Netrakona blast victims yet to get compensation

Eight people including two Udichi leaders Khwaja Haider and Sudipta Paul were killed and 50 injured in the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) suicidal bomb blast in front of Udichi office on Azahar Road.

During a visit to the house of Shahnaj Begum,28, wife of Khwaja Haider, this correspondent came to know that her family did not get any economic assistance from the government. 'No minister, even Netrakona Deputy Commissioner (DC) did not visit my house,' she said.

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Shahnaj said she has two children, Shiplu,11, and Shawn,3, while her mother-in-law also lives with them.

'We have become helpless after death of Haider as he was the only earning member of the family', she said.

In reply to a question, she said ' I do not want any help from the government because of its failure to punish the culprits who were involved in the killing.’

'It is really very painful to say that the state minister for home did not visit my house after the tragic incident,' Shahnaj said.

Udichi leader Sudipta Paul also was the lone earning member of her family. After her death, her old parents Sushil Paul,65, and Aruna Paul,55, along with her 'sick' brother have become totally helpless. All of them live in a rented house. But they did not get any help from the government, even no government representative came to console them, they said.

During a visit, this correspondent found Aruna Paul suffering from a serious disease but unable to buy medicine for want of money.

This correspondent also visited houses of other victims, Rani Begum, Joinal, Raisuddin, Yadav Das and Jahanara and talked to their family members. All of them told similar tales.