam, the eldest son of the deceased, said, “My mother died due to the greed of the house owner. He did not fix the gas line despite repeated requests. If he did, my mother would not have died like this. In this situation, we demand proper justice.”

When contacted on his mobile phone several times, the accused house owner Abul Kalam Sheikh did not receive the call, but on the contrary, his wife Shahnaz Sheikh accused the victim of robbing her husband’s mobile phone and beating him up.

Abu Saleh Muhammad Khademuddin, managing engineer of Savar Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, said that if they get written complaint in this connection, the accused house owner will be prosecuted subject to investigation.

Masud Al-Mamun, sub-inspector of Ashulia PS, said that necessary legal measures will be taken after discussing the incident with the higher authorities.