Injured uprising victims: Compensation caught up in red tape

Crippled and blinded, many July uprising protesters continue to suffer. The one-time assistance — Tk 5 lakh for martyrs’ families and Tk 1 lakh for the wounded — that was promised to them soon after the incumbent took over remains entangled in an utterly bureaucratic procedure.

The series of approvals, seals and documents begins with obtaining a seal from a BCS doctor or hospital director on the application form. This form has to be accompanied by hospital tickets or discharge certificates bearing the seal of an MBBS doctor, ensuring the documents prove treatment was provided during the uprising period. Payment requires a bKash number linked with the patient’s national identity card. In case that is unavailable, parents’ bKash number will suffice, but needs to be verified by a doctor. The application must also have photographs of injuries or wounded areas.

“We’ve already incurred huge debts for my son’s treatment. Still, we haven’t received any money. If needed, I’ll beg on the streets of Dhaka for my Omar.”

— Aradhan Begum, mother of injured victim Omar Faruk

Once all these documents are ready, they have to be entered into the Management Information System (MIS) of a government hospital, upazila health complex or the Directorate General of Health Services. Thereafter, the civil surgeon and the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office will need to verify the patient’s permanent address. These documents then have to be submitted to the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation in person or via post, email or WhatsApp.

Families often make multiple trips across cities, burning through their savings. For those living outside Dhaka, the hurdles are even greater. Many reported having to visit the foundation seven to eight times, rejected each time for missing documents or unavailability of officials.

Often, the documents remain unattended in the civil surgeon or DC office, adding to their sufferings.

Besides, the hotline number of the foundation remains unreachable most of the time.

FOUNDATION OFFICE

This correspondent first visited the July foundation on a Saturday, January 25 only to find out that the office remains closed on weekends. So did 11 victims or family members who came for aid or information. They left empty-handed.

The next day at 3:00pm, there were dozens of people, including the injured and families of martyrs, waiting for aid.

In one corner was Aradhan Begum. She was sitting in a chair and crying. Aradhan’s son Omar Faruk was shot in Paltan on July 28. It was her fourth visit.

Omar has already undergone one surgery and another is due in a few days. Aradhan’s husband had passed away in 1997, leaving Omar as the sole bread winner.

This correspondent reviewed the verification status of Omar’s documents, along with those of 11 others. All of them remain stuck at the civil surgeon’s office in Noakhali.

Aradhan explains her quandary. Having come to Dhaka over 20 years ago, she has no connections in Noakhali. “But they’re telling me to go there and deal with government officials.”

She says  she is not well-educated. “My son is all I had. It’s very hard for me to handle this alone. How will I go to Noakhali now? We’ve already incurred huge debts for my son’s treatment. Still, we haven’t received any money. If needed, I’ll beg on the streets of Dhaka for my Omar.”

She arrived at the office at 12:00pm and left in tears at 5:00pm, without any progress.

Mohammad Belal, who was shot in Mohammadpur, had his leg amputated. But now he needs another procedure to take care of the infection that developed after the first surgery.

Belal’s father was anxiously pacing about, speaking to officials to understand why his son’s compensation was still held up.

Initially, he was told the civil surgeon had not verified the files. But when student activists raised the issue on Facebook and it went viral, they found out the files had been verified at the district after all. Apparently, the final approval was pending at the foundation.

Belal’s father expressed his urgency for the verification to be expedited, as his son desperately needed the funds. The foundation, however, said they required a few more days.

The 60-year-old man had arrived at 10:00am and was still waiting for good news when this correspondent left at 5:45pm.

Another individual, shot with pellets, came from Bahaddarhaat in Chattogram. He had applied to the civil surgeon months ago but was recently informed that he could not receive funds as he had not provided photographs of his injuries.

“I don’t have a mobile phone. I didn’t have any pictures. Many pellets are still inside my body, and my medical documents confirm this. What’s the need for pictures?”

He continued, “I came to the foundation on Saturday without knowing it would be closed.” The young man had spent the night under the open sky at Kamalapur Railway Station. “I desperately need money for treatment,” he managed to say breaking down into tears.

Many others echoed similar frustrations.

A staff member of the foundation, wishing anonymity, explained that the verification process is stringent to prevent fraud. He said delays primarily occur at the civil surgeon or DC office. He also said the foundation has only 35 employees, which is insufficient to manage such an operation.

STACKED AGAINST VICTIMS

Apart from the 20 people interviewed on the July foundation premises, this correspondent talked to about 50 victims between January 7 and January 25.

A few have already managed to secure the assistance, but said it came “at the cost of their dignity and time”.

Many are still waiting, their applications stuck in the proverbial red tape.

For example, on January 22, journalist Torik Hasan Bappy shared a story on Facebook about Afnan Sabik. A student of Jagannath University, Afnan was wounded in the head and was still awaiting a donation.

The very next day, after the post went viral and caught the attention of the July foundation, they informed him that the spelling of his father’s name was incorrect on one of the documents. As a result, he would have to restart the entire process from scratch.

The mistake was made by officials responsible for enlisting names of the injured at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. But now Sabik has to suffer.

“First I went to DMCH to enlist my name. The officials gave me the runaround,” said Sabik, explaining that he had practically gone round the entire hospital. “It is hard for me to describe.”

“Then they sent me to Jashore to get a signature of the civil surgeon. The civil surgeon sat on my file for days. Then on one morning, a student coordinator of Jashore and the civil surgeon finally paid attention [due to the FB post],” Sabik added. “And now, I have to repeat the entire process because they made an error!”

Then there is the case of martyr Abdur Rahman.

His son, Faisal, had to make at least eight trips from Narayanganj to the foundation in Dhaka’s Shahbagh to secure a cheque.

On his eighth visit, Faisal was told that a cheque had indeed been issued. But it was to Abdur Rahman’s 110-year-old mother, who lives in Chapainawabganj. What is more, the foundation insisted that the frail, bedridden woman come to Dhaka to collect the cheque!

“How can my grandmother, who can’t even move, travel to Dhaka?” Faisal wondered.

After the incident sparked outrage on social media, a “solution” was proposed: the cheque would be reissued to Abdur Rahman’s wife. However, the money could only be cashed in Chapainawabganj, in the presence of the 110-year-old grandmother, under the supervision of the upazila nirbahi officer, who would ensure the funds were equitably distributed.

On January 23, Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, resigned as the foundation’s general secretary.

The executive committee led by CEO Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdho will now oversee the July foundation’s operations.

Md Jahid Hossain, public relations officer of the foundation, said that the paperwork was very simple for the martyrs and the foundation includes three nominees — father, mother, and wife. “However, it gets complicated selecting one nominee when everyone makes a claim.”

As for the injured, the documents are first sent to the districts authorities. “Once they confirm, we begin our verification process.” Jahid says there are typical types of complications. “Mismatch between the NID and the bKash number. Then, we have to obtain their bank details or another bKash account.”

He admits there are delays. “But we must perform due diligence to ensure that no fake claimants get money. If someone faking injuries gets listed, it would be an insult to the real heroes.”

He says besides the 35 employees at the foundation, there are 150 volunteers in the field who assist with the verification process.

So far, 673 martyr families and  2,396 injured protesters have received financial assistance, he said.

The government has put the official death toll at 826 with some 11,000 wounded as of January.