Explain why Titash’s family shouldn’t get compensation: HC

The High Court today issued a rule on the government to explain why it should not give Tk 3 crore as compensation to the family of Titash Ghosh, who died in an ambulance on a ferry on the way to Dhaka on July 25.

The court also directed the public administration secretary for appointing an additional secretary to conduct an enquiry into the incident and submit the enquiry report before this court in three weeks.

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the rule and the order after hearing a writ petition filed by rights organisation Legal Support and People’s Rights seeking necessary order.

Earlier yesterday, the rights body filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its directives to the government to give TK 3 crore compensation to the family of Titash.

Thirteen-year-old Titash Ghosh, a student of Kalia Pilot Secondary School in Narail, was critically injured in a motorbike accident in the district on July 24.

A day later, doctors of a local hospital referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for an emergency operation.

The family, along with the 13-year-old, were traveling to Dhaka in an ambulance, which arrived at the Kathalbari Ferry Terminal in Munshiganj around 8:00pm on July 25.

A ferry called “Ferry Cumilla” was reportedly already at the pontoon, which had its gate closed and was not loading vehicles.

The family said that the ferry, on which the ambulance carrying Titash was on, delayed loading vehicles for three hours while waiting for a joint secretary.

Ferry authorities said they were waiting for the arrival of Md Abdus Sabur Mondal, the head of Digital Service and Public Service Innovation Cluster and E-Service Implementation Specialist of the Access to Information (a2i) Programme at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The ambulance was stuck on the pontoon and could not reverse or shift to another because of the queue of vehicles in front and behind it.

The ferry started loading vehicles around 10:20pm when the authorities learnt that the government official was close by.

Around 11:00pm, the official arrived and the ferry started moving.

Titash died on the ferry, family sources said.