Child worker Sagar killing: 27 minor workers rescued from spinning mill

Rupganj police on Monday rescued 27 child workers from Jobaida Textiles and Spinning Mills Limited, just a day after a 10-year old worker Sagar Barman, was killed in the same factory by pumping air through his rectum.
The police told New Age they arrested an official of the factory after Sagar’s father filed a case accusing four officials of the mill by name and five or six unnamed others for killing his son.
Police said that the rescued workers were aged between eight and 12.
Scores of organizations across the country condemned the killing and demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the offenders.
Sagar’s post mortem at Dhaka Medical College Hospital confirmed that he was killed by pumping air through his rectum, said forensic assistant professor AKM Shafiuzzaman .
‘We rescued 27 child labourers from Jobaida Textiles and Spinning Mills where Sagar worked until he was killed Sunday, said Rupganj police station officer-in-charge Ismail Hossain.
He said that the child workers were returned to their parents Monday afternoon.
Many other child workers of Zobaida Textiles did not turn up to work on Monday, said the OC.
He said that Zobaida Textiles’ administrative officer Nazmul Huda was arrested as an accused of Killing Sagar.
He said production manager Harun-or-Rashid, senior production officer Azhar Imam alias Sohel and assistant production officer Rashedul Islam, all accused in the case fled.
He said investigation had been launched to find out the identities of the unnamed accused.
He said that the police also lunched a hunt to arrest all the accused.
The OC said that the mill officials used to torture the minor workers even for minor mistakes.
He said that the accused officials caught Sagar and pumped air through his rectum using a compressor only because he along with four or five workers of his age entered the compressor room without permission to remove cotton from his body.
The OC said that the other child workers fled to escape the severe punishment.
Sagar father, Ratan Barman, who also works at the same mill rescued his son with help from colleagues and took him to DMCH where he died later.
The OC said that he came to know that Ratan Barman was facing problems from the factory officials.
He said that Ratan told the police that his strained relationship with his superiors could have contributed to his son’s killing.
Sagar was paid the monthly wage of Tk 3,100, his father told reporters at DMCH.
Sagar died at DMCH Sunday afternoon barely two hours after air was pumped through his rectum.
Sagar became the second victim of child worker killing using the same method since August 3, 2015, when 12-year old motorcycle repair shop mechanic Rakib was killed by employers in Khulna for taking job at another repair shop.
The latest incident drew huge protests from the Santrash Birodhi Twaki Mancha, Child Rights Acvocacy Coalition of Bangladesh and Manusher Jonno.
They demanded immediately arrest of the offenders to bring them to book.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net