The family of the deputy police commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Mizanur Rahman, who died of novel coronavirus, is going to receive compensation of 50 lakh taka on condition that his widow will not marry again.
Through this, the government is the first time to give compensation payment to the bereaved families of frontline policemen in the battle against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Woman activists and expert said the bar on remarriage by widow of coronavirus victim is an inhuman and masculine attitude of bureaucrat.
On Sunday, the finance division will send letters to the chief accounting officer to sanction a total of 50 lakh taka in the names of the bereaved families.
The letters, signed by Joint Secretary Mohammad Abu Yusuf, said the drawing and discharging officer (DDO) of the finance division would hand over the compensation cheques to the wives of the Covid-19 victims.
In the letters, finance division has put new condition including the signing of a bond by coronavirus victim widow not to marry again.
Official of finance division unwilling to be named said the families of Defence Secretary and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College's Assistant Professor, who died of the novel coronavirus, received compensation of 50 lakh taka each without the condition of remarriage.
That condition is now put to payment compensation package, official also said.
The letter mentioned that the expenditure would be made from the 500 crore taka allocated in the 2020-21 budget for the "Special Grants for Health Risk Compensation."
On July 13, Mizanur died from the coronavirus illness at Rajarbagh Police Hospital in Dhaka.
Lawyer and human rights activist Sultana Kamal, also former the Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra, said, “It's unfair and interference with individual freedom. The state constitution did not give anyone the right to do so."
The convener of Jannaswashthya Sangram Parishad Faiezul Hakim told the compensation must be distributed among the dependents on the deceased. The bar on remarriage is a masculine attitude for bureaucrats, he said.
Last month, the families of Defence Secretary Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury and Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College's Assistant Professor Md Moyeen Uddin, who died of the novel coronavirus, received compensation of 50 lakh taka each.
Moyeen Uddin was the first doctor to have died of the coronavirus. He passed away on April 15. Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury died on June 29.
After the coronavirus cases were first reported in the country on March 8, the government announced compensation for the frontline government employees – 5-10 lakh taka for those who contract the virus and 25-50 lakh taka for those who die.
ask/wi
