KSHUDIRAM'S 'NATURAL DEATH' AND 'CRIMINAL HOMICIDE' OF PRIYABALA: Prothom Alo

(Translated from Bengali)

Picture: "Whether or not the offense will be tried is not the question, we are worried about the future threats to our lives" said Kshudiram's daughter Poly (right), accompanied by her mother and younger brother Sumon. October 19 - Prothom Alo.

Report from Prothom Alo, Dhaka:
Rajeeb Nur and Farid Hossain Babul
After returning from Charfashion

After the mighty river Meghna had nibbled away their ancestral homestead, Kshudiram and his two brothers started to live in Charfashion of Vola district since 1985. Kshudiram, though youngest among the brothers, took the responsibilities of the joint family. He set up a small garage in Charfashion and lived near Pragatipara.

Two days after the general poll on October 01, Russel, Giyash and Sultan along with few others demanded twenty thousand taka (Tk.20,000). Scared Kshudiram closed his garage for next few days. Getting an assurance from the local market committee, he opened his shop on October 09. He was attacked and critically battered on that very afternoon. Later, on October 17, he passed away at the Charfashion hospital at the age of 45.

In a separate incident, Priyabala's son Sudhir Das started to receive threats since few days before the election. He started to prepare to sell his ancestral home in Daskandi, Charfashion and to leave the village. However, poor Sudhir Das did never get that chance. Few looters came in search of Sudhir Das in the night of October 05. Not finding Sudhir Das at home they forcibly crammed a bedsheet into the mouth of Sudhir's old mother,Priyabala and started to plunder his house. Priyabala lost her consciousness and did not get it back!

However, evidences show that the BNP leaders are trying to prove Kshudiram's death as a 'natural death'. On the other hand, the police has recorded Priyabala's death as a 'criminal homicide', none has been arrested nonetheless.

Police official Bazlur Rahman informed Sudhir Das that the forcible ramming of bedsheet into Priyabala's mouth was not true. Though Sudhir was not there during the time of attack, his wife and the neighbors told that the looters forcibly crammed a bedsheet into her mouth.

.. .. Sudhir's wife told us that the plunderers caught her while she was trying to flee. Then she gave them her ornaments and 400 taka from the folds of the holy book Gita. They forcefully made her undressed before she managed to flee away.

.. .. Sudhir's wife fled to a neighbor's house from where she collected another Sharee to wear. School teacher Abdur Rahim, the neighbor, later came to Sudhir's house where he found Sudhir's mother senseless.

According to the doctor, the cause of Priyabala's death could be the terrifying shock and the assaults might not be the 'direct cause' of Kshudiram's death.

What ever the reasons are, the police did not arrest any alleged perpetrators. "We did not see who has assaulted our father, but all the people of the market place have seen them. Whether or not the offense will be tried is not the question, we are worried about the future threats to our lives" said Kshudiram's daughter Poly. .. ..