Staff Reporter :At least 25 poor people, including 21 women and four children, were killed and over 50 others injured in a stampede during distribution of Zakat cloths in Nurani Jarda Factory on Atul Chakrabarty Road in Mymensingh town early Friday.”So far 25 have been killed. The death toll may rise,” Khandakar Mainul Haque, Superintendent of Police (SP), told The New Nation on Friday night.All the bodies were handed over to the relatives of the victims without post mortem, the SP said. The injured people were admitted to the Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital instantly, he said. Of them, Hena Begum, 55, Rat, 20, Moyna, 70, and Russell, 25, are now under treatment in a critical condition at the hospital.Meanwhile, police arrested eight persons, including the Zakat donor, hours after the stampede incident, the police official said.They arrested persons are Nurani Talukder alias Shamim, 65, the owner of Nurani Jarda Factory, his son Hedayet Talukder, 30, factory manager Iqbal Hossain, 35, driver Parvej, 35, employee Abdul Hamid, staff Arman Hossain, Iqbal Mia, 40, Alamgir Hossain, 34, and Arshadul Islam, 32.Police and witnesses said the stampede incident took place at about 5:00am when the factory gate was opened and huge number of people crowded there tried to go inside at a time to collect Zakat (One of the five pillars of Islam) clothes on Atul Chakrabarty Road in the town.Over 1,500 people had gathered near the house of Shamim, a local businessman of chewing tobacco, since Thursday night to collect Zakat cloths, they said.After Fazr prayers, the gates were opened for Zakat distribution. In moments, hundreds rushed through the gates which triggered the stampede, locals said.”He (Shamim) stages this showoff every year in the name of Zakat,” a neighbour Abdul Karim alleged to the reporter.A number of people who went to collect Zakat cloths alleged that they were charged with batons during the distribution.”It was done to force back the crowd at the house but people began to run at random, causing the stampede,” one of them said.Ambia Begum, 50, who came to collect Zakat cloths, alleged that the workers of Shamim’s factory had swooped on them with batons. “They beat us up severely.”Van driver Dulal, witness of the incident, said that Nurani Jorda Factory owner Shamim distributes Zakat clothes every year. After Sehri on Friday, Jorda Factory gate was opened for distribution of Zakat cloths. He also distributed 600 tokens among poor people for distribution of cloths.”At the time, thousands people rushed into the gate to get Zakat items. Due to heavy pressure of the mob, more than 100 fell down and were trampled,” he added.Meanwhile, the government has formed two probe committees to investigate the incident, asking them to submit probe report in next five working days, said Mustakim Billah Farooque, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Mymensingh.”It is a one-member committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Mallika Khatun. She has been asked to submit the report by five days,” he said. “The District Administration will also provide each of the families with Tk 10,000,” the DC said.Mustakim continued that the organisers of the giveaway did not inform the police about the programme and since it was an early morning event, police had no tip-off either. He added they would be investigating the incident and taking the necessary steps. Religious Affairs Ministry has announced separate compensations of Tk 10,000 each for the victims’ families, said ANM Faizul Haque, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Mymensingh Sadar.”The Minister is now in Singapore for medical purposes and he announced the aid over the phone. He also expressed deep condolences at the deaths. The three-member police headquarters probe will be led by Dhaka Division’s Additional DIG Shafiqul Islam. APBn Commandant Mostofa Kamal and DMP (D&PS) ASP Afzal Hossain will assist him. The body has been given five days to submit its findings, said police headquarters’ Public Relations Officer AKM Kamrul Hassan.The probe team formed by the Mymensingh police will be led by Additional Superintendent of Police Al Mamun and manned by ASP Abdur Rashid and Mymensingh police Inspector Imran Hossain, said ASP Mainul Haque.The committee had been asked to submit a probe report within three days. A three-member probe body, headed by Kotwali Police ASP Abu Ahmed Al-Mamun, has been formed in this connection and asked to report on the findings within three days, said the SP.Dr Farhad Hossain, a physician at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, confirmed that 23 bodies were in the hospital and said the reason of death was suffocation and stampede.The deceased are Shamima Begum, 60, her daughter Sakhina, 35, granddaughter Lal Miah, 6, Siddik, 11, Anguri Begum, 45, Meghna Bosak, 40, Khodeja Begum, 60, Fazila Begum, 75, Fatema Begum, 60, Nazma Begum, 50, Jahura Begum, 40, Hamida Begum, 45, Sufia Begum, 35, Rezia Begum, 55, Sudharani Sarkar, 55, Samila, 40, Rupali, 35, Halima Begum, 45, Razia Akter, 40, Samu Begum, 60, Hazera Begum, 40, Ria Akter, 12, Rahima Begum, Shaharan Begum, 40, Mamotaz Begum, 41, said Quamrul Islam, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station.The arrested persons are being interrogated in this connection, he said. He said that additional police have been deployed in the spot to avoid any untoward incident.Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker of the parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, National Parliament’s Opposition Leader Rowshan Ershad and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia have expressed their sympathy to the victims’ family members.Earlier on July 25, at least two women were killed and 10 others injured in a stampede by an overwhelming crowd of distressed people for receiving Zakat’s clothes distributed by a private organisation in Barisal district town. The victims were identified as Firoja Begum, 50, and Nupur Begum (35).In Manikganj, two women were killed and 10 others wounded in a stampede by an overwhelming crowd of distressed people for receiving Zakat clothes distributed by a private organisation in the district town on July 24 last year. The deceased were identified as Jamila Begum, 45, and Saleha Begum, 60.At least 10 Hindu pilgrims have been killed and 40 injured in a stampede during the Astami Snan bathing ritual in the Old Brahmaputra River at Langalbandh in Narayanganj on March 27 this year.
