Child Waits for Father, Mother and Wife Left Speechless by Grief

The village of Mokamia Kanda in Tarakanda, Mymensingh, remains stunned with grief over the killing of garment worker Dipu Chandra Das (28), who was beaten and burned to death in Bhaluka. Mokamia Kanda is Dipu’s ancestral village, where his family lives. Dipu’s mother, Shefali Rabi Das, is devastated by the sudden loss of her son, while his wife Meghna Rabi Das has been left speechless with grief. Their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Ritika Rabi Das, looks around with innocent eyes searching for her father. She waits for the moment when her father will return home, hold her lovingly to his chest, and kiss her forehead. She has yet to understand that her father has departed for eternity and will never return.

Mokamia Kanda village is located 25 kilometers from Mymensingh Sadar. Walking north for 10 minutes from Tarakanda bus stand leads to the government food warehouse near the college gate. Beside it is a narrow alley. After walking five minutes through this alley, one reaches Dipu Das’s house. Visiting the house on January 1 in the afternoon, it was seen that there are several tin-roofed shacks standing in the middle of a field of cultivable land. A few families of the Sanatan (Hindu) community live there. Dipu Das’s family lives in the east-west facing house. Seven people live in this small house.

In the courtyard, Dipu Das’s mother Shefali and a few others were seen sitting in the sun. His father was lying on the floor on a mat. Speaking to his mother, she told Bangla Tribune, “My son was killed unjustly. God will judge those who murdered him by making false allegations. Dipu was my eldest son. There is no one left to support the family now. How will we survive? Kill us too,” she said, wiping her eyes with the end of her sari.

Crying, Shefali said, “The night before he died, he asked me what groceries were left at home. I told him we needed to buy rice and oil. He didn’t speak to his father after that.”

Dipu’s mother added, “Dipu was my first child. He liked goat meat and duck meat. He will never eat them again. How can people burn another human being like this?” Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

The condition of Dipu’s wife Meghna is the same. She stood in one corner of the house holding her child. When asked about her husband, she broke down crying. In a sobbing voice, she told Bangla Tribune, “Dipu had no conflict with anyone. He was not a troublemaker. Who will take responsibility for my child now? I want justice for my husband’s murder.”

Standing beside Meghna was her father, Baburam Das (a village police member). Asked about the motive behind the killing, he said, “Dipu Das was a degree holder and had a good job. A few days ago, Dipu was promoted from supervisor to manager. Mohammad Ershad and Nibir Islam Anik could not accept this. They started saying, ‘How can we call a Hindu, a low-caste boy, sir?’”

He said, “On the day of the incident, Anik and Ershad argued with Dipu over this issue. At one point, under Ershad’s leadership, Anik and his associates beat Dipu and dragged him out of the factory. Thinking he was dead, they hung him from a tree and set him on fire. Afterwards, they spread false rumors that he had made offensive comments about the Prophet and religion.”

Crying, Baburam said, “My daughter lost the vermilion from her hair at a young age and became a widow with a child. I cannot look at my daughter’s face,” he said before breaking down.

Nearby, Dipu Das’s father Rabi Lal Rabi Das was sobbing. He said, “May God judge those who killed Dipu.”

What Villagers and the UNO Said

Tapasi Bhowmik, a resident of Mokamia Kanda village, told Bangla Tribune, “Dipu spent his childhood and adolescence in this village. He passed SSC from Taldighi High School and HSC from Bangabandhu College. Later, he also completed his BA degree.”

She said, “I heard he was killed after an argument with people at the factory. Dipu was a calm and innocent boy. The people of our village demand justice for this murder.”

Another resident of the same village, Shariful Islam, said, “Dipu used to tutor my son. He never had any quarrel with anyone in this village. I never saw him get into any trouble.”

Tarakanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Aminul Islam told Bangla Tribune, “As government assistance, the district administration has given Dipu’s family a cheque of Tk 25,000. In addition, five packages of food items (rice, lentils, oil, and others) have been provided from the upazila.”

He added, “Arrangements are also being made to build a house for Dipu’s wife, including a toilet and kitchen. A widow card will be issued, and Dipu’s father will also be given a disability card. Efforts are being made to provide Dipu’s wife with a government job.”

What Factory Workers Said

Factory worker Akkas told Bangla Tribune, “On the day of the incident, Ershad and Anik argued with Dipu over religion at the factory. Later, they beat him. Afterwards, they brought outsiders and handed Dipu over to them.”

A tea shop owner near the factory said that on the day of the incident, a group of workers dragged Dipu while beating him to the main road. “Dipu was a good man. He used to drink tea at my shop,” the shopkeeper said.

What Police Said

When asked, Mymensingh Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Abdullah Al Mamun told Bangla Tribune, “Based on video footage and photographs, 20 people have been arrested so far in this incident. All those arrested are workers of the factory, and several of them were directly involved in the killing. Five people have given confessional statements.”

It is worth noting that on December 18 at around 9 pm, Dipu, a garment factory worker, was beaten to death in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, over allegations of making derogatory remarks about religion. At that time, people protested in the Jamirdia Dubaliapara area on the Dhaka–Mymensingh highway in front of the factory and set fire to his body after hanging it from a tree. Later, police and the army recovered the body from the scene.

The deceased Dipu was a worker at Pioneer Knitwears (BD) Limited factory in the Jamirdia Dubaliapara area. He was the son of Rabi Chandra Das of Mokamia Kanda village in Banihala Union of Tarakanda upazila. In connection with the incident, his brother filed a murder case naming 150 unidentified people as accused.

Source: Bangla Tribune