HC summons Apex boss, staff

The High Court yesterday summoned on May 24 three officials of a footwear factory in Gazipur's Kaliakoir upazila to explain their role over a female worker suffering a miscarriage in a toilet of the factory on Saturday afternoon after allegedly being denied maternity leave.

It also directed the upazila nirbahi officer to submit an investigation report on that day.

Managing Director Syed Nasim Manzur, Inspector Azizur Rahman and Supervisor Ratan Miah of Apex Footwear Limited will have to appear around 10:30am.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi-Reza-Ul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman issued the suo moto order (without a formal complaint from any party) following a report published in the daily Prothom Alo, Deputy Attorney General Tapos Kumar Biswas told The Daily Star.

The report says a few hours before the miscarriage, Hamida Akhter had applied for maternity leave but the factory authorities did not approve it.

Bangladesh's labour law says a female is entitled to 112 days (four months) of maternity leave which can be availed 56 days before the expected delivery date and afterwards.

The baby was declared dead at a local hospital. 

Rajju Rahim, general manager (manufacturing), told our Gazipur correspondent, "Hamida has been working here for two years. She did not tell us she was pregnant."

"She told her supervisor Ratan Miah that she was not feeling well. He referred her to the factory doctor, who prescribed painkillers when she complained of abdominal pain," he said.

"After that she went to the toilet, where she had a miscarriage," said Rahim.

"She was about four-five months pregnant and had taken three abortion pills on that morning," said Mehedi Hasan, duty doctor of Modern Hospital, where Hamida and the baby were taken.

The Daily Star could not reach Hamida, taken back to her residence by family members after being shifted to the factory's clinic.

Managing Director Syed Nasim Manzur said Hamida did not apply for maternity leave.

"Last year, we paid her maternity benefits a little over Tk 26,000 as she was on leave from April to August to give birth," he told The Daily Star over the phone. She joined on August 12.

"As a compliant factory, we have the rules for maternity leave. We paid Tk 60 lakh as maternity leave last year and this year we have paid Tk 24 lakh as benefits for female workers," he said.

"But the whole matter is very painful for us," he added.

r crimes charges brought against eight accused persons, who were allegedly involved in murder, abduction and torture committed in Jamalpur during the Liberation War. The tribunal also adjourned the case proceeding against alleged Razakar Forkan Mallik until May 13 following a time of accused's defence counsel.