Interim government must answer for worker’s killing: Gonotantrik Odhikar Committee

The Gonotantrik Odhikar Committee has held the interim government responsible for the killing of Evergreen factory worker Md. Habib Islam, who was shot dead by joint forces on September 2.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday (September 4), the committee said that while fascism has fallen at the cost of workers’ blood, this is the first case since the mass uprising where a worker has been killed without trial.

The organization accused the interim administration of following the same “anti-worker, anti-women, anti-national and undemocratic” path as the previous regime. It alleged that the government has endangered basic human rights by ignoring rising mob violence, extrajudicial killings, torture of minorities and indigenous people, and repression of dissent.

The statement further claimed that instead of prosecuting perpetrators of the July massacre, authorities are filing false cases, arresting journalists, teachers and freedom fighters, while ordinary citizens are dying in prisons without justice.

Citing recent attacks on students at Chittagong University and Agricultural University, the committee said the failure of law enforcement to stop mob assaults proves the government is “capable of killing workers but incapable of protecting citizens.”

The Gonotantrik Odhikar Committee demanded immediate steps to end mob violence, ensure payment of workers’ wages, withdraw unfair dismissals, provide compensation to the families of killed workers, and take legal action against those responsible for killings, gang rape calls, looting and violence.

The statement was signed by Anu Muhammad, Dr. Samina Lutfa Nitra, Dr. Harun Ur Rashid, Dr. Maha Mirza, Mahtab Uddin Ahmed and Marzia Probha.