Treatment stops as fund blocked

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Treatment of more than 50 people maimed in the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in the capital in 2004 about to stop as the caretaker government has frozen all accounts of AL President Sheikh Hasina and her family, including the account she opened to assist the grenade victims.

At least Tk 2.5 lakh a month was being given to them from the August 21 grenade attack assistance fund, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust fund Hasina had opened mainly to finance education of 1,200 orphans and poor children on a permanent basis, according to officials of the funds.

The trust fund has also been frozen.

The maimed, mostly women, are passing a painful life with most of them having several hundred splinters in their bodies. They will have to be under treatment for life.

The victims said they used to get help from Hasina permanently but with the arrest of the former prime minister that has stopped.

An official of the Aug 21 fund told The Daily Star yesterday, ” We were giving over Tk two lakh to at least 35 maimed victims every month. But after the arrest of Sheikh Hasina, we could not help them.”

There is still more than Tk 1 crore in the two accounts for assisting the grenade victims, he said preferring anonymity.

“Even if the accounts were not frozen, we would not be able to operate those due to arrest of the AL president and its general secretary. “Operation of these accounts require approval of the AL Central Working Committee. But due to the ban on indoor politics, the committee cannot meet to give such approval.”

The trust fund used to help at least 20 maimed victims, giving them Tk 2,000 each per month. But they returned empty handed from the trust office at Road-32 of Dhanmondi for the last several days. Many of them broke down, said a trust official.

The victims who used to get assistance from the trust and the assistance funds include Lutfunnesa Sonali, Nasima Ferdous, Rasheda Begum, Sajedul Alam Sabuj, Nusrat Jahan Rozi, Maksuda Azad, Nihar Ranjan Kar, Morjina Khatun, Rasheda Akhtar Ruma, Advocate Umme Razia Kajol, Bashir, Apurba Chandra Das and Mahbub. But their dream to survive through treatment is now getting shattered due to stoppage of the assistance.

Talking to The Daily Star, Nasima Ferdous, a vice-president of Dhaka City AL (north), said her treatment is about to stop as Sheikh Hasina has been detained.

” Doctors have said around Tk 35-40 lakh is needed for my treatment. But my family cannot bear such a huge expense. If Netri [Hasina] was not arrested, there was a possibility of my proper treatment with help from her and also my family,” said the wheel chair bound AL leader.

Bursting into tears, she said, “Every year Netri [Hasina] expressed her sympathy to us but this year we won’t get it.” She demanded arrest and punishment of the culprits responsible for the heinous attack.

“We did not get justice as forcers which opposed the Liberation War were in power when the grenade attack took place. We did not even expect justice from them. But we thought the present non-party caretaker government would take steps to punish the culprits. But it is yet to do so,” she said.

“Rather, the leader who was the target of the attack and is a victim of it has now been arrested and sent to jail,” Nasima regretted. Alleging that those responsible for the attack are still moving freely, the city AL leader said, “I can’t understand what kind of justice is this? To whom will we seek justice?”

Nihar Ranjan Kar used to get an assistance of Tk 1,000 per month from Hasina. But with the stoppage of it, he is now more concerned about his only daughter’s education than his own treatment. Nihar’s right leg is in such a shape that he cannot move properly.

“I need treatment for life. But with the arrest of Netri [AL chief], I do not know what will happen to me, and my daughter’s education,” emotion-choked Nihar said. He mentioned that his daughter got GPA-5 in the SSC examination last year and is now a student of Rifles Public School and College in the city.

Apurba Chandra Das, who lost his job after he was critically maimed in the attack, said, “I used to get Tk 2,000 a month for my daughter’s education. But it has been stopped. I don’t know what is in store for me in future.” Apurba, who lost one leg in the grenade attack, is also concerned more about the education of her three daughters, rather than his treatment.

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