Bashundhara Group Donation to Hazrat ali

Bashundhara Group, country’s leading business conglomerate, Saturday donated Tk 400,000 to family members of Hazrat Ali, who sacrificed his life while trying to save two women from muggers, and bus driver Badar Ali, burnt alive in an arson attack amid pre-hartal violence. Family members of the victims received cheques for Tk 2 lakh each in the conference room of DMP headquarters in the capital. Benazir Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner, on behalf of Bashundhara Group handed over the cheques to Salma Sultana, the widow of Hazrat Ali, and Haowa Begum, late Badar Ali’s wife. Benazir Ahmed said DMP would encourage and cooperate with business houses like Bashundhara Group in carrying out their corporate social responsibility. “More corporate houses should stand by families like that of Hazrat Ali and Badar Ali,” he added. He thanked Bashundhara Group and its Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan on behalf of the DMP for showing the humane face and helping the traumatised families of different accidents. Noeem Nizam, editor of Bangladesh Protidin, said under corporate social responsibility, the Bashundhara Group assisting the family members of Hazrat Ali and Badar Ali. Pointing to the brutal killing of Badar Ali, Emdadul Haque Milon, editor of Kaler Kantho, said, “We’ll never accept this kind of killings in the name of democratic movement.” Salma Sultana told daily sun that the Bashundhara Group chairman proved that still there are some good people with feeling for suffering humanity in the country. She said, “After losing my husband, the lone bread-earner, I was a destitute. This money will help me in doing something for my future.” Haowa Begum told daily sun, “Our very existence was threatened after the death of my husband. Because we had to solely depend on the income of my husband. We have none to earn a living for the family. Now we will try to do something with the donated money to eke out a living. ” MD Jamilur Rahman, acting editor of daily sun, Alamgir Hossain, editor-in-chief of banglanews24.com, Mohammad Abu Tayeb, Media Adviser to the BG Chairman, Mahbub Morshed Hasan, chief adviser of Bashundhara Group, Maruf Hasan, joint commissioner of DB Police, and senior officers of police were also present at the programme. On May 14, Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan made the announcement of providing financial assistances to six families at his corporate office. On May 19, Mahir Sarwar Megh, the orphaned son of slain TV journalist-couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi, and three other victims’ families received donation in the conference room of East West Media Group Ltd situated in Bashundhara Residential Area in the capital. The BG chairman donated Tk 1.5 million to Megh which was kept as fixed deposit and he would receive Tk 15,000 per month for his upkeep. The boy can withdraw the entire amount when he will be 20/22 years of age. The group also donated Tk 100,000 to Arifur Rahman Sohel, canteen assistant of the National Press Club, for his medication. He lost both of his kidneys. Other recipients are family members of Bibhas Chandra Saha, senior reporter of English daily the Independent, and photojournalist Shahiduzzaman Titu, who were killed in separate road accidents in the capital recently. They received Tk 200,000 each. Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), was present at the programme as chief guest while Mustafa Kamal Mohiuddin, chairman of the East West Media Group Ltd, presided over the cheque-handover ceremony. Earlier, the Bashundhara Group had donated Tk one million each to family members of journalists Dinesh Das and Pothik Saha while the business house had spent Tk 3.5 million for treatment of journalist Nikhil Bhadra. Dinesh was killed in a road accident and Pothik died of heart attack. Nikhil lost his leg in an accident in the capital.