Tk 1cr to compensate families of victims

UNB, Dhaka :The Election Commission will provide Tk one crore in compensation to the family members of seven killed and those suffered injuries while discharging their duties during the violence-hit January 5 parliamentary elections.The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the commission.According to a list prepared by the commission, a total of seven people, including an EC staff, were killed and 316 officials and law enforcers injured while discharging their duties during the 10th general election.The commission has enlisted 129 injured polling officials and 187 law enforcers for providing compensation.The EC has decided to provide Tk 5.5 lakh to the each family of those killed while Tk 10,000 to Tk 50,000 to each of the injured, Tk one lakh to each of those who lost one organ and Tk two lakh to each of those who lost two organs.The injured were categorised as into four groups-A, B, C and D – as per the gravity of their wounds. As many as 135 injured people were enlisted under the A category, while 112 under the B category, 46 under the C category and 23 under the D category. An amount of Tk 10,000 compensation has been earmarked for the A category injured, while Tk 20,000 for the B category, Tk 30,000 for the C category and Tk 50,000 for the D category.Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz told UNB that the commission has decided to provide compensation to the family members of those killed and those suffered injuries while they were on duties during the last national election.The commission has already provided Tk five lakh to the families of the two election officials – college teachers Abdul Bashar and Zobaidul Haque – killed during their election duties, said EC Deputy Secretary Mihir Sarwar Morshed.The maximum number of officials and law enforcers who fell victims to violence was reported from Dinajpur, Takurgaon, Jessore, Rangpur, Jamalpur, Nilphamari, Laxmipur, Chittagong, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat districts.The last general election boycotted the then opposition BNP experienced widespread violence on January 5 this year that marred voting in 597 polling stations out of over 18,000 in 147 constituencies.It was the worst violence-hit election in the country’s recent polls history as 23-24 people were killed and many others injured in various parts of the country during the voting.