Labour leader Shahidul murder: Arrest the killers now

Can anything be more tragic and inconceivable than a labour leader meeting a tragic end in an attack on his way back from negotiations with factory owners to retrieve unpaid wages for the workers?

As Prothom Alo reports, labour leader Shahidul Islam was assaulted while returning from Prince Jacquard Sweater Limited in Tongi, Gazipur, where he had been discussing the unresolved wages of workers on 25 June night, just before Eid. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Two other labour leaders, Mustafa and Md Sharif, who were accompanying him during the incident, sustained injuries but are now in the process of recovery.

The deceased Shahidul Islam, was the president in the Gazipur district wing of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation. The organisation's central president, Kalpana Akhtar, has filed a case at the Tongi West Police Station, naming six individuals. Among them, five are associated with a different labour organisation. Kalpana Akhtar has accused the attackers of being hired by the factory owner. However, the factory owner denies any involvement in the incident.

It has been learned that a man named 'Hanif Manager' led the attack on the three labour leaders including Shahidul who went to mediate on the issue of arrears of the workers. This Hanif is known to be close to the locally influential Kamrul Islam. Certain Saifuddin set up the factory on the land bought from Kamrul.

Eyewitnesses, owners, and the police are providing conflicting information regarding the murder. The plaintiff alleges that the owner hired the assailants to kill Shahidul. However, the police has said that the owner has no connection to the incident.

It is crucial to establish evidence to determine who was involved. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the police to investigate the nature of the relationship between local influential individuals or owners and the primary accused, Hanif Manager.

If there is a dispute between the employer and the workers regarding salary and allowances, it should be resolved through negotiationa. The names of the leaders and activists of the rival labour organisations have come up in the case of the killing of workers. One factory having influence and reputation in an area does not mean no one else can go there to negotiate.

The primary duty of labour leaders and organisations is to protect the interests of workers, and they are not meant to act on behalf of the owners. The shocking murder of labor leader Aminul Islam eleven years ago garnered attention both nationally and internationally. Even though the court handed down a death sentence, the convicted individual remains a fugitive to this day. Despite the verdict being issued six years ago, the government has been unable to apprehend the accused. Colleagues of Aminul have called for a fresh investigation into his murder.

The government must remain vigilant so that the similar incident does not repeat in case of Shahidul. US ambassador Peter Haas among others has demanded a full investigation into the case. Police have arrested one person so far. Why not others?

It is essential that all individuals involved in the murder of Shahidul are apprehended immediately. Considering the lack of confidence the plaintiff has in the local police station, an alternative agency should conduct the investigation into Shahidul's murder. The country's reputation has been marred by the killing of Aminul Islam once. Conducting a fair trial for murder can deter such acts of violence.