Sammalito Sangskritik Parishad demands justice for worker killing

The Sammalito Sangskritik Parishad has strongly condemned and protested the killing of a worker in Nilphamari EPZ, allegedly by the law enforcement agencies’ gunfire. The organization has demanded a full investigation into the incident, justice through legal action against those responsible, and assurance that such killings never recur.

Their other demands include: state compensation and lifelong support for the victim’s family, implementation of fair wages, food allowance, and the right to survival for workers, and an end to what they termed the “fascist policy of repression and the use of bullets against workers and people.”

In a statement signed by the convenor, Rokeya Prachy, and member secretary, F M Shaheen, on Tuesday (September 2), the Parishad said the killing of a worker while demanding the rightful price of food is not just the end of one life—it is a direct challenge to the very state built on the blood of the working class.

The statement further noted “We want to say clearly—workers’ rightful demands are never treason; they are matters of human rights and survival. Yet, on government orders, law enforcement fired bullets that stained the streets with workers’ blood. This massacre is nothing short of a declaration of open war against workers and the people.”

The statement was signed by 71 representatives of civil society, including freedom fighters, artists, writers, journalists, doctors, teachers, lawyers, human rights defenders, and social activists. They declared “We firmly state that this killing is against the spirit of the Liberation War. Bangladesh was freed with the vow of emancipation for workers, peasants, and the masses. By killing workers, the state has committed the gravest betrayal of its people. To drench the right to food in blood is to drench the entire nation in blood."

They further stated that the culture and life of Bengal are inseparable from workers’ struggles. The blood of workers has again and again sharpened our songs, poems, and arts. That is why we declare—we will not forget this blood. This blood will fuel the fire of our art and culture, and inspire the ultimate struggle against all forces of oppression.

Among the signatories are: writer and journalist Riaz Haider Chowdhury, poet and litterateur Saifullah Mahmud Dulal, poet and physician Milton Hasnat, poet and filmmaker Dr. Masud Pathik, journalist and media personality Fazlul Bari, journalist and analyst Tawfiq Maruf, media personality Khandaker Ismail, expatriate journalist Dostagir Jahangir, broadcaster and media worker Dipanwita Ray Martin, social activist and media worker Shayla Ahmed Lopa, freedom fighter and artist Tajul Imam, organizer and painter Md. Moniruzzaman, organizer and musician Al Amin Babu, actor and director Tamal Mahbub, film actor Saimon Sadiq, actress and filmmaker Aruna Biswas, film producer Khorshedul Alam Khosru, filmmaker and online activist Elbert Khan, Professor Dr. A K M Jamal Uddin, professor and researcher Dr. S M Masum Billah, ICSF trustee Dr. Raihan Rashid, folklore researcher Shamsul Arefin, Secular Bangladesh Movement UK president Pushpita Gupta, editor Bani Yasmin, editor and publisher Violet Halder, social activist Ferdousi Hasan, human rights defender Anamika Priyobhashini, jury judge Akhtar Zaman, retired school teacher Shelina Afroz Zaman, engineer Saif Sams, security engineer Prianka Elffrost, businessman Murad Khan, freedom fighter Omar Selim Sher, theatre activist Anirban Bhattacharya, among others.