Tragic death of teenage domestic worker sparks outrage and demands for justice

In a heart-wrenching incident, Preeti Urang, a 15-year-old girl from Mirtinga village in Moulvibazar‍‍`s Kamalganj upazila, died after a fall from the eighth floor of a building in Dhaka‍‍`s Mohammadpur area. Her father, Lokesh Urang, expressed his profound grief, stating that poverty had driven them to send her to work as a domestic helper in the capital.

While speaking to UNB at the Mirtinga Tea Estate, Lokesh recounted the devastating return of his daughter‍‍`s body from Dhaka. Preeti had been employed at the residence of The Daily Star Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque in Mohammadpur, where the tragic incident occurred on February 6.

Lokesh, a day laborer and a father of four, lamented the loss of Preeti, revealing the family‍‍`s struggle to make ends meet by fishing and selling their catch. Nomita Urang, Preeti‍‍`s mother, disclosed that they were initially offered Tk 10,000 when her daughter was employed, but she and her husband suggested it be saved for Preeti’s marriage. Following Preeti‍‍`s death, only Tk 5,000 was provided, Nomita said.

Dhana Bauri, local unit president of the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, acknowledged the family‍‍`s dire financial situation. Ram Bhajan Koiri, former general secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union and vice-chairman of Kamalganj union parishad, criticized the exploitation of tea garden workers by influential individuals, calling for clarity on the circumstances leading to Preeti‍‍`s death.

The local community, deeply affected by the tragedy, has staged protests demanding a fair investigation and justice for Preeti, who had been isolated from her family during her two-year employment.

Following the incident, Lokesh initiated legal action against Ashfaqul and his wife Tania Khandaker under section 304 (ka), leading to their incarceration after the court denied their bail petitions. The court has since permitted police to conduct a three-day interrogation at the jail gate.

In a recent development, a Dhaka court granted a four-day remand for both Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tania Khandaker, intensifying the quest for answers and accountability in this tragic case.